OBJECTIVETo explore the inhibition of Tangtong Recipe (TTR) on proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in rat model of diabetes mellitus using seropharmacological and modern molecular biological technologies.

METHODSThe drug-serum of TTR was prepared by feeding pure-breed New Zealand rabbits at various doses (18 mL/kg, 13 mL/kg, and 8 mL/kg) of TTR, and used to intervene the VSMCs get from the iliac artery of diabetic model rats cultured by tissue block plantation. The impact of drug-serum on VSMCs proliferation was estimated through measuring tritiated thymine deoxy-ribonucleotide (3H-TDR) incorporation using liquid-scintillation detector, and the cell cycle was detected using flow cytometry.

RESULTSThe 3H-TDR incorporation in cells after intervention with various doses of TTR drug-serum were reduced significantly, in a concentration-dependent manner, to the level lower than that in the normal serum control group (P < 0.01). And the percentage of S and G2/M phase cells in the drug-serum treated groups also were markedly lower than that in the normal control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONDrug-serum of TTR could inhibit the proliferation of VSMC of diabetic rat in vitro in a concentration-dependent manner.

Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental ; pathology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Iliac Artery ; cytology ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; pathology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Serum

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the intervention effect of diet, exercise and Jiangtang Bushen Recipe (JBR, a Chinese herbal recipe) in preventing the progress of patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) to diabetes mellitus (DM) type 2.

METHODSFifty-one patients with IGT, with their diagnosis conformed to the diagnosis standard of WHO, 1999, were randomly divided into the control group (n = 26) and the TCM group (n = 25). Patients in the control group attended to the educational course for DM and received dietotherapy and kinetotherapy, and to those in the TCM group, under these treatments, JBR was given additionally. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), body weight index (BWI), levels of blood lipids and fasting insulin of all the patients were examined after 3 months, 6 months and 12 months of treatment. The total observation time was 1 year.

RESULTSExcept the 6 cases out of the 51 patients (11.7%), on whom the observation discontinued, in the control group, as compared with before treatment, levels of fasting insulin and fasting blood glucose after treatment were not changed significantly (P > 0.05), also insignificant difference was shown in levels of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG), though the two indexes lowered slightly after treatment (P > 0.05), but significant difference was shown in comparison of OGTT/2 h, blood glucose and BWI (P < 0.05). While in the TCM group, fasting blood glucose was changed insignificantly (P > 0.05), but there was significant difference in comparison of fasting insulin, TC, BWI, OGTT/2 h and plasma glucose levels (P < 0.01) respectively before and after treatment. At the end of the study, the cumulative cases with conversion to diabetes were 3 (13.6%) in the control group, and 1 (4.3%) in the TCM group, chi 2 test showed insignificant difference in comparison of diabetes conversion rate between the two groups (P > 0.05), however, the TCM group showed a better year conversion rate of normal glucose tolerance than that in the control group (chi 2 = 8.31, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONTCM intervention is possibly effective in delaying the conversion of IGT to DM type 2, and plays integrative effeciency in impelling IGT patients to health. The favorable education and treatment of DM controlling, including dieto- and kineto-therapy may also be advantageous in IGT intervention, but could not be effective in blocking the advance of IGT.

Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; prevention & control ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Exercise ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose Intolerance ; drug therapy ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo systematically evaluate the effect and safety of Xuezhikang Capsule (XZKC) for adjuvant treatment for coronary heart disease (CHD) patients accompanied with or without dyslipidemia.

METHODSChina National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) Database, Chongqing VIP Database (VIP), Wanfang Data base, Cochrane Library, and Medline (PubMed) were retrieved with the deadline of August 30, 2013. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) of XZKC in treating CHD patients with or without dyslipidemia were all included. Assessment of bias risk for included studies was conducted according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Intervention (Version 5.0.2): Criteria for judging risk of bias in the "risk of bias" assessment tool. Review Management (5.1.0) was employed for data statistics. If there was no significant heterogeneity, results from the random-effect model were presented. If the heterogeneity was not substantial, a meta-analysis was not performed and a narrative and qualitative summary was performed instead.

