OBJECTIVEIn order to improve the irrigation for Panax notginseng growing seedlings, different mulching ways were carried out to investigate the effects of double mulching.

METHODField experiment was applied to study soil moisture, soil temperature and bulk density of different mulching ways while the germination rate and seedlings growth also were investigated.

RESULTCompared with the traditional single mulching with pine leaves or straw, double mulching using plastic film combined with pine leaves or straw could reduce 2/3 volumes of irrigation at the early seedling time Double mulching treatments didn't need to irrigate for 40 days from seeding to germination, and kept soil moisture and temperature steady at whole seedling time about 30% and 9.0-16.6 degrees C, respectively. The steady soil moisture and temperature benefited to resist late spring cold and germinate earlier while kept germination regularly, higher rate and seedlings quality. In contrast, single mulching using pine leaves or straw had poor soil moisture and temperature preserving, needed to irrigate every 12-day, meanwhile dropped the germination and booming time 14 days and 24-26 days, respectively, reduced germination rate about 11.3%-8.7%. However, single pine leaves mulching was better than straw mulching. In addition, though better effects of soil moisture and temperature preserving as well as earlier and higher rate of germination with single plastic films mulching had, some disadvantages had also been observed, such as daily soil temperature changed greatly, seedling bed soil hardened easily, more moss and weeds resulted difficulty in later management.

CONCLUSIONTo the purpose of saving water and labor as well as getting higher germination rate and seedlings quality, double mulching using plastic films combined pine leaves at the early time and single mulching removing plastic films at the later time is suggested to apply in the growing seedlings of P. notoginseng.

Agriculture ; methods ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Fertilizers ; analysis ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Quality Control ; Seedlings ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Soil ; chemistry

OBJECTIVEIn order to provide scientific basis for introduction breeding and production regionalization of Panax notoginseng, the environment of producing area, agronomic traits and medicinal material output were investigated.

METHODUsing field survey sampling at harvest time, agronomic traits indicators of leaf segment, stem segment and roots segment etc. of commodity P. notoginseng, longitude and latitude, elevation, soil type, landform of producing area were measured and observed.

RESULTThe P. notogiseng cultivation was expanding from traditional area like Wenshang to new areas as Honghe, Kunming, Qujing at large scale. Comparing with traditional cultivated fields, the elevation of new fields, which are red soil of moderate or low mountain slopes and gentle hills between 1 800-2 130 m, increases markedly. The agronomic traits of new cultivated fields such as plant height, stem diameter, the ground and underground biomass were better than those of traditional cultivated fields in varying degree. Furthermore, the root weight, taproot weight, taproot length and other agronomic index augmented more than 20%. Comparison among different cultivated fields showed P. notoginseng of Honghe Shiping Niujie, Kunming Shilin Guishan, Honghe Jiangshui Guanting etc. had better agronomic traits, the plant were thick and tall, the taproot and the top of reed were large, the number of root was more. Inversely, P. notoginseng of Kunming Guandu Xiaoshao, Guangxi Jingxi Lutong, Wenshang Yanshan Jiangna were thin and small. Cluster analysis showed that cultivated fields of P. notoginseng which was across clustered by traditional and new cultivated fields can be divided into three groups, including a high-yielding region insist of three new cultivated fields Honghe Shiping Niujie, Kunming Shilin Guishan, Honghe Jiangshui Guanting and one traditional cultivated field Wenshan Yanshan Jiangna. Correlation analysis indicated that the size and weight of taproot and top of reed were significantly positive correlated with plant height, stem diameter, leaf size, leaf weight and stem weight. Regression analysis pointed out that stem diameter, leaf width, leaf length/width, leaf weight were the main factors affecting the dry weight of taproot, and the main factors influencing the dry weight of top of reed were plant height, petiole, leaf length, leaf width and other agronomic traits.

CONCLUSIONFrom agronomic traits, P. notoginseng in new cultivated fields were more robust than that in traditional fields, but besides the length of taproot, the difference of rest agronomic traits didn't reach the significant level. It is suggested that, in the west and the north of traditional area, the red soil land of moderate or low mountain slopes and gentle hills where the elevation is between 1 800-2 130 m is suitable for cultivating P. notoginseng. Honghe Shiping Niujie, Honghe Jianshui Guanting, Kuming Shilin Gongshan can be used as vital development area for commodity P. notoginseng.

Agriculture ; methods ; Breeding ; China ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; classification ; genetics ; growth & development ; Quality Control ; Quantitative Trait Loci ; Soil ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the effect of ursolic acid (UA), apentacyclic triterpene acid, on MCF-7 cell apoptosis, and probable mechanism involved by detecting the expressions of caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase(PARP) at protein level.

