Objective To study the association of liver fat content (LFC) with insulin resistance and β cell function. Methods One hundred and nine subjects including 31 cases with impaired glucose regulation (IGR), 31 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes (NT2DM) and 47 normal controls (NC) with normal metabolic parameters were involved in the study. LFC was measured by 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) and the insulin resistance and β cell function were evaluated by oral 75 g glucose tolerance test. Results (1 ) LFCs were3.83% (2.35% ～7.59% ) ,12. 82% (8.10%～21.37%), and 21.99% (11.89%～34.43%), being progressively raised in the respective NC, IGR, NT2DM groups(P<0.01). (2) The subjects were divided into four subgroups according to LFC Quartile: Quartile 1 (LFC<4. 04% ) , Quartile 2(4. 04% ≤LFC<9. 77% ), Quartile 3 (9.77% ≤LFC<20.78% ) ,and Quartile 4( LFC≥20.78% ). Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) values were elevated significantly and progressively starting from Quartile 2(P<0. 01). (3) Insulin from 0 to 30 min ( △I30), the ratio of insulin from 0 to 30 min to glucose from 0 to 30 min ( △I30/ △G30) , C peptide from 0 to 30 min (△CP30) had a trend of increase in Quartile 2,then trended to decrease in Quartile 3. In Quartile 4, △CP30 and △I30/△G30 sharply decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01). The ratio of C peptide from 0 to 30 min to glucose from 0 to 30 min ( △CP30/△G30) began to decrease from Quartile 3 (P<0. 05). The ratio of area under curve of C peptide to area under curve of glucose (CPAUC/GAUC) was significantly decreased from Quartile 3(P<0.05). From Quartile 3,glucose level became abnormally elevated to impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance (P<0.01). (4) LFC was positively correlated with HOMA-IR (rs =0. 618 ,P<0.01), but was negatively correlated with △CP30(rs =-0.282), △CP30/△G30(rs = -0. 404), and CPAUC/GAUC(rs = -0. 308,all P<0.01). (5) Stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that LFC was the strongest predictor of HOMA-IR. Conclusions When LFC accumulated to 4% , insulin resistance occurred and the early phase of insulin secretion was compensatively increased. As the LFC further accumulated to 10% , both the early phase as well as β cell function in whole were deteriorated, and hyperglycemia developed.

To study still further the activity of CNTF mutant designed by computer molecular modling,the methods of dissociated cultures of chick dorsal root ganglion、TF-1 prolification and the normal mice'weight loss tests weve used.The results indicated that the mutant protein promoted the survival of dorsal root ganglion、induced TF-1 prolification and made the normal mice lose weight,decrease appetite and reduce fat index.The weight loss effect was dependant with its administration dosage,ED50 was 150.986?g/kg/d.To TF-1,the specific activity reached 2.0?106U/mg against international reference reagent.In a word,CNTF mutant had excel bioactivity.So it provided clues for its development and application.

98 endophytic bacteria strains were isolated from different internal tissues of Glycyrrhiza uralensis plants collected from Innermongolia region. Results indicated that the population densities of endophytic bacteria ranged from 5.0?104cfu/g～2.9?107cfu/g fresh weight although it varied depending on tissue of the plant. Among these strains, Bacillus sp. was the most prevalent endophytic bacterium, which was amount to 30%.Of the 98 isolates, 6 strains exhibited extensive antagonistic activities against pathogenic bacteria. Characterization showed that these bacteria were Bacillus atrophaeus、Paenibacillus polymyxa、Bacillus subtilis、Paenibacillus ehimensis. This study indicated that selected 6 endophytic bacteria strains have potential for biological control of plant disease.

The difference between doctor selection needs of the public and medical service at present was analyzed according to the questionnaire investigation of doctor selection habit of the public. The association between the focus on doctor personal information and the importance of different factors influencing doctor selection was analyzed ac-cording to the information searching methods used by the public when they selected their doctor. The effective pre-cision search approaches and methods on the Internet medical platform were proposed, including information searching methods on innovation platform, standardizing the weight of different kinds of information, and perfecting the pushing and recommending mechanisms for doctor selection searching results.