RESULTSA total of 28 RCTs (6,949 patients) were included after screening results. The methodological quality of included trial was generally lower. Results of Metaanalysis showed that XZKC was beneficial for CHD patients in decreasing cardiovascular events: when compared with the basic treatment group, the relative risk (RR) was 0.53 and 95% confidence interval (CI) was [0.35, 0.81]; when compared with the placebo + basic treatment group, RR was 0.52 and 95% CI was [0.42, 0.65]; when compared with the basic treatment group, RR for improving symptoms of angina was 1.20 and 95% CI was [1. 12, 1.30]; when compared with the basic treatment group, RR for improving abnormal ECG was 1.38 and 95% CI was [1.21, 1.57]. Thirteen studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering total cholesterol (TC) to that of the basic treatment group. Three studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering total cholesterol (TC) to that of the placebo + basic treatment group. Thirteen studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to that of the basic treatment group. Three studies showed that XZKC + basic treatment was obviously superior in lowering LDL-C to that of the placebo + basic treatment group. A total of 18 studies describing adverse reactions (ADs) involved 61 ADs in the XZKC + basic treatment group. All suffered from mild symptoms or were improved after treatment. No severe ADs occurred.

CONCLUSIONTreatment of CHD by XZKC might lower the occurrence of cardiovascular events in CHD patients accompanied with or without dyslipidemia, relieve clinical symptoms, improve ECG, lower blood lipid levels, and with less adverse reactions.

Angina Pectoris ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Confidence Intervals ; Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Adult ; Antiviral Agents ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Humans ; Interferon Type I ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Interferon-alpha ; Male ; Middle Aged ; RNA, Viral ; blood ; Recombinant Proteins ; Ribavirin ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Safety ; Treatment Outcome ; Viral Load

OBJECTIVETo study the feasibility of close and three-dimensional reconstruction of maxillary defects combination with pedicled buccal fat pad graft, temporalis myofascial flap and titanium mesh.

METHODSAmong 11 patients with maxillary tumors, 9 were malignant and 2 were benign. 8 cases underwent subtotal maxillectomy and 3 cases underwent total maxillectomy. Maxillary defects were closely reconstructed combination with pedicled buccal fat pad graft (BFP), temporalis myofascial flap (TMF) and titanium mesh to restore the profile of maxilla.

RESULTSAll flaps were alive with satisfactory function and aesthetic appearance. The uncovered BFP and the facial muscle surface of TMF epithelialized within 4-6 weeks. Their degree of mouth opening ranged from 2.5 to 4.0 cm and without nasal foods return. All patients had a good voice quality.

CONCLUSIONMaking use of BFP, TMF and titanium mesh can restore the good contour and function of maxillary. It is an effective method of reconstruction of maxillary defects, and is easy to manipulate. It is worthy to popularization.

Adipose Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla ; Maxillary Neoplasms ; Middle Aged ; Prostheses and Implants ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Surgical Flaps ; Titanium

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of bufalin on nucleus-mitochondria localization of human telomerase reverse transcriptase(hTERT) by exploring its effect on proliferation and apoptosis in human esophageal squamous carcinoma EC9706 cells.

METHODSEC9706 cells were treated with bufalin at various concentrations, and then the cell growth inhibition of EC9706 cells was examined by CCK-8 assay and the 50% inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) was calculated.Cell cycle analysis was performed by flow cytometry with PI staining, and nucleus morphology of apoptosis were observed by fluorescence microscopy with Hoechst 33342 staining. The apoptotic index was measured by flow cytometry with Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining. hTERT subcellular localization and protein expression were determined by Western blotting and multiple immunofluorescence labling combined with laser confocal scanning microscopy.