METHODMCF-7 cells were cultured with different concentrations of UA. Growth inhibition of UA on MCF-7 cells was evaluated by MTT assay. Cell cycle and sub-G1 peak were performed by FCM. Morphologic changes of UA-treated cells were observed by light microscope. Apoptotic cells with condensed or fragmented nuclei were visualized by Ho 33258 staining by a fluorescence microscope (EX: U. V.). The protein expression of caspase-3 and PARP was analyzed by immunofluorescence cell staining (SABC-Cy3).

RESULT24 hours after UA treatment, inhibition of MCF-7 cell growth was concentration-dependent. The IC50 value for UA was (22.6 +/- 3.0) micromo x L(-1). Cell cycle anaysis by FCM showed that 50 micromol x L(-1) of UA arrested MCF-7 cell cycle at G0 - G1 phase. Morphological changes of MCF-7 Cells exhibited many of the hallmark features of apoptosis, including chromatin clumps and aggregation and DNA fragmentation. UA increased caspase-3 protein expression.

CONCLUSIONThe results suggest that UA evokes MCF-7 cell apoptosis is correlation with the up-regulation of caspase-3. Our study indicated that UA might be a potential Chinese medical component for breast neoplasm.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Breast Neoplasms ; enzymology ; pathology ; Caspase 3 ; Caspases ; metabolism ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Female ; Humans ; Poly(ADP-ribose) Polymerases ; metabolism ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo compare holmium laser enucleation (HoLEP) versus open prostatectomy (OP) for large volume benign prostatic hyperplasia.

METHODSThe randomized controlled trials (RCTs) pertaining to HoLEP and OP for management of large volume benign prostatic hyperplasia were retrieved from Medline and Embase. Meta-analysis was performed using Review Manager 5.0 software.

RESULTSThree RCTs were included in the analysis. No significant differences were found in IPSS or Qmax between HoLEP and OP (P>0.05). Compared with OP, HoLEP was associated with significantly less blood loss, a shorter catheterization time and a shorter hospital stay, but a longer operating time. HoLEP and OP were similar in terms of urethral stricture, stress incontinence, transfusion requirement and the rate of reintervention.

CONCLUSIONHoLEP and OP have similar therapeutic effects in the management of large volume benign prostatic hyperplasia. Although with a longer operating time and less resected tissue, HoLEP causes less blood loss and requires a shorter catheterization time and a shorter hospital stay. HoLEP has a comparable safety to OP in terms of the adverse events.

Humans ; Lasers, Solid-State ; adverse effects ; Male ; Prostatectomy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; surgery ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

OBJECTIVETo investigate association of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms with the susceptibility to chronic periodontitis (CP) of Han Nationality.

METHODSBuccal swabs from 166 patients with severe, moderate and mild CP respectively and 80 matched control individuals were collected. DNA was extracted from these buccal swabs using Chelex-100 method. VDR BsmI, ApaI, TaqI were tested with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). The distribution of the genotypes and allele frequencies in the patient and control groups were analyzed.

RESULTSThe frequency of VDR ApaI allele A was significantly higher among patients with CP than controls. Frequencies of VDR ApaI allele A were significantly higher in severe CP patients than in moderate CP and mild CP respectively. There was no significant difference in the genotype distribution or the allele frequencies of VDR BsmI and TaqI between the controls and CP patients.

CONCLUSIONSThese data indicate that VDR ApaI allele A may be related to the susceptibility to CP in Han Nationality.

Adult ; Aged ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Chronic Periodontitis ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Receptors, Calcitriol ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo estimate the effect of influenza-like illness (ILI) on outpatient visits and assess its impact on public health.

METHODSWe analyzed the data of weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits in Departments of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Emergency at two influenza surveillance hospitals during a period of 137 weeks in Guangzhou. Spectral analysis and time-series analysis were performed to evaluate the variation of outpatient visits over time. The predictive model was fitted with weekly outpatient visits as the dependent variable and weekly number of ILI as the independent variable. The optimal model was established according to the coefficient of determination, Akaike-information criterion and residual analysis. The validity of the model was assessed prospectively using the 31-week data that were not used for the model establishment.

RESULTSThe outpatient visits increased significantly over time and showed significant seasonality (P<0.001). A significant correlation was found between the weekly number of ILI and outpatient visits (r=0.568, P<0.001). The residuals of the fitted autoregression model were white-noise series and the coefficient of determination was 75% for the data used to establish the model and 56% for the subsequent 31-week data.

CONCLUSIONSThe autoregression model can be used to estimate the effect of weekly number of outpatient visits based on the weekly number of ILI and thus assess the effects of influenza on public health.

Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Humans ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; Logistic Models ; Outpatient Clinics, Hospital ; statistics & numerical data ; Outpatients ; statistics & numerical data

Objective To explore the effect of higher-level duty nurses in hierarchical management on falls prevention of elderly wards,and study patients' satisfaction with nursing care.Methods Developed of higher-level duty nurses selection criteria and appraisal methods,preferred collection for internal medicine clinical nursing in elderly department,and analyzed the difference of nursing quality.Results Compared with before,the incidence of falls in older patients had decreased significantly (0.40％ vs 3.60％)(x2 =6.5,P ＜0.01),and patients' satisfaction with nursing care was improved (98.0％ vs 88.0％) (x2 =38.4,P ＜ 0.01),after the establishment of senior nurses.Conclusions The establishment of senior nurses can pay more attention to the risk of falls in hospitalized patients,which can effectively avoid the occurrence of accidents,and ensure patients' safety.

Objective To study the pharmacokineties and bioequiva-lenee of two demostic cefprozil tablets.Methods Twenty healthy volun-teers were randomized into two groups,whose plasma concentrations of cis and trans isomers of eefprozil were determined at different time after single oral dose of 1 g cefprozil tablets by own control by HPLC method.The pharmacokinetic pammeters were computed and which were experi-enced variance analysis.Results Gis cefprozil:the main pharmaeoki-netic parameters of refe:rence and trial cefprozil tablets were as follows:t_(max) were(2.4±1.0),(2.3±0.8)h;C_(max) were(15.4±3.5),(14.8±2.8)μg·mL~(-1);t_(1/2) were(1.4±0.1),(1.4±0.1)h;MRT were (3.4±0.6),(3.4±0.6)h;AUC_(0-t) were(61.2±10.6),(60.3±11.4)μg·h·mL~(-1);AUC_(0-∞) were(64.7±11.2),(64.5±11.7)μg·h·mL~(-1),respectively.Trans cefprozil:the relative bioavailability of the trial preparation was(99.3±14.5)%.Trans cefprozil:the main pharmacokinetic parameters of reference and trial cefprozil tablets were as follows:t_(max) were(2.4±0.9),(2.4±0.9)h;C_(max) were(1.6±0.3),(1.5±0.3)μg·mL~(-1);t_(1/2) were(1.2±0.2),(1.5±0.6)h;MRT were(3.2±0.7),(3.2±0.7)h;AUC_(0-t) were(6.1±1.4),(5.6±1.3)μg·h·mL~(-1);AUC_(0-∞) were(6.1±1.4),(5.6±1.3)μg·h·mL~(-1),respectively.The relative bioavailability of the trial preparation was(94.0±17.5)%.Conclusion The results shows that the trial preparation and the reference prepara-tion of cefprozil were bioequivalent.

OBJECTIVETo determine the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in elderly patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF) and explore the relations between SDB and left ventricular function.

METHODSBy means of polysomnography, 56 elderly patients with CHF were divided into non-SDB, mild SDB, moderate SDB, and severe SDB groups, and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was measure by (99)Tc equilibrium radionuclide angiography.

RESULTSIn the 56 elderly patients with CHF, 38 (67.9%) had SDB, including 12 (21.4%) mild SDB, 14 (25.0%) moderate SDB, and 12 (21.4%) severe SDB patients. Thirty (53.6%) of the 56 patients with CHF had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), 4 (7.1%) had central sleep apnea and 22 (39.2%) had mixed sleep apnea. The moderate and severe SDB groups had lower minimum arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation during sleep than the non-SDB groups, and the apnea-hyponea index was closely related to LVEF (r=-0.74, P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of SDB, predominantly OSA, is high in elderly patients with CHF. Moderate and severe SDB might affect the left ventricular function in these patients, who require polysomnography monitoring.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; China ; epidemiology ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Heart Failure ; complications ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; complications ; epidemiology ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expressions of Survivin protein and nm23 protein and the relationship among the expressions and axillary lymph node metastasis in breast cancer. METHODS: The expression of Survivin and nm23 in 80 cases of breast cancer tissues were detected by immunohistochemistry SP method, and their correlation with axillary lymph node metastasis and 5-year disease free survival (DFS) were analysed. RESULTS: Survivin protein positive expression rate was 68.75% (55/80) in breast cancer tissues, which had positive correlation with the axillary lymph nodes metastasis but negative correlation with 5 years FS (P < 0.05); nm23 protein expression had negative correlation with the axillary lymph nodes metastasis but positive to 5 years FS (P < 0.05). Survivin and nm23 proteins expression had no obvious correlation with the breast cancer pathology type, patient age and clinical stage (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION The anti-apoptosis effect of Survivin protein and the anti-metastasis effect of nm23 protein may be important in the occurrence and advancement of breast cancer, suggesting that it may be a new indicator of prognostic and judgement in breast cancer.
Adult ; Aged ; Axilla ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Inhibitor of Apoptosis Proteins ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Mastectomy ; Microtubule-Associated Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Middle Aged ; NM23 Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinases ; Neoplasm Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Nucleoside-Diphosphate Kinase ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survivin