To discuss the availability of evaluation on the dissolution studies of the multicomponents in traditional Chinese medicine, the in vitro dissolution of total composition of the tablet of rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong components and its correlation with the in vivo were studied by the method of area under the absorbance-wavelength curve (AUAWC). Taken the tablet of rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong components which is composed of sodium ferulate and ligustrazine hydrochloride as subject model, the dissolution tests were carried out with basket method. The plasma concentrations of tablets in different rats were determined by AUAWC at different interval times. The in vivo absorption percentage was calculated by Wagner-Nelson equation to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo correlation. According to the results, the cumulative dissolution in vitro of total composition of tablets of rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong components at 60 min was 90.65% in water by AUAWC. The in vivo pharmacokinetics is fitted with an one-compartment model. The linear equation based on the cumulative dissolution rate (fr) and absorption percentage (fa) at 5, 10, 20, 30 and 60 min was fa = 0.819 7 fr+0.183 and the correlation coefficient was 0.959 5, which showed a good correlation between the in vitro dissolution and the in vivo absorption percentage. The method of AUAWC can be used accurately, feasibly and conveniently to evaluate the in vitro and in vivo correlation of total composition of tablets of rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong components, which will provide better guidance to study the in vitro and in vivo correlation of sustained release preparation etc under complex system of traditional Chinese medicine in the future.
Animals ; Coumaric Acids ; chemistry ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Ligusticum ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Solubility ; Tablets

Objective To investigate the clinical outcomes of pedicle screw fixation assisted with the 3D printing positioning guide template for treatment of unstable atlas fractures.Methods A retrospective case series review was made on 10 patients with unstable atlas fractures undergone direct posterior C1 pedicle screw fixation assisted with the 3D printing drill guide template from September 2012 to May 2015.There were 7 males and 3 females,with a mean age of 52.6 years (range,23-75 years).All patients complained of neck pain,stiffness and decreased range of motion without neurologic deficit.Preoperative skull traction was used routinely.After the three-dimension reconstruction of cervical vertebrae,ideal trajectory for C1 pedicle screws was designed with a complementary basal template for posterior surface of atlas corresponding anatomical structure.Then the drill guide template was materialized in a rapid prototyping machine and used during operation.Start point and direction of the ideal and actual trajectories were measured after matching the position of the pre-and post-operative patients' cervical spine.Safety of pedicle screw fixation was assessed in the transverse and sagittal planes of CT scan.Operation time and blood loss were recorded.Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of neck pain was recorded before operation and 3 months after operation.Clinical efficacy,fracture reduction,stability and surgical complications were reviewed at the follow-up.Results A total of 20 screws were inserted safely.No significant differences existed in deviation of entry point and direction between ideal and actual trajectories (P ＞0.05).Operation time was 60-90 min (mean,75 min) and intraoperative blood loss was 110-300 ml (mean,160 ml).No spinal cord or vertebral artery injury was noted during operation.All patients were followed up for 12-36 months (mean,20.5 months).VAS was improved from preoperative 7.3 (6.3-9.5) points to 1.4 (0.3-2.5) points 3 months after operation (P ＜ 0.05).All patients had normal range of motion of the cervical spine 3 months after operation.Bony fusion was achieved 6 months after operation.At the follow-up,good cervical alignment was maintained with no instrument failure and C1.2 instability.Conclusion For treatment of unstable atlas fractures,direct posterior C1 pedicle screw fixation assisted with the 3D printing drill guide template can improve the precision of screw placement,reduce complications,and preserve the function of the occipital-atlantoaxial junction.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy and fusion rate of unilateral and bilateral C1 and C2 pedicle screw fixation of unstable Jefferson fractures.Methods This retrospective casecontrol study enrolled 22 patients with unstable Jefferson fractures admitted between April 2012 and May 2015.There were 18 males and four females,with the mean age of 52.9 years (range,35-67 years).Mean preoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) was 6.09 points (range,4-8 points).According to the American spinal injury association (ASIA) classification,two patients were rated grade D and one patient grade C.Mean Japanese orthopedic association (JOA) score was 12.3 points.Bilateral C1 and C2 pedicle screw fixation was performed for 15 patients (bilateral group).Advantage side unilateral C1 and C2 pedicle screw fixation was performed for seven patients with extremely unstable fracture or narrow pedicle (unilateral group).Operation time,blood loss and surgical complications were recorded.VAS was used to evaluate the improvement of neck pain after operation.ASIA classification and JOA score were used to assess nerve function recovery.Atlanto-dental interval (ADI),srew position and bone fusion were evaluated after operation.Results All patients successfully completed the operation.Operation time was (119.5 ±21.2)min,and blood loss was (280.1 ±83.1)ml.A total of 74 screws were placed and CT scan showed satisfactory position of the screws.No complications were noted either during the operation or after surgery.All patients were followed up for mean 20.7 months (range,13-33 months).VAS was improved in both groups after operation (P ＜ 0.01),and there was no significant difference between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Two patients with ASIA grade D in bilateral group were improved to ASIA grade E after operation.One patient with ASIA grade C in unilateral group was improved to ASIA grade D after operation.JOA score increased to mean 15.7 points at last follow-up.ADI were decreased in both groups after operation(P ＜0.05),but there was no significant difference between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).All patients had bony fusion 6 months after operation,with similar fusion rate between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusion Advantage side unilateral screw fixation can be used for the patients with bilateral C1 and C2 pedicle screw fixation failure,for the technique can improve cervical pain and provide relatively high stability and fusion rate.

