Renal artery thrombosis can cause acute occlusion of unilateral or bilateral renal arteries,and kidney failure would be induced if it is not diagnosed and treated in time.Therefore,rapid and correct treatment is especially important for renal artery thrombosis.Due to the lack of specificity of clinical manifestations,this disease in commonly misdiagnosed or missed and thus has a low early diagnosis rate.Here we report a case of acute renal artery thrombosis to improve the diagnosis and treatment.
Acute Disease ; Diagnostic Errors/adverse effects* ; Humans ; Renal Artery ; Renal Artery Obstruction/diagnosis* ; Thrombosis/etiology*

BACKGROUNDVancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) cause serious infections that are difficult to treat. We carried out this study to determine the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) of linezolid when combined with minocycline against VRE strains, to determine the mechanism of drug resistance in vitro, and to provide a theoretical basis for the rational use of drugs against VRE.

METHODSThe minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of linezolid and minocycline against 30 Enterococci (E.) isolates (including 20 VRE strains) were determined by the broth microdilution method. Drug interactions were assessed by the checkerboard microdilution tests and confirmed by time-kill studies. Two vancomycin-susceptible strains N27 and N40 (linezolid MIC, 2 g/ml; minocycline MIC, 4 µg/ml) and control strains E. faecalis ATCC 29212 and ATCC 51299 were also tested. The MPCs of linezolid and minocycline (alone and combined) were determined using the agar dilution method. Strains showing stable resistance were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of domain V of the 23S rRNA gene.

RESULTSCheckerboard titration studies revealed synergistic effects of combination therapy in 26.7% of 30 E. isolates. Antagonism was not observed. The G2576U mutation was detected in stable linezolid-resistant strains of ATCC 29212, N40, and N27 before and after resistance screening, and MIC values increased with the number of G2576U mutations. The MPC of linezolid against E. decreased dramatically when combined with minocycline, and vice versa.

CONCLUSIONLinezolid or minocycline alone produce resistant strains; however, their joint use may reduce the MPC of each agent against VRE, thereby decreasing resistant mutants and bacterial infections.

Acetamides ; pharmacology ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Anti-Infective Agents ; pharmacology ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Enterococcus ; drug effects ; genetics ; Linezolid ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Minocycline ; pharmacology ; Mutation ; Oxazolidinones ; pharmacology ; Vancomycin Resistance

In this paper,the design and development of sustained and controlled release preparations in traditional Chinese medicine( TCM) based on quality by design( QbD) was put forward,aiming at the current situation that the final product quality is affected by multiple factors during the development of sustained and controlled release preparations in TCM. The important development of sustained and controlled release preparations in western medicine in recent years was summarized. According to the complex process of TCM,the concept of QbD was proposed to design and develop sustained and controlled release preparations in TCM. QbD concept was used to analyze the complex factors affecting sustained and controlled release preparations in TCM,and determine the high risk factors affecting the quality of the final product. The high risk factors were controlled from the process to achieve the goal of quality control.This article could provide research ideas for the sustained and controlled release preparations with complex components in TCM,so as to promote the research and development of sustained and controlled release preparations in TCM.
Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Quality Control

Objective:To investigate the effects of 40 Hz and 70 Hz frequency flash stimulation on the ability of learning memory and autonomous exploratory in young rats.Methods:Twenty-seven SPF grade male SD rats aged 19-21 days were divided into control group (Ctr group), 40 Hz group and 70 Hz group with 9 in each group according to the random number table.The rats in Ctr group were not given flash stimulation, while rats in the 40 Hz and 70 Hz group were received 40 Hz, 70 Hz flash stimulation (1.5 h/d for 39 days), respectively.The Morris water maze experiment was used to assess the learning and memory ability of rats, and the open field experiment was used to evaluate the ability of autonomous exploratory of rats.Nissl staining was used to assess the morphology of Nissl bodies in the hippocampus CA1 region of the rats.The local field potentials (LFPs) collected from the primary visual cortex (V1 area) region by electrophysiological experiments was used to verify the synchronization of flash evoked neural oscillations.SPSS 23.0 software was used for statistical analysis.The repeated measures ANOVA and one-way ANOVA were used to analyze normal distribution measurement data, and LSD and Tamhane tests were used for further pairwise comparison.The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for non-normal distribution measurement data.Results:(1) The flash stimulation of 40 Hz and 70 Hz both can effectively caused synchronization of neural oscillations in the primary visual cortex of healthy young rats.(2) The results of repeated measures ANOVA analysis showed that there was no interaction effect of grouping and time in the escape latency of young rats in the Morris water maze positioning navigation phase( F=1.326, P>0.05 ). The escape latency had time main effect ( F=40.025, P<0.05), but no grouping main effect ( F=2.039, P>0.05). With the increase of learning days, the escape latency of young rats in each group decreased significantly.There was no interaction effect of grouping and time in the total distance of young rats ( F=2.029, P>0.079). It had time main effect ( F=32.052, P<0.05), but not grouping main effect ( F=2.390, P>0.05) on total distance.With the increase of learning days, the total distance of young rats in each group significantly shortened.On the 6th day of the Morris water maze experiment, there was no statistically significant difference among groups in terms of time in the target quadrant and the number of crossing platforms ( F=2.511, 0.802, both P>0.05). The results of the open field experiment showed that the total distance traveled in the center of young rats in each group was statistically significant ( H=8.935, P<0.05), the total distance traveled in the center in the 70 Hz group (3.80 (2.25, 6.93) m)was significantly longer than that in the 40 Hz group (0.80 (0.72, 1.46) m), P<0.05). The percentage of time spent in the center was statistically significant in the three groups ( H=11.050, P<0.05). Young rats in the 70 Hz group spent significantly higher percentage of time in the center(3.20(2.43, 8.30)) than those in the 40 Hz group (0.95 (0.37, 1.06 ), P<0.05 ). (3) Nissl staining results showed that Nissl bodies in the hippocampal CA1 area of young rats in Ctr, 40 Hz and 70 Hz group were all arranged neatly and tightly, no edema was found in the surrounding stroma, and no obvious inflammatory cell infiltration was found. Conclusion:70 Hz frequency flash stimulation may promote the ability of learning memory and autonomous exploratory of young rats.

