This article reviewed the literatures in this area over the past 5 years according to three parts: simple traditional Chinese medicine external application, combination of traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine, combination of traditional Chinese medicine and physical therapy, and came to several effective prescriptions.
Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Phlebitis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Physical Therapy Department, Hospital

Objective To analyze the nontubercutous mycobaeterium (NTM) identification data of two groups of sputum sam- ples during the periods of 1986 to 1997 and 2000 to 2005 so as to figure out the identification of NTM.Methods A total of 222 strains of non-tuberculosis mycobacteria were included for strain identification and sensitivity test with traditional methods.Re- suits According to Runyon classification, during the period of 1986-1997 there were 15 strains (15.5%) in GroupⅠ, 4 (4.2%) in GroupⅡ, 23 (24.0%)in GroupⅢand 54 (56.3%) in GroupⅣ;during the period of 2000—2005 there were 30 strains (16.1%) in GroupⅠ, 11(5.9%) in GroupⅡ, 51 (27.4%) in GroupⅢand 94 (50.6%) in GroupⅣ.The number of NTM types increased by 133.3%.The absolute number of NTM isolates in the first five years of this century increased by 93.89% compared with the numbers in the 11 years of last century.Conclusions The number of types and absolute number of i- solates of NTM have increased in the first live years of this century compared with the numbers in the 11 years of last century. We should enhance the epidemiological research on pulmonary NTM in order to provide scientific evidence for comprehensive prevention and treatment.

Objective To evaluate the clinical practicality of two different D-dimer assays by studying the correlation of the testing results by two different D-dimer reagents with fibrin degradation products (FDP)result values and analyzing the Clinical alignment.Methods A representative cross-sectional study of 762 clinical patients’plasma specimens were taken to measure the results of D-dimer and FDP by using Sysmex CA-1500 automated coagulation analyzer,D-DIMER detection rea-gent respectively Siemens Innovance D-DIMER and Dade Behring D-DIMER Plus reagents.Then rating frequency analysis and Spearman correlation test were applied to analyze the correlation of measurement results.Results Overall,to the same patient,the correlation of D-dimer tested by Siemens Innovance D-DIMER Reagent with FDP level was significant positive (r= 0.954,P<0.01),better than that tested by Siemens DD Plus Reagent (r=0.885,P<0.01);and this correlation had an increasing trend when D-dimer level raised.When D-dimer level > 5 mg/L FEU,the correlation was the best (P<0.01). And by calculating the amount of positive FDP (FDP>5μg/ml)and FDP positive rate in both different cases when D-dimer results was also positive,FDP positive rate in Innovance D-DIMER Reagent group (about 65.76%)was lower than DD Plus Reagent group,it indicated that D-dimer results tested by Innovance D-DIMER Reagent could raise before FDP reacted,so D-dimer had a higher sensitivity than FDP.Conclusion It can provide a more precise clinical diagnosis and treatment infor-mation when using Siemens Innovance D-DIMER Reagent to detect D-dimer values and combined FDP values at the same time.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of serum soluble transferrin receptor(sTfR) in children with iron deficiency anemia(IDA).Methods Sixty-three children with microcytic hypochromic anemia were divided into IDA and non-IDA(n-IDA)groups,on which sTfR and other iron metabolism related indexes such as serum ferritin(SF) and serum iron(SI) were measured,and(t-test) between groups and analysis of ROC curve were carried out.Results The mean concentration of sTfR in the group of IDA was above normal value and t-test difference was extremely significant compared with n-IDA group(P