OBJECTIVETo study the clinicopathologic features, immunophenotype and differential diagnosis of sclerosing epithelioid fibrosarcoma (SEF).

METHODSEight cases of SEF were investigated by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThere were five males and three females. Clinically, most patients presented as a slowly growing mass. Six tumors were located in the extremities or limb girdles, and two in the trunk. Grossly, most lesions were relatively well-circumscribed with a nodular or lobulated appearance. They ranged from 2.0 to 10.5 cm in size (mean 6 cm). On sectioning, they had a gray-whitish cut surface and were firm in consistency. Microscopically, the tumors were composed of uniformly round or polygonal epithelioid cells with clear to eosinophilic cytoplasm. The tumor cells were arranged predominantly in single strands or cords and embedded in a heavily hyalinized matrix. In some areas, nests, sheets, acini or alveolar structures were also noted. Nuclei atypia and brisk mitotic activity was not evident. The mitotic count measured less than 1 per 10 high power fields. However in two cases, focal areas exhibited increased cellularity, nuclei atypia and higher mitotic activity, resembling conventional fibrosarcoma. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed diffuse and strong positivity for vimentin and focal or weak positivity for EMA. There was no expression for AE1/AE3, S-100 protein, HMB45, alpha-SMA, MSA, desmin, CD34, bcl-2, CD30 and LCA. Follow-up information in six patients revealed local recurrence in 3 cases and lung metastasis in 1 case.

CONCLUSIONSSEF is a rare variant of fibrosarcoma. Despite the relatively bland appearance and low mitotic activity, the tumor is capable of local recurrence and distant metastasis. Thus, it should be considered and treated as a low to intermediate grade sarcoma. SEF needs to be differentiated from a variety of benign or malignant tumors exhibiting epithelioid features and sclerotic stromal response.

Adult ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Extremities ; Female ; Fibrosarcoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; secondary ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; secondary ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucin-1 ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Soft Tissue Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Vimentin ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the histological and ultrastructural changes of the skin and hair follicles following hair removal by alexandrite laser in Tibet mini-pigs.

METHODSTwelve healthy Tibet mini-pigs with dark hair were treated with alexandrite laser for hair removal. The skin specimens were taken immediately and at 1 h and 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 days after the laser treatment for observation under optical and transmission electron microscope.

