To propose the new concept of multidimensional omics, and define that the multidimensional omics is a proper method for studying the material base and mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) compounds. Zhuanggu Zhitong capsule was taken for example to study its effect against experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis. From the perspective of chemi-omics, genomics and proteomics of TCM, it systematically interpreted the efficacious materials and mechanisms of Zhuanggu Zhitong capsule in preventing and treating experimental postmenopausal osteoporosis, while taking the lead in designing a three dimensional form to intuitively exhibit the results of the multidimensional omics study. This study provides a new idea and solution for studies on the efficacious materials and mechanisms of TCM compounds.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Genomics ; Humans ; Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Proteomics

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy of Zaozhu Yinchen Recipe (ZZYCR) on non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) patients, and to explore its effect on serum free fatty acid (FFA) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha).

METHODSTotally 120 patients with NASH were randomly assigned to the treatment group (60 cases, treated with ZZYCR, one dose per day) and the control group (60 cases, treated with Silibin Meglumine Tablets, 20 mg each time, thrice per day). The therapeutic course for all was 24 weeks. Serum levels of ALT and AST activities, TC and TG levels were detected before and after treatment. Peritoneal CT was performed in all patients, and CT ratios of liver and spleen calculated. NAFLD activity score (NAS) and degree of hepatic fibrosis were assessed using pathological examinations of liver tissue, and efficacy also evaluated. Serum contents of FFA and TNF-alpha were also detected.

RESULTSCompared with before treatment in the same group, activities of ALT and AST, serum levels of TC, TG, FFA, and TNF-alpha, NAS, scores of symptoms and signs all obviously decreased, degree of hepatic fibrosis was obviously improved in the two groups (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). These changes were more obviously seen in the treatment group (P < 0.05). After 24-week treatment, the total effective rate and total clinical efficacy were 80.00% (48/60 cases) and 85.00% (51/60 cases) in the treatment group, obviously higher than those in the control group [60.00% (36/60 cases) and 73.33% (44/60 cases) respectively], with significant difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONZZYCR could improve the clinical efficacy of NASH patients, and its mechanism might be associated with inhibiting serum levels of FFA and TNF-alpha.

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fatty Acids, Nonesterified ; blood ; Humans ; Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease ; drug therapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of Tanshinone IIa on IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha cytokines in immune vasculitis and platelets, as well as their relationship. The model of immune vasculitis of rabbits were established by intravenous injection of bovine serum albumin twice. Experiment was divided into 4 groups: control group, model group, tanshinone IIa-treated group and aspirin-treated group. The platelet count, platelet aggregation of peripheral blood were determined. The levels of serum IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha were detected by ELISA. The pathological changes of immune vasculitis were analyzed by hematoxylin & eosin staining, elastic fibers staining and electron microscopy. The results showed that the levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in model group were significantly higher than those in normal group (p < 0.05), while the level of IL-6 was not significantly different between various groups. The serum level of IL-1beta was correlated with platelet number, while serum levels IL-1beta and TNF-alpha were both correlated with the platelet aggregation. The treatment with tanshinone IIa could significantly decrease the serum levels of IL-1beta, TNF-alpha and platelet number, and the efficacy of tanshinone IIa was same as aspirin. The tanshinone IIa and aspirin both could alleviate the vessels damage in patients with immune vasculitis. It is concluded that the tanshinone IIa may diminish the inflammation damage of vessels in patients with immune vasculitis through the inhibition of cytokines and platelets.
Animals ; Blood Platelets ; drug effects ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; pharmacology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Platelet Count ; Rabbits ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood ; Vasculitis ; blood ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the characters of chronic pancreatitis complicated by non-calculous obstructive jaundice, and discuss the methods for differentiation and treatment.

METHODTwenty cases selected from January 1985 to December 2004 were analysed in the fields of differentiation and treatment.

