Acupuncture Analgesia ; Animals ; Central Nervous System ; metabolism ; Electroacupuncture ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Pain Threshold ; physiology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

The quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) has been mainly evaluated based on chemical ingredients, yet recently more attentions have been paid on biological ingredients, especially for pill-based preparations. It is a key approach to establish a fast, accurate and systematic method of biological ingredient analysis for realization of modernization, industrialization and internationalization of TCMs. The biological ingredient analysis of TCM preparations could be abstracted as the identification of multiple species from a biological mixture. The metagenomic approach based on high-throughput-sequencing (HTS) and big-data-mining has been considered as one of the most effective methods for multiple species analysis of a biological mixture, which would also be helpful for the analysis of biological ingredients in TCMs. Simultaneous identification of diverse species, including the prescribed species, adulterants, toxic species, protected species and even the biological impurities introduced through production process, could be achieved by selecting appropriate DNA biomarkers, as well as applying large-scale sequence comparison and data mining. By this approach, it is prospective to offer an evaluation basis for the effectiveness, safety and legality of TCM preparations.
Biological Products ; chemistry ; Data Mining ; High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Metagenomics ; methods

Abstract: Due to the continued emergence of multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, the ongoing pandemic has resulted in severe mortality over the past two years. After the Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants, the most recent new variant of concern (VOC) strain to emerge is Omicron (B.1.1.529), which evolved as a result of the accumulation of a large number of mutations. The Omicron variant, which has a much higher transmission rate than the Delta variant, soon replaced the Delta variant and others, is now the dominant variant worldwide. The emergence of Omicron poses new challenges for the prevention and control of COVID-19 and has raised a number of concerns worldwide. Recently, cases of Omicron infection have been reported in several parts of China, and therefore this paper provides a comprehensive analysis and summary of the epidemiology and immune escape mechanisms of the Omicron variant. We also suggest some therapeutic strategies against the Omicron variant, including rapid diagnosis, genome analysis of emerging variants, ramping up of vaccination drives and receiving booster doses, updating the available vaccines, designing of multivalent vaccines able to generate hybrid immunity, up-gradation of medical facilities and strict implementation of adequate prevention and control measures need to be given high priority to handle the on-going COVID-19 pandemic successfully.

Objective To evaluate and summarize a new way of forward intensity modulated radia- tion therapy (IMRT) plan for nasopharyngeal carcinoma with 3Dmulti-leaf collimator (MLC) planning sys- tems is practised routinely in our department.Methods From September 2000 to July 2003 and November 2005 to March 2006,78 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who were treated with eonformal radiothera- py used CT simulation for localizing,then doctors supervised the delineation of the planned tumor volume (PTV),gross tumor volume (GTV) and other sensitive organs on ACQsim workstation,and then sent the CT imagines to ELEKTA Precise Plan by DICOM RT Ethernet.Then,the physicists take over the responsibility of all directions of beam projection according to these organs and PTV shape,and completed the IMRT plan by manual correction making and the optimization of fields or segments shaped with forward 3D planning sys- tem.Results To analyse all the patient's dose distributions taking conformal radiotherapy in our hospital, we found the dose distribution and DVH data excellent,even better than the inverse planning of nasopharyn- geal carcinoma.Conclusions Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is an advanced radiotherapy technique.A very good IMRT plan of nasopharyngeal carcinoma by forward planning can be obtained with 3D multiple leaf collimator (MLC) planning system.This planning method is more flexible,but the radia- tion physicists should be very much experienced in professional skill.

To explore the influencing factors of major birth defects.The children of 0 -3 years and their mother from six different districts were surveyed from November 2009 to December 2009.The incidence rate was 134.27/10 000 (493/36 716)in 6 counties. And the first five birth defects were as follows:congenital heart disease,neural tube defects,cheilopalatognathus,polydactylia and hypophrenia.The risks and protective factors of the first 5 birth defects were different.Anamnesis of birth defects and defective children from relatives,multiple pregnancy & birth and intake of antipyretic analgesics during pregnancy were the common risk factor for the first 5 birth defects.The key points for the prevention of birth defects are to reinforce the pre-pregnancy guidance,the screening and evaluation of risk factors and disease prevention during pregnancy.

At present, studies on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) properties are mostly restricted to a single or two kinds of medicinal properties, but deviated from the holism of the theoretical system of TCMs. In this paper, the characteristics of pharmacological effects of different property combinations of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian were take as the study objective. The data of properties of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was collected from the Pharmacopoeia of the People's Republic of China (2005). The data of pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was collected from all of literatures recorded in Chinese Journal Full-text Database (CNKI) since 1980, Science of Chinese Materia Medica (Yan Zhenghua, People's Medical Publishing House, 2006) and Clinical Science of Chinese Materia Medica (Gao Xuemin, Zhong Gansheng, Hebei Science and Technology Publishing House, 2005). The corresponding pharmacological effects of property combinations of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian was mined by the method of association rules. The results of the association rules were consistent with the empirical knowledge, and showed that different medicinal property combinations had respective pharmacological characteristics, including differences and similarities in pharmacological effects of different medicinal property combinations. Medicinal property combinations with identical four properties or five tastes showed similar pharmacological effects; whereas medicinal property combinations with different four properties or five tastes showed differentiated pharmacological effects. However, medicinal property combinations with different four properties or five tastes could also show similar pharmacological effects. In this study, the medicinal property theory and the pharmacological effects of TCMs were combined to reveal the main characteristics and regularity of pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian and provide a new way of thinking and method for revealing the mechanism action of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian and discovering the pharmacological effects of TCMs distributing in the stomach meridian.
Databases, Factual ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Meridians ; Stomach ; drug effects ; Stomach Diseases ; drug therapy