RESULTSLaser hair removal resulted in extensive coagulation necrosis, carbonization and falling of the subcutaneous hair shafts, and some of the cells in the outer root sheath and hair bulb underwent degenerative and necrotic changes. One hour after laser treatment, the cells in the outer root sheath and bulb exhibited nuclear condensation, fragmentation and or karyolysis characteristic of cell apoptosis. The cell apoptosis reached the peak level on day 3 after the laser exposure, accompanied by endothelial degeneration in the hair papilla vessels, edema and lymphocyte infiltration in the dermal tissues. Tissue reaction and inflammation were relieved on day 5, and the dermal tissue and follicles recovered their normal structures on day 10. At 60 days after the treatment, the hair follicles decreased markedly but the structure of the residue follicles remained normal.

CONCLUSIONAlexandrite laser exposure results in selective destruction of the follicles by inducing direct coagulation and cell apoptosis to achieve permanent hair removal. Tibet mini-pigs with black hair can be used as the animal model of clinical laser hair removal.

Animals ; Hair Follicle ; radiation effects ; ultrastructure ; Hair Removal ; methods ; Lasers, Solid-State ; therapeutic use ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Swine ; Tibet

Design space approach is applied in this study to enhance the robustness of first ethanol precipitation process of Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen) by optimizing parameters. Total flavonoid recovery, dry matter removal, and pigment removal were defined as the process critical quality attributes (CQAs). Plackett-Burman designed experiments were carried out to find the critical process parameters (CPPs). Dry matter content of concentrated extract (DMCE), mass ratio of ethanol to concentrated extract (E/C ratio) and concentration of ethanol (CEA) were identified as the CPPs. Box-Behnken designed experiments were performed to establish the quantitative models between CPPs and CQAs. Probability based design space was obtained and verified using Monte-Carlo simulation method. According to the verification results, the robustness of first ethanol precipitation process of Dangshen can be guaranteed by operating within the design space parameters. Recommended normal operation space are as follows: dry matter content of concentrated extract of 45.0% - 48.0%, E/C ratio of 2.48-2.80 g x g(-1), and the concentration of ethanol of 92.0% - 92.7%.
Chemical Precipitation ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Codonopsis ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

Objective To evaluate the micropermeability on bonding hydrophobic adhesive to dentin with ethanol-wet bonding under simulated pulp pressure.Methods Twenty-four intact human third molars were used in the study.After the enamel of occlusal surfaces was removed,the molars were randomly divided into six groups.Adper Scotchbond Multi-Purpose was used in the control group; in the experimental groups,the dentin surfaces were saturated with ethanol for 20 s ( group 1 ),1 min ( group 2 ),2 min ( group 3 ),3 min ( group 4 ) or with a series of increasing ethanol concentrations before application of hydrophobic adhesive ( group 5 ).All the bonding procedures were done under simulated pulp pressure.After 24 hours,micro-tensile bond strength test were performed on the specimens.Bonding interfaces were observed under laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) after the pulp chamber were filled with a water-soluble fluoroprobe rhodamine B for 3 hours.Results Compared with the control group[(38.14 ± 4.97 ) MPa],bond strengths in group 1 [(21.02 ± 7.23 ) MPa]and group 2 [( 29.64 ± 3.81 ) MPa]were statistically lower ( P ＞ 0.05 ),while bond strngth in group 3 [( 38.40 ± 5.03 ) MPa],group 4 [( 37.26 ± 4.68 ) MPa]and group 5[(40.12 ±5.95) MPa]were similar to the control group (P＜0.05).The images taken by LSCM showed that with extension of ethanol-wet time,the deposition of fluorescent dye in hybrid layer and along the dentinal tubules decreased gradually.Especially in group 5,only spare fluorescent dye deposition could be detected in the hybrid layer.Conclusions Dentin saturated with ethanol for more than 2 min before bonding hydrophobic adhesive to dentin could provide favorable bond strength and decreased the micropermeability of bonding interfaces under simulated pulp pressure.