Objective To evaluate the clinical feasibility of quality assurance of helical tomotherapy intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) through a series of clinical case studies. Methods Tomotherapy planning system was used to provide optimized IMRT treatment plans. To verify the dose of IMRT plans,the cylindrical Virtual Water phantom,0.056cm3 AISL, ion chamber and EDR2 film were used for getting the absolute and relative doses from tomotherapy IMRT planning. The film and ion chamber were placed into the phantom. The doses of the interesting points and isodose distribution of the axial plane were measured,then the results were compared with those from the calculation in planning system for verification. Before the irradiation,kVCT images of the phantom were registered by tomotherapy MVCT images. So the setup of phantom was guided for verifying the position. Results The isedose distribution (on the axial plane) measured by the film was well consistent with that calculated by tomotherapy planning system. The error between the measured dose and predicted dose in the measured points was less than 3%. The setup error of the phantom was able to be kept within 1 mm. There was 2 mm offset along the vertical direction of couch from the virtual isocenter to beam isocenter,which should be considered during the phantom/patient setup. Conclusions The procedures for quality assurance of tomotherapy IMRT are feasible in our experience. And helical tomotherapy IMRT QA system has been constituted.

Objective The objective of the present study was to establish a template for the self assessment of hearing aids outcomes according to the evaluation of a large group of hearing aid users .Methods In total ,1 724 subjects participated in the study .The Chinese version of International Outcome Inventory for Hearing Aids (IOI-HA) was used as the evaluation tool .IOI -HA is a seven -item questionnaire ,each item is designed to assess a specific outcome domain .Each item was designed with a five -point rating scale ,a higher rating indicates better outcome .According to the subjects'self reported hearing difficulty when they were not wearing hearing aids (unaid-ed) ,the subjects were divided into two groups :self reported hearing difficulty to be no ,mild ,moderate group ,and self reported hearing difficulty to be moderately severe or severe group ,respectively .Templates for each group were established according to the analysis of the item ratings .Results One thousand two hundred and forty -seven sub-jects accept the investigation ,with a response rate of 72 .3% ,and 1203 completed responses were included in the fi-nal analysis .The Chinese version of IOI-HA scores showed a skewed distribution ,with a mean score ranging from 3 .52 to 4 .19 .The total IOI-HA scores ranged from 9 to 35 ,and the mean total score was 26 .30 .Results showed that for the self reported hearing difficulty (unaided) to be none ,mild or moderate group ,the mean scores for the i-tem of daily use ,benefit ,residual activity limitation ,satisfaction ,residual participation restrictions ,impact on others ,and quality of life were 4 .14 ,3 .67 ,3 .76 ,3 .58 ,3 .56 ,3 .93 and 3 .69 ,respectively .The corresponding mean scores for the self reported hearing difficulty (unaided) to be moderately severe or severe group were 4 .19 ,3 .63 ,3 .64 ,3 . 65 ,3 .52 ,3 .89 ,and 3 .79 ,respectively .A template for the Chinese IOI -HA was established according to the above data .Conclusion The template for the Chinese version of IOI -HA could be served as an effective tool to measure the general effectiveness of the hearing aid outcomes and hearing aid fitting in China ,which would also facilitate the international outcome comparison cross culture .

Objective Toevaluatea modified Ziehl-Neelsen(Z-N) stain in the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis. Methods Cerebrospinal fluid specimens from 35 patients were stained by using the modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Re-sults The positive rate was 94.29% in 35 patients with tuberculous meningitisand the intracellular acid-fast bacilli was detected in 53.40%of all specimens. One case was stained positive in 15 patients with non-tuberculous meningitis. Con-clusion The modified Ziehl-Neelsen stain not only significantly improves the detection rates of tuberculous meningitisbut alsois able to identify intracellular M.tuberculosisin cerebrospinal fluidspecimen.Thus, the modified Z-N stain can be a convenient tool for diagnosing tuberculous meningitis.

The prognostic value of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase,catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is controversial.We aimed to investigate the prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutation in patients with ESCC.EMBASE,PubMed,and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception through Oct.3,2016.The hazard ratios (HRs) and 95％ confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using a random effects model for overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS).Seven studies enrolling 1505 patients were eligible for inclusion of the current meta-analysis.Results revealed that PIK3CA mutation was not significantly associated with OS (HR:0.90,95％ CI:0.63-1.30,P=0.591),with a significant heterogeneity (I2=65.7％,P=0.012).Additionally,subgroup analyses were further conducted according to various variables,such as types of specimen,the sample size,technique and statistical methodology.All results suggested that no significant relationship was found between PIK3CA mutation and OS in patients with ESCC.For DFS,there was no significant association between PIK3CA mutation and DFS in patients with ESCC (HR:1.00,95％ CI=0.47-2.11,P=0.993,I2=73.7％).Publication bias was not present and the results of sensitivity analysis were very stable in the current meta-analysis.Our findings suggest that PIK3CA mutation has no significant effects on OS and DFS in ESCC patients.More well-designed prospective studies with better methodology for PIK3CA assessment are required to clarify the prognostic significance of PIK3CA mutation in ESCC patients.