Adenoma ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Adult ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 ; genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7 ; genetics ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diploidy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kidney Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; S100 Proteins ; metabolism ; Vimentin ; metabolism ; WT1 Proteins ; metabolism ; Wilms Tumor ; metabolism ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo prepare a drug-loading film using chitosan and carboxymethyl chitosan as the carrier materials for delivering matrine to oral ulcers.

METHODSMatrine-loading films using chitosan or carboxymethyl chitosan as the carrier materials were prepared by solution casting method and orthogonal experiment at room temperature. The mechanical properties, surface morphology and drug-loading capacity of the drug-loading film were characterized using tensile test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling test and in vitro drug release test.

RESULTSWhen the molecular weight of chitosan was 650 000 and the mass ratio of chitosan/glycerol was 1:1.4, the prepared film had the maximum mechanical strength and tensile modulus reaching 0.7875 MPa. SEM observation showed that matrine aggregated at the bottom of the drug-loading film with an asymmetrical distribution. The in vitro drug release test showed that the film had a high drug-loading capacity and a sustained drug release property. The duration of drug release from the drug-loading film was prolonged as the molecular weight of chitosan increased, reaching 23 h when the molecular weight of chitosan was 650 000. The duration of drug release was further increased to 108 h when the bottom of the drug-loading film was coated with a layer of 1% carboxymethyl chitosan.

CONCLUSIONThe matrix materials of the drug-loading film are natural, green, nontoxic and biodegradable, and the preparation of the film is simple without using large quantities of organic solvents. The novel drug-loading film can obviously prolong the duration of drugs release for better local drug delivery to oral ulcers in a sustained manner.

Alkaloids ; chemistry ; Chitosan ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; Drug Delivery Systems ; Drug Liberation ; Glycerol ; chemistry ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Quinolizines ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEThe traditional decoction method of Dachengqi Tang is that "First boiling Magnolia officinalis and Citrus aurantium with a pipeful of water, taking out five litres from the decoction, removing residues, adding rheum officinale, boiling again, taking out two litres from it, removing residues, adding mirabilite, boiling it with low fire". According to it, residues of M. officinalis and C. aurantium should be removed after decocting. This essay aims to study the content of anthraquinones, in order to proof whether the removal of residues of M. officinalis and C. aurantium is scientific.

METHODThe traditional method was adopted to prepare Dachengqi Tang. Decoction A (original method) was obtained by removing residues of M. officinalis and C. aurantium, whereas decoction B was obtained without removing residues of M. officinalis and C. aurantium. The content of anthraquinones of both methods was determined with HPLC.

RESULTThe content of both combined and free anthraquinones in decoction A was higher than that of decoction B. The content of total anthraquinones in residues of decoction A was lower than that of residue B.

CONCLUSIONThe traditional decoction method of removing residues of M. officinalis and C. aurantium from Dachengqi Tang is scientific, because it improves the dissolution rate of effective ingredients, which provides a theoretical basis for effective substances of the drug.

Anthraquinones ; analysis ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Citrus ; chemistry ; Drug Compounding ; Magnolia ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Reproducibility of Results

BACKGROUNDPatient characteristics may be an internal factor influencing patient complaints, but in China patient characterization is restricted to patient satisfaction surveys, and few studies have considered the relationship between patient characteristics and patient complaints. The aim of this research was to determine the reasons for complaints.

METHODSIn this study, we analyzed the characteristics of hospitalized patients and explored their relationship with medical complaints.