RESULTSAll cases didn't present with typical clinical presentations and radiological features. Jaundice was presented as the main complaint. Stricture of the intra-pancreatic common bile duct was the symbolic radiological feature. Pancreatic disseminated inflammation was verified pathologically in these cases. CT, ultrasound, EUS, ERCP, MRCP and antigen-marker of neoplasm failed to offer the data for differentiation. The diagnosis could only be determined by pathological exam. The obstructive jaundice could be solved by biliary-enteric anastomoses successfully.

CONCLUSIONSThe patients with sole complaint of obstructive jaundice account for 15% of all inpatients with chronic pancreatitis. There exists a direct relationship between the jaundice and the pancreatic inflammation. This disorder should be differentiated from total pancreatic carcinoma, but few differentiated material could be offered by preoperative studies. Pathological result derived from the tissue sample obtained within the exploration would be reliable for diagnosis. The bypass between biliary tract and intestine would be a safe and economical treatment method.

Adult ; Aged ; Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Choledochostomy ; methods ; Chronic Disease ; Endosonography ; Female ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; diagnosis ; etiology ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Pancreatitis ; complications ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Autografts ; Bone Remodeling ; Cleidocranial Dysplasia ; Denture, Overlay ; Dentures ; Humans ; Orthodontic Extrusion ; Osseointegration ; Osteoblasts ; Osteogenesis ; Palate ; Prostheses and Implants ; Tooth ; Tooth, Deciduous ; Tooth, Impacted ; Tooth, Supernumerary

Occult breast cancer is a type of breast cancer without any symptoms on the breasts or any abnormalities upon radiologic examination such as mammography. In males, there are few cases of breast cancer, the rate of diagnosis of occult breast cancer is very low, and little is known about this disease. We experienced two cases of occult breast cancers manifesting as axillary lymph node metastasis in men. They had a palpable lesion on axillary area several years ago and had not seen a doctor about it. As such there was no abnormality on evaluations for cancer except for axillary lymph node showing signs of carcinoma (primary or metastatic) on biopsy and estrogen receptor-positive and progesterone receptor-positive on immunohistochemistry. The patients were diagnosed with occult breast cancer, and treatments were performed. Herein, we report the rare cases of occult breast cancers in men.
Axilla ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Mammography ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasms, Unknown Primary ; Progesterone

Serum levels of soluble MHC class I-related chain A (sMICA) are related with the prognosis of various types of cancer; however, few studies on the prognostic value of sMICA in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) have been reported. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the relationship between sMICA levels and clinical features of advanced HCC, and we assessed the prognostic value of sMICA in advanced HCC. Furthermore, the relationship of serum sMICA levels and natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) expression on natural killer (NK) cells was also evaluated. We detected sMICA levels in the serum of 60 advanced HCC patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and measured expression levels of NKG2D on NK cells using flow cytometry. We found that serum sMICA levels in HCC patients were in the range of 0.10-6.21 ng/mL. Chi-square analyses showed that sMICA level was significantly related with only tumor size. Survival analysis showed that a high sMICA level was significantly related with poor prognosis among HCC patients. Multivariate analyses indicated that sMICA was an independent prognostic factor. In addition, the levels of CD56+NKG2D+ NK cells were within the range of 11.2%-55.4%, and correlation analyses indicated that sMICA level was negatively correlated with the level of NKG2D+ NK cells. Our results suggest that serum sMICA levels may be an independent prognostic factor for advanced HCC.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; blood ; immunology ; pathology ; Female ; Histocompatibility Antigens Class I ; blood ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; blood ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K ; metabolism ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden

There are many possible causes of esophageal ulcer, including reflux esophagitis, the ingestion of foreign bodies or caustic agents, radiation exposure, viral infections, tuberculosis, Candida infection, Bechet's disease, and esophageal cancer. Patients with drug-induced esophagitis typically have a history of ingesting medication with little or no fluid immediately before going to bed. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old man complaining of dysphagia and odynophagia for 4 days. The patient reported taking oral medication for acute sinusitis 12 days prior. Endoscopic examination revealed a large, deep esophageal ulcer consistent with esophageal cancer or cytomegalovirus esophagitis. The exam also revealed several esophageal erosions resembling herpes simplex virus esophagitis. However, based on the patient's history and subsequent histologic findings, drug-induced esophagitis was diagnosed and the patient was successfully treated with a proton pump inhibitor. Lesions showed improvement upon follow-up endoscopy 1 month later.
Adult ; Candida ; Cytomegalovirus ; Deglutition Disorders ; Eating ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophagitis ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Methylmethacrylates ; Polystyrenes ; Proton Pumps ; Simplexvirus ; Sinusitis ; Tuberculosis ; Ulcer