Insulin-like growth factor binding-protein-7 (IGFBP7) was obtained from our previous colonic adenocarcinoma (CRC) and normal mucosa suppression subtraction hybridization (SSH) cDNA libraries. By RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, we found that IGFBP7 was overexpressed in CRC tissue compared to normal tissue. However, our in vitro experiments performed in 10 CRC cell lines showed that IGFBP7 expressed only in SW480 and Caco2 cell lines, which implied an underlying reversible regulatory mechanism. Using methylation-specific PCR (MSP) and bisulfite sodium PCR (BSP), we found that its expression was associated with DNA hypomethylation of exon1. This was further supported by the in vitro study which showed restored IGFBP7 expression after demethylation agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment. Correlation analysis between IGFBP7 expression and prognosis indicated that overexpression of IGFBP7 in CRC tissue correlated with favourable survival. Investigation of the functional role of IGFBP7 through transfection studies showed that IGFBP7 protein could inhibit growth rate, decrease colony formation activity, and induce apoptosis in RKO and SW620 cells, suggesting it a potential tumor suppressor protein in colorectal carcinogenesis. In conclusion, our study clearly demonstrated that IGFBP7 plays a potential tumor suppressor role against colorectal carcinogenesis and its expression is associated with DNA hypomethylation of exon 1.
Adenocarcinoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; Apoptosis ; genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; DNA Methylation ; Exons ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; genetics ; Humans ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Transfection ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence and clinical features of febrile convulsion (FC) among pupils in the Wenzhou region, Zhejiang Province, China.

METHODSUsing a random stratified cluster sampling method, 6406 children under 12 years from two primary schools of urban areas and two primary schools of rural areas were surveyed.

RESULTSThe prevalence of FC was 3.67% (235/6406). Most children (75.7%) experienced their first onset of FC at 6 months to 3 years of age (median: 16 months). The seizures were generalized (95.3%, 224/235), with a duration of less than 10 minutes (86.4%, 203/235). FC was developed into epilepsy in 13 children (5.5%) who all suffered from complex FC. Relapses were noted in 88 cases (37.4%), among whom 38 patients had only 1 recurrence and 50 patients had 2 or more relapses. EEG was performed in 200 cases, among whom 12(6.0%) showed abnormalities.

CONCLUSIONSThe prevalence of FC is 3.67% among pupils in the Wenzhou region. The seizures are generalized, with a short duration. A part of complex FC can be developed into subsequent epilepsy.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Seizures, Febrile ; epidemiology

[Objective]To investigate the expression changes of miR-133b in methamphetamine(MA)-induced neuro-nal injury in PC12 cells and its regulative effects on cellular apoptosis.[Methods]PC12 cells were cultured and divided into control group and MA treated group.In MA treated group,PC12 cells were insulted with 800μmol/L MA in culture medium. The cellular injury of PC12 cells was observed under microscope. The cellular apoptosis was detected by Hoechst33342/PI double staining,and the expression level of miR-133b was examined by real-time quantitative PCR(RT-PCR). Further-more,miR-133b mimic and inhibitors were transfected into PC12 cells to analyze miR-133b's function in MA-induced cell apoptosis.[Results]The data showed that 800 μmol/L MA could induce obvious cellular injury,cause neurite shortened and increase the cell apoptosis. The RT-PCR data showed that the expression of miR-133b of PC12 cells treated with MA de-creased significantly.The apoptosis rate of PC12 cells decreased after transfection of miR-133b mimic,while increased after transfection of miR-133b inhibitors.[Conclusions]High concentration of MA causes neuron damage and induces neuronal apoptosis,and also decreases the levels of miR-133b expression. Whereas,overexpression of miR-133b can reduce the apoptosis of cultured PC12 cells.Thus,miR-133b plays a crucial role in MA mediated neurotoxicity.This study provides a theoretical basis for elucidating the mechanism of MA-induced neurotoxicity and may provide a new strategy for treating MA addiction.