The studies on spa's health promotion effects on healthy or slightly unhealthy persons published in past two decades in Japan have been reviewed. Multidimensional findings from these studies have suggested that the spa resort using may have the effects of increasing and retention of skin and body temperature, improving peripheral circulation function, lowering blood pressure, improving gastrointestinal hormones secretion and increasing gastric mucosal blood flow, bettering metabolism, regulating the function of immune system, regulating the balance of autonomous nervous and internal secretion systems, relieving stress and relaxing, improving the quality of life (QOL), relieving the symptoms of those who are slightly unhealthy, promoting physical strength and fitness, promoting the well-being of the aged, reducing medical expenses of individuals or the community, keeping skin in good shape and restraining the skin's aging.
Of the 58 papers reviewed, the studies of hot spring bathing effects on increasing and retention of skin and body temperature, improving peripheral circulation function and lowering blood pressure were the most in numbers (12 papers, 20.7%), and then the studies of relieving the symptoms of those who were slightly unhealthy (10 papers, 17.2%). Case-control studies (26 papers, 44.8%) were the most used study designs, and then the clinical observation (20 papers, 34.5%). No findings from any one study reviewed in this paper showed that the spa resort using had definite evidence of health promotion effects. Probable effects were suggested from 32 studies (55.2%), but findings from the rest ones (26 papers, 44.8%) showed little evidence to support this consideration. Recently randomized controlled trials (RCT) had been used in studying the health effects of spa resort using in Japan and showed significantly better effects in the intervention group. However, the intervention methods used in the studies were comprehensive health education combing the instructions in appropriate ways of hot spring bathing and education on lifestyle and exercise. It was difficult, if not impossible, to separate the effect of hot spring bathing alone from the combination. The outcomes as effects used in the studies were blood profile, physique and other non-specific items. It may be also difficult to design and carry out a near perfect RCT study on the health promotion effects of spa resort using in field in the future. However, based on experience from past studies it is practicable and important to purse better epidemiological methods such as randomizing and crossover design. On the other side, as specific readers can be influenced marvelously by one book, the health conditions of users may be improved greatly and continuously by some spa. While evidence-based health care places emphasis on RCT, it is also extremely important to inspect the health promotion effects of spa using systematically and rapidly from the viewpoint of narrative-based health care.

Objective: To identify and highly express the L-Methionine ?-lyase gene from Trichomonas vaginalis(TVMGL).Methods: The TVMGL gene was cloned into pGEX 4T-2,the recombinant protein expressed in E.coli DH5?and confirmed by SDS-PAGE.Results: Denaturing SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the predicted size of the fusion protein(GST-TVMGL,68 000) and showed high purity after subsequent affinity chromatography on Glutathione sepharose 4B.The target proteins amounted to 34% of the total bacteria proteins.Conclusion: The L-Methionine ?-lyase gene was highly expressed in E.coli.

Background and purpose: At present, gastric cancer is considered to be both genetic and epigenetic disease, and epigenetic alterations play a significant role in the development of gastric cancer. DNA methylation is the most well studied and most in-depth epigenetic modiifcations in human-beings. The silencing of tumor-related genes by DNA methylation is reversible. ERCC1 is a kind of DNA repair gene. The present study was aimed to detect the CpG island methylation status of ERCC1 gene promoter in gastric cancer tissues and corresponding peripheral blood, and to explore the relationship between methylation of ERCC1 gene in peripheral blood and in gastric cancer tissues. Methods:Methylation speciifc PCR was performed to detect the methylation status of ERCC1 gene in the tumor tissues and the paired peripheral blood from 30 gastric cancer patients. Results:The positive rate of methylation of ERCC1 gene promoter CpG island was 76.7%(23/30) in the tumor tissues and 63.3%(19/30) in serum of gastric cancer patients, and the difference had no statistical signiifcance. Conclusion:Our studies suggest that ERCC1 gene promoter CpG island methylation can be detected in a high proportion of the serum consisting with that in tumor tissues of gastric cancer patients, and the detection of methylation status of ERCC1 gene in peripheral blood provides a more simple, fast and reliable way for the medical treatment of gastric cancer and also provides the possible theoretical basis for the CpG island methylation of ERCC1 gene promoter as a target for the treatment of gastric cancer.

