Objective To examine the caregivers' burden and quality of life (QOL) of main caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease by analyzing caregiver and patient-related factors. Methods A total of 53 cases with Parkinson's disease seen from October 2012 to December 2013 in Yantaishan hospital of Yantai City were selected. Assessments: (a) EuroQol-5 questionnaires, including: EQ-5 dimensions (EQ -5d) and visual analogue scale (VAS). (b) Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale. (c) Hoehn-Yahr(H-Y) stage; (d) Parkinson's disease sleep scale (PDSS), 15 items; (e) Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMD-14), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMA-24); (f) Chinese version of Zarit caregiver burden interview. Results Spearman correlation analysis showed that the EQ-5D index and EQ-VAS negatively correlated with HAMD-14 of caregivers of Parkinson diseasepatients (r=- 0.318, - 0.046) (P<0.05), and negatively correlated with H-Y staging (r=-0.592, -0.531), UPDRSI (r=-0.434, -0.316) , UPDRS Ⅱ (r=0.521, 0.513) , UPDRS Ⅲ (r=0.520, 0.534), UPDRS Ⅳ (r=0.564, 0.509), PDSS in patients with Parkinson's disease (r=0.547, 0.490), HAMD-14 (r=0.315, 0.350), HAMA-24 (r=0.413, 0.401) of Parkinson's disease patients (P<0.05). Caregiver burden was related with HAMD-14 (r=0.496), HAMA-24 (r=0.551),H-Y stage (r=0.697), PDSS (r=0.659), UPDRS Ⅰ-Ⅳ (r=0.538, 0.668, 0.696, 0.600), EQ-5D index of Parkinson disease patients (r=0.682), EQ-VAS of Parkinson disease patients (r=0.670) (P<0.05); and positively related with anxiety of caregivers (r=0.275) , and a negative correlation with the caregivers' quality of lives (r=0.665) (P<0.05). Bivariate analyses showed significant correlations between caregiver burden and patients' sleep, scores of Parkinson's motor symptoms, and caregivers' depression. Based on multiple regression analysis, Zarit score proved to be the main predictor of caregivers' QOL. Caregivers' age, total numbers of caregivers and H-Y stage also proved to be a relevant factor. Conclusion Improvement of patient's sleep, motor symptoms anddepression might alleviate caregivers' strain. There is a correlation between caregivers' burden and QOL. QOL of caregivers can be improved through reducing their care-burden.

Objective To investigate the effect of intralesional lauromacrogol therapy on infantile hemangioma.Methods 30 cases all received intralesional injection of lauromacrogol.The changes of tumor size,texture and color were monitored and recorded.The adverse effects after medication were observed and managed accordingly.The adverse effects after medication were observed.The times of treatment were determined according to degree of reduction of tumor volume.To assess the efficacy,a 4 scales system was adopted.Results All patients had completed the treatment and followup.The overall response was scale Ⅰ in 2 cases (6.7 ％),scale Ⅱ efficacy in 4 patients (13.3 ％),scale Ⅲ efficacy in 5 cases (16.7 ％) and scale Ⅳ in 19 cases (63.3 ％).The smaller the tumor,the fewer the times of treatment,and the better the results.The effects of treatment were better if patient could be treated by intralesional lauromacrogol therapy in early stage.No severe adverse effects were observed during 6 months of follow-up.Conclusions Intralesional injection of lauromacrogol sclerotherapy is a safe and effective way to treat infantile hemangioma.

AIM: To investigate the change of corrected vision and stereo vision in anisometropic patients after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).METHODS: The clinical data of 84 cases of anisometropic children(84 eyes) were retrospective analyzed.The changes of corrected visual acuity and stereopsis of different gender,age,type of amblyopia in children anisometropic before treatment,after treatment for 3,6mo and 1a were analyzed.The stereoscopic vision correction correlation were analyzed.RESULTS: Corrected Log MAR visual acuity and stereopsis of 84 patients after LASIK surgery treatment for 3mo,and 1a later significantly decreased than before treatment (P<0.05).The corrected Log MAR visual acuity and stereopsis of male and female after treatment for 3,6mo and 1a was not statistically significant (P>0.05).Corrected visual acuity of age <30 group for 3,6mo and 1a was significantly lower than the age ≥30 group (P<0.05).After 3,6mo and 1a stereo vision with hyperopic anisometropia amblyopia decreased more than that with myopic anisometropia amblyopia(P<0.05),but corrected Log MAR visual acuity after treatment was no statistically significant difference (P>0.05).Improved correctted vision of anisometropic patients after LASIK surgery had no connection with the decrease of stereo vision(P>0.05).CONCLUSION: LASIK surgery can improve visual acuity in patients with anisometropia amblyopia,but the course of treatment of visual acuity and stereopsis affected by age and type of amblyopia.

