Pharmacodynamic (PD) studies play an important role in research and development of new traditonal Chinese medicines (TCMs). Phamacologic and toxicologic studies that aim to research drug ability can provide supporting data for the clinical trials and reduce the risk of clinical trials. In recent years, PD studies in TCMs are developing and progressing, but there are still some problems affecting the value of PD studies in the development of new TCMs. The value of PD studies depends on scientific and rational study design. This article summaries some defects in PD study design of new TCMs that are common in the application data, including defects in study type, testing targets, dosing, duration of administration, control group, testing time. This article also discusses some points of concern and specific requirements for PD study design of new TCMs.
Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Pharmacokinetics

Autophagy is an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism responsible for degrading injured or dysfunctional subcellular organelles and proteins in all living cells. The process of autophagy can be divided into three relatively independent steps: the initiation of phagophore, the formation of autophagosome and the maturation/degradation stage. Different morphological characteristics and molecular marker changes can be observed at these stages. Morphological approaches are useful to produce novel knowledge that would not be achieved through other experimental methods. Here we summarize the morphological methods in monitoring autophagy, the principles in data interpretation and the cautions that should be considered in the study of autophagy.

[Summary] Cesarean section scar defect is one of the most common long-term complications after cesarean section .However the indications and efficacy judgment are not definite .The main managements include medical and surgical interventions .The drug generally used in medical management is oral contraceptives , and the surgical management includes vaginal repair of cesarean section scar defect and hysteroscopic or laparoscopic repair of the defect .To minimize the incidence of cesarean section scar defect , the surgical indications should be strictly followed and the operation should be carefully performed , including application of aseptic techniques , complete removal of decidua and placental tissues , effective hemostasis , and proper suturing .

Objective To obtain the overall picture of the PubMed cited publications by major domestic medical institutions in 2013;and to learn the distribution of the number of publication,published journals,impact factor of journal,and articles published in China and overseas.Methods Information was retrieved from PubMedplus database,and the statistical analysis was conducted to assess the distribution in the number of publications,published journals and impact factor of journals by major medical institutions in China.Results Top 30 medical institutions of China in 2013 published 12178 PubMed cited papers on 1890 journals,in which 10602 papers were in English accounted for 87.06％,and 1575 papers were in Chinese accounted for 12.93％.2552 papers were Published in the top 13 journals accounted for 20.96％.PLoS One published the most of total papers.Conclusions The level of journal that published papers for major domestic medical institutions needs to be improved,and each medical institution has its own advantage in different disciplines.

Electrical status epilepticus during sleep(ESES)is a special electroencephalography in children.It is involved in a variety of epileptic syndromes and can lead to different degrees of degradation of movement, cognition, behavior, language.At present, the cause of ESES is still unknown.According to literature reports, 8 pathogenic genes have been found to be related to ESES, namely GRIN2A, CNKSR2, SCN2A, KCNA2, KCNQ2, KCNB1, SLC6A1 and WAC genes.In this review, progress of ESES molecular genetics are discussed.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of jujube pretreatment on serum levels of AST and ALT, liver pathology, and the expression of cytochrome P4502e1 (CYP2E1) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in the liver tissue of alcoholic liver disease (ALD) mice.

METHODSTotally 88 Kunming mice were randomly divided into the control group (n = 28), the model group (n = 32), and the jujube treatment group (n = 28). The animal model was prepared using intragastric alcoholism for mice in the model group and the jujube treatment group, while distilled water was intragastrically given to those in the control group. Extraction of jujube was intragastrically given to mice in the jujube treatment group at week 4, while equal volume of distilled water was intragastrically given to mice in the rest two groups. The therapeutic course lasted for 12 weeks. Serum levels of AST and ALT, liver pathology, and the expression of CYP2E1 and TNF-alpha in the liver tissue of ALD mice were observed after administration of jujube.

RESULTSCompared with the model group, serum levels of AST and ALT decreased, the liver pathology was improved, and the expression of CYP2E1 and TNF-alpha in the liver tissue decreased, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONJujube had certain effect in treating ALD.

Animals ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; metabolism ; Disease Models, Animal ; Liver ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; Ziziphus ; chemistry

Objective To observe the dynamic changes of CPP32 mRNA in hippocampus following temporary whole cerebral ischemia in rats and to explore the mechanism of neuron apoptosis induced by cerebral ischemia.Methods The model of temporary whole cerebral ischemia in rats were induced by carotid artery negative pressure shunt and the expression of CPP32 mRNA were detected with fluorescence quantify RT PCR.Results Compared with the naive group, the expression of CPP32 mRNA did not increase insignificantly in sham operation group. Compared with sham operation group, the expression of CPP32 mRNA in ischemia group trended to increase at 6 h after ischemia and increased by 53% at 12 h and 223% at 24 h after ischemia. It kept in high level and decreased at 72 h after ischemia.Conclusion The expression of CPP32 mRNA in hippocampus could be induced by temporary whole cerebral ischemia. It began to increase at 6 h, reached its fastigium at 24 h and tended to decrease at 72 h after ischemia. The enhanced gene transcription of CPP32 plays an important role in the neuron apoptosis induced by cerebral ischemia.

Objective To explore the influence of thyroid status on serum level of leptin and expression of leptin mRNA in rats with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.Methods Fifty rats were artificially rendered hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism by L-thyroxine or methimazole and divided into 5 groups.The serum of T 3,T 4,TSH,leptin concentration and expression of leptin mRNA were measured in 5 groups.Results Serum leptin concentration was significantly correlated with weight of rats in 5 groups(P

Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Qi ; Thymoma ; surgery ; therapy

Autophagy is an important homeostatic cellular recycling mechanism responsible for degrading injured or dysfunctional subcellular organelles and proteins in all living cells. The process of autophagy can be divided into three relatively independent steps: the initiation of phagophore, the formation of autophagosome and the maturation/degradation stage. Different morphological characteristics and molecular marker changes can be observed at these stages. Morphological approaches are useful to produce novel knowledge that would not be achieved through other experimental methods. Here we summarize the morphological methods in monitoring autophagy, the principles in data interpretation and the cautions that should be considered in the study of autophagy.
Autophagy ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Organelles ; Phagosomes