OBJECTIVETo observe the expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) in the unstable plaque of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), and the impact of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) on the EMMPRIN expression in macrophages.

METHODSThe EMMPRIN expression was detected by immunohistochemistry in 11 unstable plaques from patients with ACS. Protein expression of EMMPRIN was evaluated by Western blot on macrophages differentiated from THP-1 which were stimulated with LTB4 in the absence or presence of LTB4 antagonist U75302. There are 8 study groups: 1-THP-1, 2-8-the macrophages derived from THP-1, 2-6-macrophages were stimulated by LTB4 (0, 10(-10), 10(-9), 10(-8) and 10(-7) mol/L) for 24 h, 7-8-the macrophages were pretreated by 10(-6) mol/L or 10(-7) mol/L U75302 2 h before the LTB4 (10(-7) mol/L) stimulation.

RESULTSAbundant EMMPRIN expression was detected in macrophages and smooth muscle cells of unstable plaques from ACS patients. As to the THP-1 derived macrophages, EMMPRIN expression was significantly upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner in LTB4 stimulated groups, which was significantly higher in group 3-6 than in the THP-1 group (group 1) and macrophages group (group 2) (all P < 0.05) and pretreatment with U75302 significantly reduced the LTB4 induced upregulation of EMMPRIN in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONEMMPRIN expression is enhanced in macrophages and smooth muscle cells on unstable coronary artery plaques from ACS patients. LTB4 could stimulate EMMPRIN expression on THP-1 derived macrophages suggesting that LTB4 and EMMPRIN might be both involved in the formation and progression of unstable plaques, future studies are warranted to explore if LTB4 and EMMPRIN antagonists are effective or not for treating patients with ACS.

Acute Coronary Syndrome ; metabolism ; pathology ; Basigin ; metabolism ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Leukotriene B4 ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDAmyloid β(1-42) (Aβ(42)) peptide vaccination has been proved to be effective in reducing amyloid burden in brain and improving cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease (AD) mouse models. But the phase II trial of Aβ(42) peptide vaccine was halted because of T cell-mediated meningoencephalitis. In this study, a DNA vaccine, p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG, was constructed to test whether it would induce predominant T(H)2 immune response upon immunization of BALB/c mice.

METHODSBALB/c mice were vaccinated intramuscularly with p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG plasmids. Aβ(42) peptide, pcDNA3.1(+) empty vector and PBS were injected to the control groups. Expression of interesting gene in injected muscle was identified by immunohistochemistry. Anti-Aβ antibody titers, isotype profiles as well as cytokines in ex vivo splenocytes culture supernatants were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

RESULTSP(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG plasmid was expressed in muscle after injection detected by immunohistochemistry. The p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG vaccine induced high titers of anti-Aβ antibodies in BALB/c mice. And isotype of the antibodies was mainly IgG1, the IgG1/IgG2a ratio for the p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG group was approximately 5 times greater than that for the Aβ(42) peptide group. Ex vivo cultured splenocytes isolated from mice immunized with p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG exhibited high interleukin-4 response and low interleukin-γ (IFN-γ) response.

CONCLUSIONSImmunization with p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG vaccine primarily induces a T(H)2 type of response, thus reduces the probability of inflammation. This p(Aβ(3-10))(10)-CpG vaccine possesses the basic factors required for a safe and effective AD vaccine.

Alzheimer Disease ; immunology ; therapy ; Amyloid beta-Peptides ; immunology ; Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Immunity, Humoral ; immunology ; Immunoglobulin G ; metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Muscles ; metabolism ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Vaccines, DNA ; therapeutic use