Objective To explore whether TNF-α involves in the modulation of Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLT1) expression in bronchial epithelial cells.Methods The bronchial epithelial cell lines 16HBE cells were stimulated with different concentration (0.00,0.05,0.50,5.00,20.00 μg/L) of TNF-α for 48 hours,and CysLT1 mRNA in 16HBE cells was measured by reverse transcription(RT)-PCR.CysLT1 expression was detected by immunohistochemistry.Results 16HBE cells did not express CysLT1,after the cells were treated with TNF-α,obvious expression of CysLT1 were detected by immunohistochemistry.The weak CysLT1 mRNA expression was observed by RT-PCR in 16HBE cells,and after the cells were treated with TNF-α for 48 hours,CysLT1 mRNA expression were upregulated.When the concentrations of TNF-α were 0.00,0.05,0.50,5.00,and 20.00 μg/L respectively,the relative intensities of CysLT1 mRNA/β-actin were 0.048,0.105,0.177,0.182,0.495,respectively.Conclusions TNF-α can upregulate CysLT1 mRNA expression in 16HBE ceils in a dose-dependent manner.When infected by virus,respiratory tract produces abundant TNF-α.The TNF-α can upregulate the expression of CysLT1 in epithelial cells,enhance inflammation reaction in respiratory tract.This may explain partially the mechanism of exacerbation of asthma induced by respiratory tract infection.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the temporal variables of hyolaryngeal movements during normal swallowing using kinematic analysis of the video fluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) to present the normal cut-off values of those variables. METHODS: Seventy-five healthy volunteers (17 men, 58 women) without swallowing dysfunctions were recruited to examine the swallowing of 2-ml diluted barium by a VFSS. Kinematic analysis was conducted by digitization of video files for movements of hyolaryngeal structures, including the vocal cords, hyoid bone, and epiglottis during normal swallowing. The time points and duration of hyolaryngeal movements were measured. The time points were the start point, maximal point, and the end point of the LE (Laryngeal Elevation), HE (Hyoid Excursion), and EF (Epiglottic Folding). The durations of LE, HE, and EF were obtained by subtracting the time of the start point from the time of the maximal point. The onset time of LE was defined as the reference time point (0 sec). The upper and lower limits of the 95% confidence interval were adopted as the normal cut-off values for the temporal variables of hyolaryngeal movements after transformation to a normal distribution. If a transformation formula to a normal distribution was not found in a variable, the values of the 2.5–97.5 percentile were adopted. RESULTS: The cut-off values of the maximal and end points of the LE were 0.281 to 0.916 sec, and 0.830 to 2.205 sec, respectively. The cut-off values of the start, maximal and end points of the HE were −0.233 to 0.400 sec, 0.320 to 0.874 sec, and 0.889 to 2.055 sec, respectively. The cut-off values of the start, maximal, and end points of the EF were 0.017 to 0.483 sec, 0.364 to 1.055 sec, and 0.774 to 1.773 sec, respectively. The cut-off values of the duration of LE, HE, and EF were 0.281 to 0.916 sec, 0.258 to 0.767 sec, and 0.255 to 0.787 sec, respectively. CONCLUSION: This study presented the normal cut-off values of temporal variables of hyolaryngeal movements during normal swallowing. This study can serve as a basis for classifying and analyzing the patterns of patients with dysphagia.
Barium ; Deglutition Disorders ; Deglutition* ; Epiglottis ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone ; Male ; Vocal Cords