OBJECTIVETo compare changes of hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) in different rat models of Gan stagnation (GS), Pi deficiency (PD), Gan stagnation Pi deficiency (GSPD) syndromes, and to observe interventional effect of Chaishu Sijun Decoction (CSD, capable of soothing Gan-qi invigorating Pi) on them.

METHODSSeventy Wistar rats were divided into the normal control group (group 1), the GS group (group 2), the PD group (group 3), the GSPD group (group 4), the GS intervention group (group 5), the PD intervention group (group 6), and the GSPD intervention group (group 7) according to random digit table, 10 in each group. Rats in group 1 received no treatment. Rats in group 2 and 5 were modeled by chronic restraint method. Rats in group 3 and 6 were modeled by excess fatigue plus alimentary abstinence method. Rats in group 4 and 7 were modeled by chronic restraint, excess fatigue, and alimentary abstinence method. At the 2nd weekend of modeling, CSD at 2.86 g/kg was fed to rats in group 5, 6, and 7 by gastrogavage for 2 successive weeks. Equal volume of distilled water was given to rats in the rest 4 groups. On the 29th day, rats were killed, adrenal weight weighed, and adrenal index calculated. Levels of plasma and hypothalamus corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), plasma and pituitary adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH), and plasma corticosterone (CORT) were determined using radioimmunity.

RESULTSCompared with group 1, adrenal index significantly decreased in group 2, 3, and 4 (P < 0.05). Of them, plasma and hypothalamus CRH, plasma CORT increased significantly in group 2 and 4 (P < 0.05). Besides, plasma and pituitary ACTH increased in group 4 (P < 0.05). Plasma and pituitary ACTH, as well as plasma CORT decreased significantly in group 3 (P < 0.05). Compared with group 2, 3, and 4, adrenal index increased significantly in group 5, 6, and 7 (P < 0.05). Compared with group 2, plasma CORT, hypothalamus CRH, and pituitary ACTH decreased significantly in group 5 (P < 0.05). Compared with group 3, plasma ACTH and CORT increased significantly in group 6 (P < 0.05). Compared with group 4, plasma CRH, ACTH, CORT, hypothalamus CRH, and pituitary ACTH decreased in group 7 (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe function of HPA .axis was damaged to varying degrees in rats of the three models in this experiment. Hyperactivity of HPA axis existed in GS syndrome and GSPD syndrome. Impairment of feedback regulation in hypothalamus and pituitary was accompanied in GSPD syndrome. Hypofunction of HPA axis existed in PDS. CSD, capable of soothing Gan-qi invigorating'Pi, showed improvement on disarranged HPAA, but with optimal effect on GSPD syndrome. CSD had higher correlation with GSPD syndrome.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; metabolism ; Animals ; Corticosterone ; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; metabolism ; Hypothalamus ; metabolism ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Models, Animal ; Pituitary Gland ; metabolism ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

BACKGROUNDThe degree of pathological microvascular proliferation is an important element in evaluation of the astrocytoma grade. This study was aimed to quantitatively assess the microvascular permeability of brain astrocytoma with the volume transfer constant (K(trans)) and volume of extravascular extracellular space per unit volume of tissue (Ve) from dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) and to evaluate the effectiveness of the K(trans) and Ve in the grading of astrocytoma.

METHODSThe highest values of the K(trans) and Ve of 67 patients with astrocytoma (27 with grade II, 12 with grade III, and 28 with grade IV) were obtained. The comparisons of the differences of the K(trans) and Ve between the different grades were conducted using the Mann-Whitney rank-sum tests. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were determined between K(trans) values, Ve values and astrocytoma grades. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed to determine the cut-off values for the K(trans) and Ve to distinguish between the different grades of astrocytoma.

RESULTSThere were significant differences (P < 0.001) between the different grades in the K(trans) values and Ve values, except for grades III and IV. The K(trans) values and Ve values were both correlated with astrocytoma grades (both P < 0.001). The ROC curve analyses showed that the cut-off values for the K(trans) and Ve provided the best combination of sensitivity and specificity in distinguishing between grade II and grade III or IV astrocytomas.

CONCLUSIONSDCE-MRI can play an important role in assessing the microvascular permeability and the grading of brain astrocytoma.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Astrocytoma ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Brain Neoplasms ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Capillary Permeability ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of ginkgo biloba extract (ginaton) preconditioning on discordant cardiac xenografts from guinea pig to rat, and explore its mechanism.

METHODSCervical cardiac transplantation model was established in the rats,which were divided into 4 groups Group 1 (cobra venom factor ( CVF) pretreatment, n = 10]; Group 2 (CVF + ginaton, n = 5) ; Group 3 Ccyclosporine (CsA); Group 4 (CVF + CsA + ginaton, n = 8]. The survival time and histopathology after xenograft were observed and expressions of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) CD68 and CD57 were detected.