Objective To investigate the prevalence and risk factors of metabolic syndrome (MS) in residents in Pudong New District of Shanghai. MethodsA total of 5 584 residents aged 20-80 years were randomly selected from Pudong New District of Shanghai through multistage sampling and interviewed from April to July of 2008. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to three diagnostic criteria for MS, issued by the modified National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel Ⅲ criteria ( NCEP-ATP Ⅲ ), International Diabetes Federation (IDF), and Chinese Diabetes Society (CDS). ResultsThe crude prevalences of MS in the adult population in Pudong New District were 18.2％ and 13.1％ standardized ( male 19. 1％, female 17.4％, the age-standardized 15.6％ and 13.2％ ) with CDS criterion, 31.8％ and 24.4％ standardized ( male 28.4％ ,female 35.1％ ,the agestandardized 22. 7％ and 25.0％ ) with NCEP-ATP Ⅲ criterion, and 21.7％ and 17.0％ standardized ( male 15.9％ ,female 26.7％, the age-standardized 13.8％ and 19.2％ ) with IDF criterion. The age-specific prevalence of MS increased according to three diagnostic criteria, and the age-adjusted prevalence was higher in males than females in junior age groups and higher in females than males in senior ones. Significant differences were present among region, education, marriage status, smoking, work intensity, recreation, and physical activity according to some diagnostic criteria. ConclusionsSubstantial proportions of adults in Pudong New District of Shanghai suffer from metabolic syndrome, and there exists a tendency for young people involved. MS has become a noteworthy public health problem. It suggests that community-integrated control strategy of MS should be made a priority.

Aim To investigate the effect of hypercholesterolemia on L-type Ca2+(ICa-L) current and intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in single ventricular myocytes of hypercholesterolemic rats.Methods 12 male wistar rats were randomly divided into two dietary groups:a group fed a normal diet(n=6)and a group fed high-cholesterol diet(n=6) for 4 weeks,respectively. The level of serum lipid was examined.Zymolytic method was used to isolate single ventricular myocytes from hypercholesterolemic and normal rats,which were loaded with Ca2+-sensitive fluorescent indicator Fluo-3/AM.[Ca2+]i represented by fluorescent intensity(FI)was measured by laser scanning confocal microscope.Whole cell patch clamp technique was used to record ICa-L.Results There was no significant influence exhibited on TG level.However, the serum total cholesterol(TC)level of hypercholesterolemic rats was much higher than that of model control group; at the test potential of 0 mV, ICa-L decreased from(-8.56?1.29)pA/pF(Control)to(-5.24?0.90) pA/pF(HC)(n=6 in each group,P

Objective To explore the effects of rehabilitation for adult cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality. Methods 80 patients were studied retrospectively. Results The increase of motor score of anterior, posterior and conservative group were around 5, 2 and 2, whereas that of FIM were 11, 17 and 15, respectively. The changes of sensory score were uncertain.Conclusion The effect of surgical or conservative treatment is limited on neurological recovery, while rehabilitation can bring more functional independence to patients with cervical spinal cord injury without radiological abnormality.

Objective To construct phage display single-chain antibody fragments (scFvs) library against histidine-rich protein Ⅱ (HRP-Ⅱ) of Plasmodium falciparum and select specific scFvs of anti- HRP-Ⅱ for the purpose of malaria diagnosis. Method The genes of variable fragments of heavy chain (VH) and light chain (VL) were gained from the spleen cells of BALB/c mice immunized with HRP-Ⅱ protein. The VH and VL genes were then assembled by the method of splicing overlapping extension and cloned into phagemid vector pCANTAB 5E. The scFv phage antibodies were expressed at the surface of the phage after the rescue by helper phage M13K07. HRP- Ⅱ protein was used as antigenic reagent for panning and screening. Results The total RNA from the spleen cells was isolated, and cDNA obtained and VH and VL gene regions amplified using PCR. The VH and VL gene regions were combined with a flexible linker ligated into the pCANTAB 5E phagemid vector, and transformed into TG1 Escherichia coli. The repertoire of the phage antibody was about 106. After panning and screening, 8 positive clones expressed scFv antibodies which were specific for HPR-Ⅱ as demonstrated by ELISA. Conclusion Phage display technology can be used as a powerful tool in making scFv antibodies which have the potential to be used as reagents in the diagnosis and therapy of malaria.