Objective:This study aims to detect the CpG island methylation status of the ERCC1 gene promoter and the expres-sion of the ERCC1 protein in gastric cancer tissues, as well as to investigate the correlation and significance between ERCC1 gene pro-moter CpG island methylation and protein expression. Methods:Methylation-specific PCR was performed to detect the methylation sta-tus of the ERCC1 gene in tumor tissues and adjacent cancerous tissues from 30 gastric cancer patients. Ten cases of normal gastric tis-sues were used as control. Expression of the ERCC1 protein in gastric cancer tissues, adjacent cancerous tissues, and normal gastric tis-sues was examined by immunohistochemistry S-P method. Results:The methylation rate of the ERCC1 gene promoter CpG island in gastric cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent cancerous tissues (76.7%vs. 13.3%, P<0.05), and the difference was statistically significant. The incidence of promoter methylation was not found in 10 normal gastric tissues. The negative rate of ERCC1 protein expression in 30 cases of gastric carcinoma tissues was significantly higher than that in adjacent cancerous tissues (70.0% vs. 33.3%, P<0.05), whereas 10 normal gastric tissues all exhibited positive expression for the ERCC1 protein. The tumor tissues with ER-CC1 gene promoter CpG island methylation showed a lower expression of ERCC1 protein than the unmethylated tumor tissues in gas-tric cancer patients. Conclusion:Methylation of the ERCC1 gene promoter CpG island and protein expression are negatively correlat-ed, and methylation of the CpG island of the ERCC1 gene may be one of the main reasons for the down-regulation of protein expres-sion.

Objective To investigate the distribution of pathogenic bacteria in children with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and their susceptibility to commonly used antibacterial drugs .Methods 95 cases of CRS complicating adenoidal hypertrophy were per-formed adenoidectomy .The secretion of maxillary sinus ostium and posterior ethmoid sinus ostium was collected during endoscopic adenoidectomy by the disinfected cotton swab for conducting the bacterial culture and the drug sensitivity test .Results 89 speci-mens showed the bacterial growth ,the positive rate of bacterial culture in all culture specimens was 93 .7% ,86 strains of aerobic bacteria ,28 strains of anaerobic bacteria .Among 95 patients ,81 cases of aerobic infection ,52 cases of anaerobic infection ,44 cases of mixed infection .The drugs susceptibility test in vitro displayed that amoxicillin and clavulanate potassium had the higher antibacte-rial activity to aerobic bacteria and metronidazole had the higher antibacterial activity to anaerobic bacteria .Conclusion Children CRS is dominated by the aerobic bacterial infection .The bacterial infection plays a larger role in children CRS .Antibacterial drugs have better effect for treating CRS .

Objective To study the synergistic antitumor effect of PCF when combine used with CTX.Methods Inoculated 0.2 mL H22 tumor fluid into the right armpit of mouse,and then the animals were divided into seven groups randomly: control group;CTX group(CTX 10 mg?kg-1);three test group(PCF 1000,500 and 250 mg?kg-1) and two combined use groups (PCF 1000,500 mg?kg-1with CTX 10 mg?kg-1).PCF were given by intragastric administration for 10 days,and CTX by intraperitoneal injection for 10 days.Same volume of saline was given to the control group.The mice were killed 24 hours after the last medication and the tumor inhibition rate was calculated.Results Three PCF groups had no effect on tumor inhibition,while two combined treatusement groups showed significant effect on tumor inhibition,while at the same doses the tumor inhibition rates were raised to 55.9% and 52.9% respectively,which were higher than that of CTX when used alone.Conclusion PCF can enhance the antitumor effects of CTX.