RESULTSPathologic manifestion of grafts showed changes of acute vascular rejection (AVR) in all groups. The mean survival time after car diac xenograft was 41 hrs in Group 1, 68 hrs in Group 2, 55 hrs in Group 3 and 74 hrs in Group 4. Expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1 ) decreased after ginaton preconditioning (P < 0. 05). CD68 and CD57 expressions were down-regulated, HO-1 expression was up-regulated, as well as the apoptotic index (Al) reduced significantly after ginaton with cyclosporine A preconditioning.

CONCLUSIONGinaton preconditioning can prolong the survival time after discordant xenograft, and significantly alleviate pathological lesion from acute xenograft vascular rejection combined with cyclosporine A.

Animals ; Antigens, CD ; metabolism ; Antigens, Differentiation, Myelomonocytic ; metabolism ; CD57 Antigens ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Ginkgo biloba ; Guinea Pigs ; Heart ; drug effects ; Heart Transplantation ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; metabolism ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Myocardium ; immunology ; metabolism ; Rats ; Transplantation Conditioning ; Transplantation, Heterologous

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of minimally invasive therapy on treating hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage.Methods 40 cases hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage were randomly divided into two groups, 20 cases were received the minimally invasive drainage therapy and 20 cases medicine therapy.Results Effective rate was high(P

Objective　To investigate the occurrence of postural hypotension (PH) in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes mellitus with or without hypertension (DMH or DM), and the relationship of PH and diabetic neuropathy, hyperinsulinemia and insulin resistance. Methods　A total of 30 cases of type 2 DM and 30 cases of DMH were included in this study. The blood pressure of all subjects were measured in supine and standing body positions respectively and PH was defined as a decline from supine to standing was ≥20 mmHg in systolic blood pressures (SBP). The concentrations of blood glucose and plasma insulin were measured to calculate the insulin sensitive index (ISI). Autonomic and peripheral function was determined by measuring the postural heart rates and the conduction speeds of superficial peroneal and communicating branch of peroneal nerves etc respectively. Results　Significant difference (P<0.01) was found in the occurrence of PH in the patients with DM (40%) and those with DMH (67%). The changes of postural blood pressure were more obvious in those with DM+PH and DMH+PH than in those with simple DM (P<0.01). The conduction speeds of newes were significantly lower in those with DMH+PH than with simple DM (P<0.05), but the occurrence of autonomic neuropathy had no difference between the 2 groups. There was no difference in postural heart rate, body mass index and blood glucose levels in fasting and 2 h after meal among the DM, DM+PH and DMH+PH groups. The concentrations of plasma insulin of those with DMH+PH were significantly higher, but their ISI significantly lower than those of the patients with DM respectively (P<0.01). The decline of postural SBP in patients with DMH+PH had a significantly positive correlation with their plasma insulin levels in fasting condition (r=0.689, P<0.01). Conclusion　The patients with DMH are more prone to PH compared with those only with DM and PH damages their peripheral nerves. Most of diabetic patients with PH suffer from obvious IR and hyperinsulinemia, and if with hypertension, the above metabolic disturbances are more severe.

The gene GeDRP1E encoding dynamin-related protein 1E in Gastrodia elata was cloned by specific primers which were designed based on the transcriptome data of G. elata. Bioinformatics analysis on GeDRP1E gene was carried out by using ExPASy, ClustalW, MEGA, etc. Positive transgenic Arabidopsis plant and potato minituber were obtained with the genetic transformation system of Arabidopsis and potato. The plant height and seed setting rate of transgenic Arabidopsis, and agronomic characters, such as size, weight and starch content of potato minituber of transgenic potato were tested and analyzed. And GeDRP1E gene function was preliminarily investigated. The results showed that the open reading frame of GeDRP1E gene was 1 899 bp in length and 632 amino acids residues were encoded, with a relative molecular weight of 69.90 kDa and a molecular formula of C₃₀₇₉H₄₉₇₃N₈₈₃O₉₃₃S₁₉. It was predicted that the theoretical isoelectric point was 7.27, the instability coefficient was 43.34, and the average hydrophilicity index was -0.259, which was indicative of an unstable hydrophilic protein. GeDRP1E has no transmembrane structure and signal peptide, and was localized in the cytoplasm. The phylogenetic tree showed that GeDRP1E was highly homologous with DRP1E proteins of other plant species, among which GeDRP1E had the highest homology with DcDRP1E (XP_020689662.1) in Dendrobium candidum, reaching 90.05%. GeDRP1E plant expression vector pCambia1300-35Spro-GeDRP1E was constructed by double digests, and Arabidopsis complementary mutant and potato overexpression strain of GeDRP1E gene were obtained by Agrobacterium-mediated gene transformation. Compared with the Arabidopsis AtDRP1E mutant, the height and seed setting rate of the GeDRP1E complementation mutant were rescued. The minituber of GeDRP1E overexpression potato had larger size, heavier weight and higher starch content, comparing to wild-type potato. It was preliminarily induced that GeDRP1E was involved in mitochondrial morphology regulation, which related to the growth and development of Arabidopsis plants and potato miniature. The research results laid a foundation for further elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the growth and development of G. elata tuber development.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of acupuncture combined physical training and relearning on stroke patients.