Objective To investigate the change of serum matrix metalloproteinases-9 (MMP-9) expression before,during,and after carotid endarterectomy (CEA) and to investigate the prognostic role of MMP-9. Methods Forty carotid stenosis patients who underwent CEA in the Department of Vascular Surgery,Peking Union Medical College Hospital from February to September 2012 were enrolled in this study. Based on the findings of transcranial doppler monitoring,patients were divided into embolic-positive group and emboli-negative group. Serum samples were obtained from 40 consecutive patients undergoing CEA before operation (pre-op),before de-clamping,30 minutes after de-clamping,and 12 hours after operation (12-h post-op). MMP-9 expression was quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gelatin zymography. Student's t-test and chi-square test were used to compare the differences between these two groups. Results Of these 40 patients,microemboli were detected in 8 patients. The 12-h post-op MMP-9 level was significantly higher than the pre-op level in the emboli-positive group [(904.27±369.47)ng/ml vs. (333.88±126.32) ng/ml,t=4.132,P=0.001].However,there was no difference between pre-op and 12-h post-op MMP-9 levels in the emboli-negative group [(375.83±194.36) ng/ml vs. (472.74±271.21) ng/ml,t=-1.643,P=0.081]. Gelatin zymography also showed higher MMP-9 activity in the emboli-positive group than in the emboli-negative group. Conclusion Serum MMP-9 concentration remarkably increases 12 hours after CEA in patients with microemboli shedding,suggesting MMP-9 may be a potential biomarker for CEA-related cerebral ischemic injury.

The stable quality of hospital preparations is the basis for their clinical efficacy. Gynecological antipruritic prescription is widely used in gynecology clinics of Chinese medicine hospitals. Therefore,in this study,the production process of gynecological antipruritic lotion was optimized based on the concept of quality by design( QbD). The production process of the gynecological antipruritic lotion was developed to ensure its process stability and reliable quality,and enhance its clinical applicability. With total amount of matrine and oxymatrine used as the critical quality attribute( CQA) of the production process,parameter levels were designed based on production practice of hospital preparations,and Plackett-Burman and Box-Behnken experiments were used to optimize the water extraction and alcohol precipitation process of antipruritic lotion based on CQA of intermediates and final product. The soaking time,the first extraction time,and the second extraction time were determined as the critical process parameters( CPPs) of the production process. The optimal preparation process was as follows: water volume of 8 times,soaking for 0. 5 h,extraction for 2 times,the first extraction for 30 min,the second extraction for 56 min,alcohol concentration of 50%,and alcohol precipitation for 3 h. Furthermore,the design space was established based on the binomial regress model between CPPs and CQA,so as to set the optimization target and risk range; and the control space was displayed by overlay plot. The results of three repeated experiments in the control space showed that the relative standard deviation( RSD) of CQA was 4. 70%,and the similarity of chromatogram for gynecological antipruritic lotion was 0. 978,0. 974,and 0. 998,respectively. The above results indicated that the operation in the control space can guarantee the quality and stability of gynecological antipruritic lotion,suitable for practical application.
Antipruritics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Water

OBJECTIVETo investigate the depression in arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) patients and its risk factors.

METHODSThe self-rating depression scale (SDS) was applied in 228 ASO patients hospitalized in the vascular surgery department of Peking Union Medical College Hospital from March 2010 to October 2011. The risk factors of depression were analyzed by using univariate and multivariate Logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSOf these 228 ASO patients, 133 (58.3%) were found to be depressive. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that female (OR=0.15,95% CI:0.05-0.45), hypertension (OR=4.63,95% CI:1.90-11.29), coronary heart disease (OR=3.62,95%CI:1.43-9.18), as well as Fontaine 2a (OR=20.76,95% CI:3.21-134.28), 2b (OR=26.34,95% CI:4.20-164.97), 3(OR=192.28,95% CI:25.97-1423.51), and 4(OR=291.41,95% CI:28.67-2962.21) were the risk factors of depression in ASO patients.

CONCLUSIONSASO patients can easily develop depression. Female, hypertension, coronary heart disease, and Fontaine 2a, 2b,3,and 4 are the risk factors of depression in ASO patients.

Arteriosclerosis Obliterans ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors

Hypertension, a primary cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, has become a major global public health problem and caused a heavy burden of health economics on the society. In "the 20 Most Important and Most Preventable Health Problems" released by the Chinese Academy of Engineering, hypertension was ranked the second. Due to the disease complexity, many hypertension patients need to take antihypertensive drugs for life. Although significant progress has been achieved in blood pressure lowering by western medicines, the problems including adverse reactions, poor compliance due to long-term medication, and ineffective mitigation in clinical symptoms related to hypertension remain to be addressed. In the last decade, the research on traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of hypertension has received much attention and achieved remarkable progress. The TCM treatment of hypertension is the most active area of research with integrated Chinese and western medicine in China. In addition to lowering blood pressure smoothly, TCM can alleviate clinical symptoms, reverse risk factors, improve the quality of life, and protect target organs from the damage caused by hypertension. This article systematically reviews the research progress of TCM in treating hypertension in the last decade from the following four aspects: consensus on guideline, clinical trial, experimental study, and systematic review/Meta-analysis. It summarized the evidence of TCM in reducing blood pressure and clarified the mechanism of TCM in reducing blood pressure, aiming to provide a reference for the TCM diagnosis and treatment of hypertension and the development of new drugs.
Humans ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use* ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal/therapeutic use* ; Hypertension/drug therapy* ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the association of known polymorphisms in the lipid metabolic pathway with body mass index (BMI), and estimate their interactions with soybean food intake.

METHODSA community-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in a Chinese Han population. BMI, soybean food intake, and single nucleotide polymorphisms of rs599839, rs3846662, rs3846663, rs12916, rs174547, rs174570, rs4938303, and rs1558861 were measured in 944 subjects. A multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the association of the studied polymorphisms with BMIs. The expectation-maximization algorithm was employed to evaluate the extent of linkage disequilibrium between pairwise polymorphisms. The gene-environment interaction was assessed in the general multifactor dimensionality reduction model.

RESULTSThe polymorphisms of rs3846662 and rs3846663 were associated with 10% highest BMIs when comparing to the 10% lowest values both in individuals and haplotype-based association tests. Although no statistically significant gene-environment interactions were found, people with the haplotype composed of C allele in rs3846662 and T allele in rs3846663 and low frequency of soybean intake had significantly higher risk to overweight and obesity as compared with those with the haplotype consisting of T allele in rs3846662 and C allele in rs3846663 and highly frequent soybean food intake, with an odds ratio of 1.64 (95% confidence interval: 1.15-2.34, P<0.01) after adjusting for the common confounders.

CONCLUSIONOur study has suggested that rs3846662 and rs3846663 may be the potential candidate polymorphisms for obesity, and their effect on the pathogenesis could be mediated by the frequency of soybean food intake.

Adult ; Apolipoprotein B-48 ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Body Mass Index ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Dyslipidemias ; genetics ; Eating ; Female ; Gene-Environment Interaction ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA Reductases ; genetics ; Lipid Metabolism ; genetics ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Overweight ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Repressor Proteins ; genetics ; Soybeans

Family-based cohort study is a special type of study design, in which biological samples and environmental exposure information of the member in a family are collected and related follow up is conducted. Family-based cohort study can be applied to explore the effect of genetic factors, environmental factors, gene-gene interaction, and gene-environment interaction in the etiology of complex diseases. This paper summarizes the objectives, methods and results, as well as the opportunities and challenges of the family-based cohort study on common chronic non-communicable diseases in rural population in northern China.
China/epidemiology* ; Chronic Disease/ethnology* ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Gene-Environment Interaction ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Noncommunicable Diseases/ethnology* ; Research Design ; Rural Population