RESULTSThe proliferation of EC 9706 cells was significantly inhibited by bufalin along with the increase of processing time and concentrations (p<0.01). After the EC9706 cells were exposed to 100 nmol/L bufalin,the number of cells gradually decreased in G(1) phase and increased in S and G(2)/M phases(p<0.05). The typical nucleus morphological changes of apoptosis were observed and the apoptotic index was increased(p<0.01). The expression of hTERT decreased in nucleus but increased in mitochondria(p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSBufalin can inhibit the proliferation of human esophageal squamous carcinoma EC9706 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. It can arrest cell cycle in S and G(2)/M phases and induce the apoptosis of EC 9706 cells. hTERT is localized in both nucleus and mitochondria,and can be partially translocated from nucleus to mitochondria during the bufalin-induced apoptosis.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Bufanolides ; pharmacology ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Telomerase ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the single nucleotide polymorphism of NOS1AP gene with sudden unexpected death (SUD) during daily activities. METHODS: The heart blood samples were collected from 60 SUD cases in normal daily activities as SUD group and the peripheral blood samples from 80 random unrelated cases as control group. The genome DNAs from all cases were isolated and the gene sequences were analyzed from specific primers of some SNP (rs10494366, rs10918859, rs12143842, rs12742393, rs3751284, and rs348624) of NOS1AP. The allele frequency and genotype frequency were calculated and the difference in these SNP between SUD group and control group were analyzed. RESULTS: The allele frequency and genotype frequency of rs3751284 which located at the sixth exon domain had significant statistical differences between the two groups (P<0.05). The minor allele frequency of rs3751284 was 0.325 in SUD group and was 0.475 in control group. CONCLUSION rs3751284 might be a susceptibility locus for SUD.
Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing/genetics* ; Asian People/genetics* ; Death, Sudden ; Exons ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

AIMTo extend the analysis of the proteome of human spermatozoa and establish a 2-D gel electrophoresis (2-DE) reference map of human spermatozoal proteins in a pH range of 3.5-9.0.

METHODSIn order to reveal more protein spots, immobilized pH gradient strips (24 cm) of broad range of pH 3-10 and the narrower range of pH 6-9, as well as different overlapping narrow range pH immobilized pH gradient (IPG) strips, including 3.5-4.5, 4.0-5.0, 4.5-5.5, 5.0-6.0 and 5.5-6.7, were used. After 2-DE, several visually identical spots between the different pH range 2-D gel pairs were cut from the gels and confirmed by mass spectrometry and used as landmarks for computer analysis.

RESULTSThe 2-D reference map with pH value from 3.5 to 9.0 was synthesized by using the ImageMaster analysis software. The overlapping spots were excluded, so that every spot was counted only once. A total of 3872 different protein spots were identified from the reference map, an approximately 3-fold increase compared to the broad range pH 3-10 IPG strip (1306 spots).

CONCLUSIONThe present 2-D pattern is a high resolution 2-D reference map for human fertile spermatozoal protein spots. A comprehensive knowledge of the protein composition of human spermatozoa is very meaningful in studying dysregulation of male fertility.

Adult ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; methods ; Fertility ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Proteins ; analysis ; Proteome ; Proteomics ; methods ; Reference Values ; Semen ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Sperm Banks ; Spermatozoa ; chemistry ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Tissue Donors

Aged ; Carotid Stenosis ; therapy ; Coronary Disease ; therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stents ; adverse effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the therapeutic effect and safety of acupuncture at points of The Liver and Gallbladder Meridians for treatment of migraine.

METHODSMulti-central, randomized and controlled trial was used and 253 cases of migraine were divided into an acupuncture group and a western medicine group. The acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture at points of The Liver and Gallbladder Channels with Taichong (LR 3), Yang-lingquan (GB 34), Fengchi (GB 20), Ququan (LR 8) selected as main points, and the western medicine group with oral administration of Flunarizine tablets for 4 therapeutic courses. The total therapeutic effects 3 and 6 months after the treatment, the scores of various symptoms of migraine before and after treatment, and the stability of therapeutic effect in one-year following-up survey were observed in the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, mean times and duration of the headache attack were significantly improved in the two groups (all P < 0.01) with the acupuncture group better than the western medicine group (P < 0.05). The total effective rates for stopping pain after treatment, 3 months and 6 months after treatment in the acupuncture group were 93.0%, 93.0% and 87.7%, respectively, which were better than 85.6%, 86.5% and 69.2% in the western medication group (all P < 0.01). One year later, the stability of the therapeutic effect in the acupuncture group was better than that in the western medicine group (P < 0.05); the adverse reaction and the compliance in the acupuncture group were significantly superior to those in the western medicine group.

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at points of The Liver and Gallbladder Meridians for treatment of migraine is safe, effective, and with stable long-term therapeutic effect.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Administration, Oral ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Flunarizine ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Gallbladder ; pathology ; Headache ; prevention & control ; Histamine H1 Antagonists ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Liver ; pathology ; Male ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Migraine Disorders ; drug therapy ; pathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult