Administration, Inhalation ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; pharmacology ; Asthma ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Interactions ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Theophylline ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Treatment Outcome

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion for dysmenorrhea due to deficiency cold. Methods: A total of 70 patients with dysmenorrhea who met the inclusion criteria were randomized into a mild moxibustion group and a herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group by the random number table, with 35 cases in each group. Shenque (CV 8), Zhongji (CV 3) and bilateral Zigong (EX-CA 1) were selected for both groups. The treatment continued for 3 menstrual cycles. The visual analog scale (VAS) and COX menstrual symptom scale (CMSS) were scored in both groups before treatment, after treatment and at the end of the 3rd menstrual cycle after treatment. The clinical efficacy was evaluated at the end of the 3rd menstrual cycle after treatment. Results: After treatment, the clinical efficacy of the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group had the tendency to be superior to that of the mild moxibustion group, while there was no statistically significant difference in the overall efficacy between the two groups (P>0.05). The VAS and CMSS scores after treatment and at the follow-up were significantly lower than those before treatment in both groups (all P<0.05). At the follow-up, the VAS scores in both groups had no significant intra-group differences from those after treatment (both P>0.05). The CMSS scores in both groups were significantly lower than those after treatment (both P<0.05). The VAS scores at the follow-up of both groups had no statistical differences from those after treatment (both P>0.05). After treatment, the CMSS score in the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion group was significantly lower than that in the mild moxibustion group (P<0.05). At the follow-up, there were no statistical differences in the CMSS score between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion has the same therapeutic efficacy for dysmenorrhea as the mild moxibustion; the two moxibustion methods can significantly improve the concomitant symptoms of dysmenorrhea, and the herbal cake-partitioned moxibustion is little better.

Objective To study the characteristics of event-related potentials P300 in patients with anxiety disorder(AD). Methods P300 tests were carried out in 30 patients with AD and 30 healthy adult controls. ResultsPatients with AD had significantly delayed P3 latency ([326?16] ms vs [339?19]ms, P

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of tetrandrine on reversion of mice S180's obtained multi-drug resistance tumor cell induced by chemotherapy by PFC. And then discuss the molecular mechanism of it for the use of TCM in clinic to restrain the drug-resistant of chemotherapy, thereby improve the curative effect.

METHODBy the methods of less dosage of chemotherapy PFC, give the mouse cisplatin 3 mg x kg(-1) i.p., once a week; CTX and 5-FU 3 mg x kg(-1) i.g. four weeks, set up the mice models of multi-drug resistance of S180 tumor cell, and then observe the P170, Fas, CD54 and apoposis by flow cytometry.

RESULTTetrandrine can obviously lower the express of P170 increase the express of Fas and the apoposis of drug resistant tumor cell. And at the same time it can obviously reduce the express of intercellular adhesion molecule (CD54).

CONCLUSIONTerandrine, with its adjustment of correlated biotic active matter, can intervene the occurrence of the multi-drug resistance of tumor cells induced by chemotherapy.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins ; Benzylisoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; drug effects ; Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; metabolism ; Mice ; Sarcoma 180 ; metabolism ; pathology ; TNF-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand ; Tumor Cells, Cultured ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

This paper summarized the Chinese literatures in the previous 5 years about the pre-clinical animal researches on the application of electro-acupuncture (EA) treatment for depression, searched in China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI). The efficiency of EA treatment for depression and the mechanism of it were discussed, to shed light on new ideas and new fronts for the further research on depression in clinical or pre-clinical fields.

This study was aimed to investigate the efficiency of modified methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction i.e. nested methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction, used to detect the promoter methylation of p16 gene in six hematological malignant cell lines, and to explore the application in selection of hematological malignant cell lines with promoter hypermethylation, and make them to be an idel cell models for studying the relationship between gene methylation and expression. DNAs were denatured by NaOH and then were subjected to bisulfite modification and a nested-MSP was used to amplify the promoter region, nested MSP product of p16 gene promoter was analyzed and sequenced. The results showed that the hypermethylation of p16 gene was detected in CA46 and U266, however, Molt4, K562, HL-60 and Jurkat cell lines were unmethylated. In conclusion, p16 gene methylation in hematological malignant cell lines can be perfectly detected by nested-MSP method, which is simple, sensitive and specific for screening all kinds of hematological malignant cell lines with p16 gene methylated.
Base Sequence ; Cell Line, Tumor ; DNA Methylation ; Genes, p16 ; HL-60 Cells ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Lymphoma ; genetics ; pathology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; genetics ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVETo determine the effects of Chinese herbal monomers such as baicalin, berberine, and matrine on the androgen receptor (AR) mRNA expression in SZ95 sebocytes in vitro and to explore the possible mechanism of using traditional Chinese medicines to treat acne.

METHODSSZ95 sebocytes were cultured and then treated with berberine, baicalin, matrine, and 13-cis-retinoic acid for 24 hours. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction was applied to detect the changes of AR.

RESULTAR mRNA was downregulated by 13-cis-retinoic acid of 1 x 10(-5) mol/L and 1 x 10(-6) mol/L, and by baicalin of 1 x 10(-4) mol/L (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION13-cis-retinoic acid and baicalin may exert antiandrogenitic action by inhibiting AR mRNA expression in human sebocytes.

Androgen Antagonists ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Down-Regulation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flavonoids ; pharmacology ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; Receptors, Androgen ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Skin ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo study the changes in circulating VEGF and endostatin (ES) levels during chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer, and their correlation with efficacy of chemotherapy.

METHODS40 breast cancer patients with metastases were included in this study. They received TAC/TEC, CAF/CEF, NP, CAP, CMF, TFP, TA or TC regime chemotherapy, respectively. Totally 120 serum samples were collected from the patients at three time points: before chemotherapy, the end of 1 and 5-6 chemotherapy cycles, and analyzed for VEGF and ES levels using ELISA. Tumor agiogenesis activity was evaluated by serum soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM - 1) measured by ELISA as a surrogate marker.

RESULTS(1) Before chemotherapy, the median level of VEGF in patients with breast cancer was 496.6 pg/ml, 4.7 times higher than that of healthy controls (P <0.001). The median level of ES was 95.5 ng/ml, 18.3% lower than that of healthy controls (P = 0.183). VCAM-1 was 1077.1 ng/ml and higher than that of controls (P <0.001). The serum VEGF levels correlated with VCAM-1 levels, tumor staging and metastatic sites (P <0.05). (2) At the end of 1 cycle of chemotherapy, the serum VEGF level (median 524.8 pg/ml) was higher than the pretreatment values (P = 0.047), whereas the levels of ES and VCAM-1 were not significantly altered (110.5 ng/ml, P = 0.055; and 975.6 ng/ml, P = 0.27). (3) At the end of 5-6 cycles, the changes in VEGF correlated with the response to chemotherapy. Serum VEGF levels in 27 patients with chemotherapy-responsive and stable disease showed a significant decrease (median 287.4 pg/ml) , but not observed in 13 patients with progressive disease. VCAM-1 also showed a treatment-related change like VEGF. However, chemotherapy might only have a minor effect on ES, because there was no significant difference in the ES levels among 5-6 cycle patients, 1 cycle patients and healthy controls, and neither between therapy-responsive patients.

CONCLUSIONIntensive chemotherapy for breast cancer results in a significant decrease of serum VEGF level, which might be an indicator of the controlled disease status, and following the treatment-induced response or stabilization, the tumor angiogenesis seems to change into an anti-angiogenesis direction.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Bone Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Breast Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; blood ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Endostatins ; blood ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Lung Neoplasms ; blood ; drug therapy ; secondary ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Remission Induction ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; blood ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; blood

OBJECTIVETo survey an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis in Lulong County and analyze the cause of the disease.

METHODSEpidemiological methods were applied to investigate an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis occurred in June 2000 in Lulong County. Stool specimens were collected from diarrhea patients and were tested for human calicivirus by ELISA and RT-PCR. The products of RT-PCR were cloned and sequenced, then phylogenetic analysis was carried out.

RESULTSIn total, 736 farmers were surveyed, among them 134 had acute gastroenteritis, the attack rate was 18.20%, and one elderly patient died. The age of patients was from 1 to 77 years and the incidence of the disease among young people was higher with a peak in June 25 through 30. Six stool specimens were tested for caliciviruses by ELISA and 3 were positives, one of them was confirmed by RT-PCR and belonged to norovirus genotype GI/2. No other pathogens were detected.

CONCLUSIONHuman calicivirus was confirmed to be the cause of the outbreak of acute gastroenteritis.

Acute Disease ; Caliciviridae ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Caliciviridae Infections ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Outbreaks ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Feces ; virology ; Gastroenteritis ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; RNA, Viral ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression of guanylin in colorectal cancer.

METHODSThe expression of guanylin was examined by RT-PCR and semiquantitative analysis in 20 cases of colorectal cancer, and its relationship with clinical characteristics was analyzed.

RESULTSThe positive expression of guanylin in normal tissue (80%, 16/20) was significantly higher than that in tumor tissue (35%, 7/20) (P<0.01). The same result was found in the semiquantitative analysis of 14 cases with differential expression. Differential expression of guanylin in colorectal cancer was associate with TNM stage (P<0.05), not with sex, Borrmann type and degree of differentiation (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONThere is differential expression of guanylin in colorectal cancer, and this kind of differential expression is associated with tumor TNM stage.

Colorectal Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hormones ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptides ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Staging