Mitochondrial dysfunction has been implicated in the aetiology of sporadic Parkinson's disease but its role in the disease mechanism remains unclear.To investigate the effect of synuclein on mitochondrial dysfunction induced by rotenone.The human dopaminergic SH-SY5Y cells were used as a cell model.The cells over-expressed the wild-type ?-synuclein were treated with complex I inhibitor rotenone.The cell viability,complex I activity,Mitochondrial swelling and O2-content were tested at different time point-1w,2w,4w after rotenone treated.CCK-8 test results showed that the cell viability of overexpressed ?-synuclein(SH-SY5Y-Syn)was much lower than the control group(SH-SY5Y-Ctr).After administrating with rotenone about 1w or 2w the cell viability of SH-SY5Y-Syn became higher than that of SH-SY5Y-Ctr.On the 4th week the results were contrary to the first 2 weeks.Similar results were got when test the mitochondrial function.In the first 2 weeks after roteoone administrating,the mitochondrial function of SH-SY5Y-Syn was better than that of SH-SY5Y-Ctr.This suggest that the ?-synuclein could protect the mitochondrial against the injury induced by rotenone in the early stage-1w,2w,while this effect disappeared in the final stage-4w.

As one of the significant parts of medical science research in China, the research on Chinese medicine (CM) reflects the essence of healthcare tradition in the country both theoretically and clinically, and embodies the values of Chinese culture. Therefore, in the practice of ethics review on CM research protocols, besides abiding by the contemporary prevalent international principles and guidelines on bioethics, which emphasizes the scientific and bioethical value of the study, we should also stress the CM theoretical background and relevant clinical experience in the framework of Chinese culture and values. In this paper, we went over the traits of CM clinical research and the experience from the practice of ethics review by the institution review board for bioethics, and then attempted to summarize the key points for the bioethics review to CM researches in China, so as to serve as reference for the bioethics review to traditional and alternative medicine researches.
China ; Drug Monitoring ; Ethics Committees, Research ; ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Humans ; Informed Consent ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; adverse effects

Traditional herbal medicines, Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolium and Panax notoginseng, attract our attention for their extensive and powerful pharmacological activities. Ginsenosides are the main active constituents of these medicinal herbs. The related glycosyltransferases involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis are the key enzymes which catalyze the last important step. Modification of ginsenoside aglycones by glycosyltransferases produces the complexity and diversity of ginsenosides, which have more extensive pharmacological activity. At present, ginsenoside aglycones and compound K have been obtained by synthetic biology. As the last step of ginsenoside biosynthesis, glycosylation of ginsenoside aglycones has been studied intensively in recent years. This review summarizes the basic strategies and research advances in studies on glycosyltransferases involved in ginsenoside biosynthesis, which is expected to lay the theoretical foundation for the in-depth research of biosynthetic pathway of ginsenosides and their production by synthetic biology.
Biosynthetic Pathways ; Ginsenosides ; biosynthesis ; Glycosyltransferases ; metabolism ; Panax ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Synthetic Biology

Pichia pastoris is one of the most important systems used in the field of molecular biology for the expression of recombinant proteins. The system has advantages of high expression, high stability, high secretion, easy high-density fermentation and low cost. Many factors affect the expression of recombinant protein, such as gene copy number, codon usage preference, type of promoter, molecular chaperones, glycosylation, signal peptide and fermentation process. In this review, research advances of the above aspects are summarized, which lay a foundation for improving the expression of recombinant proteins in P. pastoris.
Fermentation ; Gene Dosage ; Glycosylation ; Molecular Chaperones ; Pichia ; metabolism ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Protein Sorting Signals ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis

Lanosterol synthase is encoded by the erg7 gene and catalyzes the cyclization of 2, 3-oxidosqualene, which is a rate-limiting step of the inherent mevalonate (MVA)/ergosterol metabolic pathway in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The intermediate 2, 3-oxidosqualene is also the precursor of triterpenoids. Therefore, the cyclization of 2, 3-oxidosqualene is the key branch point of ergosterol and triterpenoids biosynthesis. Down-regulation of 2, 3-oxidosqualene metabolic flux to ergosterol in S. cerevisiae may redirect the metabolic flux toward the triterpenoid synthetic pathway reconstructed by the synthetic biology approach. To construct erg7 knockout cassette harboring the loxP-Marker-loxP element, long primers were designed, which were homologous to the sequences of both erg7 ORF and plasmid pUG66. The cassette was transformed into diploid wild strain INVSc1 by LiAc/SS Carrier DNA/PEG method and then erg7 gene haploid deficient mutant was obtained by homologous recombination. The results of semiquantitative PCR and real-time quantitative PCR revealed that erg7 expression level in erg7 gene haploid deficient mutant is one time lower than that in wild strain. The results of TLC and HPLC showed that the ergosterol content in deficient mutant decreased to 42% of that in wild strain.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; DNA Primers ; Down-Regulation ; Ergosterol ; metabolism ; Haploidy ; Intramolecular Transferases ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; Squalene ; analogs & derivatives ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Bushen Tiaojing Recipe (BTR) on the quality of oocytes, reproductive hormones, and the expression of bone morphogenetic protein-15 (BMP15) of in vitro fertilization-embryo transfer (IVF-ET) patients.

METHODSSixty infertility patients who prepared for IVF-ET were assigned to two groups according to the treatment order, the treatment group [20 cases, treated with BTR + controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH)] and the control group (treated with COH alone, 40 cases). Age, the time limit for infertility, basal follicle-stimulating hormone (bFSH) concentration, usage days and the dosage of gonadotropins (Gn), serum levels of estradiol (E2), luteotropic hormone (LH), and progesterone (P) on the HCG injection day, the number of retrieved occytes, the fertilization rate, the number of embryos, the high quality embryo rate, and the clinical pregnancy rate were compared. Concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), LH, E2, testosterone (T), and P in the follicular fluid were detected via chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay. The mRNA and protein expression of BMP-15 in mature granulosa cells was detected by real-time fluorescent PCR and Western blot.

RESULTSThirty-two patients were pregnant and the total pregnancy rate was 53.3%. Of them, 19 were pregnant and the total pregnancy rate was 47.5% in the control group, while 20 were pregnant and the total pregnancy rate was 65.0% in the treatment group. But there was no statistical difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the Gn dosage was lower and the high quality embryo rate was higher in the treatment group, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in serum concentrations of E2, LH, or P on the HCG injection day, the number of retrieved oocytes, or the fertilization rate (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, FSH concentrations in the follicular fluid were significantly lower and LH concentrations were significantly higher in the treatment group (P < 0.05). The LH concentrations in the follicular fluid were significantly higher in pregnant patients than non-pregnant patients, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05).There was no statistical difference in E2, T, or P concentrations (P > 0.05). The mRNA and protein expression of BMP-15 in granulosa cells was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). It was also higher in pregnant patients than non-pregnant patients, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONDuring the IVF-ET process, BTR could elevate the quality of oocytes, and increase the sensitivity of ovarian follicles to exogenous Gn, which was correlated with the mRNA and protein expression of BMP-15 in granulosa cells, and changing concentrations of FSH and LH.

Adult ; Bone Morphogenetic Protein 15 ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Embryo Transfer ; Estradiol ; blood ; metabolism ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; metabolism ; Follicular Fluid ; metabolism ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; metabolism ; Oocytes ; drug effects ; Pregnancy ; Progesterone ; blood ; metabolism ; Testosterone ; metabolism ; Young Adult

AIM: To investigate the effect of Qingrehuayuziyin Fang on lymphocyte apoptosis and expression of Fas and FasL in peripheral blood in the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).METHODS: Eighty patients with SLE were selected and divided randomly into two groups,40 in the therapy group and 40 in control group respectively.Patients were get the treatment of Qingrehuayuziyin Fang combined hormone(prednisone) as therapy group and get hormone treating only as control group.After treating three months,lymphocyte were collected to be detected the rate of apoptosis by flow cytometer.Meanwhile,the expression of Fas and FasL were analyzed by RT-PCR.RESULTS: After three months treating,the rate of lymphocyte apoptosis was decreased significantly in therapy group compared with that in control group(P