METHODSA multi-center, randomized controlled trial design was adopted. A total of 364 stroke patients were recruited and randomly assigned to the experimental group (184 cases) and the control group (180 cases). Patients in the experimental group received acupuncture combined with physical training and relearning, while those in the control group only received physical training and relearning. All received four weeks of treatment. Effects on Fugl-Meyer motor function, neurological impairment, activities of daily living difference were compared before treatment, after treatment, 2 and 5 months after follow-ups between the two groups.

RESULTSTotally 353 patients completed this trial, 179 in the experimental group and 174 in the control group. (1) compared with before treatment, brief Fugl-Meyer motor functions scores and FIM scored obviously increased, and scores for neurological impairment obviously decreased in the two group. Besides, the increment of brief Fugl-Meyer motor functions scores and FIM scores was obviously higher in the experimental group than in the control group at month 2 and 5 of follow-ups; scores for neurological impairment was obviously lower in the experimental group than in the control group. The increment of FIM scores was obviously higher in the experimental group than in the control group at month 5 of follow-ups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). (2) There was statistical difference in inter-group comparison of total Fugl-Meyer motor functions scores and FIM scores, or scores for neurological impairment (P < 0.01). The improvement of Fugl-Meyer motor functions grading and neurological impairment grading was obviously superior in the experimental group at month 2 and 5 of follow-ups. The distribution of FIM grading was also better in the experimental group at month 5 of follow-ups (P < 0.05, P < 0. 01).

CONCLUSIONSBoth acupuncture combined exercise training and relearning and physical training and relearning could effectively promote the rehabilitation of stroke patients, reduce their neurological impairment degrees, improve motor functions and independent capacities. Better long-term efficacy could be obtained by acupuncture combined exercise training and relearning.

Activities of Daily Living ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Biomedical Research ; Exercise Therapy ; Humans ; Research Design ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome

Animals ; Female ; Liver ; blood supply ; Male ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism ; Sex Factors

OBJECTIVETo validate the efficacy of velocity vector imaging (VVI) and quantitative tissue velocity imaging (QTVI) for evaluating left ventricular diastolic function.

METHODSFifty-one patients underwent left heart catheterization were included in this study. Mean of peak early diastolic velocity (Em), EF and the ratio of early (E) to late (A) mitral valve flow velocity (E/A) were measured by echocardiography and the ratio of E to Em (E/Em) was calculated. Left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) was measured during catheterization examination.

RESULTSE/Em derived from VVI or QTVI was significantly correlated with LVEDP (r = 0.808, P < 0.01 and r = 0.692, P < 0.01, respectively) and the correlation coefficient between VVI and LVEDP was significantly higher than that between QTVI and LVEDP (Z = 2.246, P = 0.025). Em derived from VVI and QTVI also negatively correlated with LVEDP (r = -0.740, P < 0.01 and r = -0.567, P < 0.01) and the correlation coefficient between VVI and LVEDP was significantly higher than that between QTVI and LVEDP (Z = 2.595, P = 0.009). However, there was no correlation between E/A and LVEDP (r = 0.117, P = 0.415).

CONCLUSIONE/Em and Em derived from VVI and QTVI are valuable parameters for evaluating LV diastolic function.

Blood Flow Velocity ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Diastole ; physiology ; Echocardiography ; methods ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; diagnostic imaging ; physiology ; Reproducibility of Results ; Ventricular Function, Left ; physiology

Objective To explore the prospective monitoring and control methods for missing reporting of health-care-associated infection(HAI)cases,analyze its implementation efficacy,provide basis for formulating targeted strategy for monitoring missing report of HAI.Methods From January 2016 to June 2017,the quality control circle (QCC)method was used to prospectively monitor HAI cases in hospitalized patients,missing reporting of HAI was controlled.Results "Information system intelligence screening+mobile messaging alerts+ HAI supervision"trinity monitoring model for avoid missing reporting of HAI cases was established,after the first round of PDCA(plan, do,check,action)cycle,missing reporting rate of HAI decreased from 79.16% before QCC to 59.75% after QCC, difference was statistically significant (χ2＝208.821,P＝0.000).Compared with missing reporting rate of HAI af-ter the first round of PDCA,missing reporting rate of HAI after the second round of PDCA dropped to 26.18%, difference was statistically significant (χ2＝200.075,P＝0.002).Conclusion Active prospective prevention and control before missing reporting of HAI can effectively avoid missing reporting of HAI cases.