Objective To investigate the effects of demethylating agent 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR) on the biological behaviors and the expression of RASSF1A of lung carcinoma cells H460. Methods Lung carcinoma cell line H460 were treated with 5-Aza-CdR. Cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and colony forming test. The methylation status of RASSF1A gene was detected by PCR. The expression of RASSF1A protein was measured by Western blotting, and the cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results With 5-Aza-CdR treatment, the proliferation speed of H460 lung carcinoma cells was slowed down and the colony formation rate of H460 cells was decreased significantly compared with control group (38.5 %, 27.5 % and 60.5 % in 5-Aza-CdR 5 and 10 μmol/L groups and control group, respectively, P <0.05). The methylation degree in the promoter of RASSF1A gene was decreased and the expression of RASSF1A protein was detected after 5-Aza-CdR treatment. 5-Aza-CdR induced G1 phase arrest of the H460 cells. Conclusion The hypermethylation of CpG island in the promoter of RASSF1A gene results in the loss of RASSF1A protein expression in human Lung carcinoma cell line. The demethylating agent 5-Aza-CdR could restore RASSF1A gene expression.These findings provide theoretic evidence for clinical treatment of human lung carcinoma with demethylation agent 5-Aza-CdR.

Carbon dioxide (CO₂)-enriched water, one of the Japanese pharmacopeias, has been used as an alternative thermotherapy to treat the intractable diabetic skin diseases. However, few scientific researches on the physiological effects of CO₂-enriched footbath have been reported. Fifteen males (aged 22-52, 31±10) took part in this study after providing their written informed consents. They took three kinds of footbath (plain water, CO₂-enriched water and control without water) at 38°C for 30min in random sequence. Their core temperature from oral and tympanic membrane, cutaneous blood flow, tissue hemoglobin concentration at the cerebral frontal cortex and trapezoid muscle, systemic blood pressure, heart rate variability, salivary IgA, comfortable feeling with face scale were measured before, during and after footbath. CO₂-enriched footbath showed significant physiological effects on the systemic and peripheral circulation. Local (under water) cutaneous blood flow, and tissue blood flow of the frontal cortex were significantly higher than in the plain water footbath. The systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate in CO₂-enriched footbath were also lower than those in the plain water footbath. Heart rate variability of CO₂-enriched footbath showed an decrease of LF/HF ratio and more HF/(LF+HF) ratio than that of plain water footbath. These parameters indicated lesser stress for the heart in CO₂-enriced footbath than in the plain water footbath. The relaxing effect of CO₂-enriched footbath was also indicated from the results of face scale and salivary IgA concentration. All of these results supported that the CO₂-enriched footbath was less stressful and more relaxing, and had more physiological effects on the local systemic and cerebral circulatory system and autonomic nervous system than plain water footbath.

  The studies on the effects of balneotherapy in combination with other therapies (kinesitherapy, bath agents, diet therapy, pharmaceutical therapy, climatotherapy and phototherapy, and multiple therapies) published in past two decades have been reviewed. The effects of the combined baleotherapies on diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis vulgaris, atopic dermatitis, ankylosing spondylitis, stiff neck, chronic back pain, peripheral circulatory failure, emphysema, bronchial asthma, and fibromyalgia syndrome have been suggested or evidenced. The health promotion effects of combined balneotherapies among healthy or ill-healthy persons have also been showed.

The difficult knowledge was analyzed in detail from such aspects as medical students' cognitive ability of the female pelvic anatomy structure,their learning of female reproductive endocrine physiology,their understanding of delivery mechanism and gynecological tumor clinical staging in gynecology and obstetrics.Through such strategies as the diversification of teaching to deepen students' cognition of female pelvic anatomy structure,presentation method to strength their understanding of the delivery mechanism and repeated memory to reinforce their learning of female reproductive endocrine physiology and smart memory to remember gynecologic oncology clinical staging,not only the students' learning ability was improved,but also the teaching quality was enhanced.