RESULTSThe significant factors were age (P = 0.045), hospital cost (P = 0.003), household nature (P < 0.001), and education (P < 0.001). The complaint rate decreased when the patients' age increased (regression coefficient, -0.606; OR, 0.545, and 95%CI, 0.301 - 0.987). The complaint rate increased with an increase in hospital cost (regression coefficient, 0.818; OR, 2.266; and 95%CI, 1.320 - 3.889). Patients from non-agricultural households had a higher complaint rate (regression coefficient, 1.051; OR, 2.861; and 95%CI, 1.611 - 5.082). Patients with higher education levels had lower complaint rates (regression coefficient, -0.944; OR, 0.389; and 95%CI, 0.234 - 0.647).

CONCLUSIONThe survey confirms that older patients and patients with higher education levels had lower complaint rates, while non-agricultural population and patients with higher hospital expenses had higher complaint rates.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Data Collection ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Patient Satisfaction ; statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo elucidate the pathogenic role of leukotriene B4 (LTB4) in increased pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell permeability induced by one lung ventilation (OLV) in rabbits.

METHODSForty-eight healthy Japanese white rabbits were randomly divided into control group (group C), saline pretreatment group (group S), bestatin (a leukotriene A4 hydrolase (LTA4H) inhibitor) plus saline pretreatment group (group B), OLV group (group O), saline pretreatment plus OLV group (group SO) and bestatin plus saline pretreatment with OLV group (group BO). ELISA was used to detect LTB4 content in the lung tissues, and LTA4H and phospholipase Cεl (PLCEl) expressions were examined by Western blotting and quantitative PCR. The wet/dry weight (W/D) ratio of the lung, lung permeability index and the expressions of myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) protein and mRNA in the lung tissues were determined to evaluate the permeability of the pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs). The severities of lung injury were evaluated by lung histomorphological scores.

RESULTSNo significant differences were found among groups C, S and B except that LTA4H expressions was significantly lower in group B than in groups C and S (P<0.05). OLV significantly increased the expressions of LTA4H (P<0.05) and resulted in LTB4 overproduction in the lungs (P<0.05) accompanied by significantly enhanced PLCE1 expression and PMVEC permeability (P<0.05). Pretreatment with bestatin, significantly reduced the expression of LTA4H and LTB4 production (P<0.05) and down-regulated the expression of PLCE1 in the lungs of the rabbits receiving OLV (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONBestatin plays a protective role in OLV-induced rabbit lung injury by downregulating LTA4H to reduce the production of LTB4 in the lungs. LTB4 can increase PMVEC permeability by up-regulating PLCE1 expression in rabbits with OLV-induced lung injury.

BACKGROUNDDue to the quick rhythm of life and work pressure, more and more people suffer from sleep quality problems. In this study, we investigated the effect of electroacupuncture on sleep quality of chronic insomniacs and the safety of electroacupuncture therapy.

METHODSFour courses of electroacupuncture treatment were applied to 47 patients. With pre-treatment and post-treatment self-control statistical method, Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores were used for evaluating sleep quality. Polysomnogram was used for detecting insomniacs' changes in sleep architecture. The safety of electroacupuncture was evaluated by monitoring the self-designed adverse events and side effects during treatment and post-treatment.

RESULTSElectroacupuncture considerably improved insomniacs' sleep quality and social function during the daytime. Electroacupuncture had certain repairing effect on the disruption in sleep architecture. At the same time, electroacupuncture prolonged slow wave sleep (SWS) time and relatively rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) time. There was no hangover, addiction or decrements in vigilance during the daytime (incidence rate was 0). However, insomnia rebound rate was about 23% within one month.

CONCLUSIONSThese results suggest that electroacupuncture has beneficial effect on sleep quality improvement in the patients with chronic insomnia, which may be associated with repairing sleep architecture, reconstructing sleep continuity, as well as prolonging SWS time and REM sleep time. Electroacupuncture treatment for chronic insomnia is safe. Therefore, electroacupuncture therapy could be a promising avenue of treatment for chronic insomnia.

Adult ; Aged ; Electroacupuncture ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Sleep, REM