Adolescent ; Adult ; Dust ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; Steel ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo study pharmacokinetic effect of Aikeqing Granule (AG) by different medication ways on zidovudine (AZT) in highly active antiretroviral therapy ( HAART) of rats.

METHODSTotally 36 rats were administered with corresponding medications by gastrogavage, group I [HAART: AZT 31.5 mg/kg +3TC 31.5 mg/kg + Efavirenz (EFV) 63.0 mg/kg], group II (HAART+AG525 mg/kg), group III (HAART and AG 525 mg/kg after a 2-h interval). Drug concentrations of AZT were determined by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (HPLC-MS) before HAART, and at 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12 h after HAART, respectively. Pharmacokinetic parameters [such as t1/2, Tmax, Cmax, AUCo-t, plasma clearance rate (CL)] were calculated by DAS2.0 Software.

RESULTSThe-equation of linear regression of AZT was good, with the precision, coefficient of recovery, and stability definitely confirmed. AUC in group II and III was larger than that of group I. There was no statistical difference in t1/2, Tmax, Cmax, AUC0-12 h, or AUC0-∞ among groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAG combined HAART could enhance the Cmax of AZT.

Animals ; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active ; Benzoxazines ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Mass Spectrometry ; Rats ; Zidovudine ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology

In practice of forensic medicine, potential disease can be associated with fatal asphyxia in restraint position. Research has demonstrated that nitric oxide (NO) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) are plentifully distributed in skeletal muscle, contributing to the regulation of contractile and relaxation. In the current study, respiratory functions, indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions ex vivo, as well as NO levels in serum, the expressions of diaphragmatic inducible NOS (iNOS) mRNA, and the effects of L-NNA on contractility of the diaphragm were observed in sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) under the condition of restraint position. The results showed that in the CLP12-18h rats, respiratory dysfunctions; indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions (Pt, +dT/dt(max), -dT/dt(max), CT, Po, force over the full range of the force-frequency relationship and fatigue resistance) declined progressively; the NO level in serum, and iNOS mRNA expression in the diaphragm increased progressively; force increased significantly at all stimulation frequencies after L-NNA pre-incubation. Restraint position 1 h in CLP12 h rats resulted in severe respiratory dysfunctions after relative stable respiratory functions, almost all the indices of diaphragmatic biomechanical functions declined further, whereas little change took place in NO level in serum and diaphragmatic iNOS mRNA expression; and the effects of L-NNA were lack of statistical significance compared with those of CLP12 h, but differed from CLP18 h group. These results suggest that restraint position and sepsis act together in a synergistic manner to aggravate the great reduction of diaphragmatic contractility via, at least in part, the negative modulation of NO, which may contribute to the pathogenesis of positional asphyxia.
Animals ; Asphyxia ; Diaphragm/physiology* ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II ; Rats ; Respiration Disorders ; Restraint, Physical ; Sepsis

Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy as a kind of rapid process analysis technology has been successfully applied in Chinese medicine pharmaceutical process. In this research, the technology was adopted to establish the rapid quantitative analysis models of main indicators from the Lonicera japonica and Artemisia annua alcohol precipitation process of Reduning injection. On-line NIR spectra of 142 samples from alcohol precipitation process were collected and the content of main indicators for each sample were detected through off-line HPLC. With eliminating outliers, determination of spectra pretreatment method and selecting optimal band, the NIR quantitative calibration model for each indicator was established using partial least squares (PLS). These models were used to predict the unknown samples from precipitation process of Reduning injection to achieve the goal of rapid detection. The results showed that the models were ideal. The correlation coefficients of models for neochlorogenic acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid and secoxyloganin were 0.973 872, 0.985 449, 0.975 509 and 0.979 790, respectively and their relative standard errors of prediction (RSEP) were 2.922 49%, 2.341 37%, 2.930 40% and 2.184 60%, respectively. This study indicated that the NIR quantitative calibration model showed good stability and precision, and it can be used in rapid quantitative detection of main indicators of efficacy in order to on-line monitor the alcohol precipitation process of Reduning injection.
Chemical Precipitation ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; Ethanol ; chemistry ; Lonicera ; chemistry ; Quality Control ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; methods

0.05).Overall prevalence of UI was 15.93% in the students,20.45% in those of junior high school,10.44% in senior high school and 16.72% in university(P0.05),accounting for 63.90%,10.47% and 25.63% of the total students with UI.Conclusions Great importance should be attached to the higher prevalence of LUTS in young and adolescent females by gynecologists and urologists.More attention should also be paid to health education on LUTS and medical care for those with LUTS to alleviate and delay occurrence of UI symptoms.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes of human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR) expression in the monocytes of elderly patients with sepsis.

METHODSA total of 213 elderly patients were divided into 4 groups according to the criteria defined by the American College of Chest Physicians/ Society of Critical Care Medicine (ACCP/SCCM), namely the non-sepsis group (group A), sepsis group (group B), severe sepsis group (group C) and septic shock group (group D). Another 60 healthy subjects were recruited as the control group. HLA-DR expression in the monocytes from each subject was determined by flow cytometry, and the HLA-DR levels were compared between the groups.

RESULTSCompared with that of the healthy control, HLA-DR expression was significantly increased in group A and lowered in group D. No significant differences were found between the control group and groups B and C. HLA-DR expression was significantly different between groups A, B, C, and D (P<0.01), increasing in the order of group D (32.74-/+13.4)%, group C (61.9-/+14.29)%, group B (69.99-/+12.8)%, and group A (85.06-/+15.37)%.

CONCLUSIONSAlthough with multiple organ diseases and repeated or long-term hospitalization, the non-septic elderly patients do not show lowered expression of HLA-DR. In the elderly patients with sepsis and severe sepsis, HLA-DR expression is not a sensitive index, but obviously lowered HLA-DR expression may serve as a specific indicator in elderly patients with septic shock.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biomarkers ; analysis ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; HLA-DR Antigens ; analysis ; biosynthesis ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; immunology ; Male ; Sepsis ; immunology ; Shock, Septic ; immunology

Optimization of sensor array is a significant topic in the application of electronic nose (EN). Stepwise discriminant analysis and cluster analysis combining with screening of typical index were employed to optimize the original array in the classification of 100 samples from 10 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine based on alpha-FOX3000 EN. And the identification ability was evaluated by three algorithm including principle component analysis, Fisher discriminant analysis and random forest. The results showed that the identification ability of EN was improved since not only the effective information was maintained but also the redundant one was eliminated by the optimized array. The optimized method was eventually established, it was accurate and efficient. And the optimized array was built up, that is, S1, S2, S5, S6, S8, S12.
Algorithms ; Biosensing Techniques ; methods ; Cluster Analysis ; Discriminant Analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; classification ; isolation & purification ; Electronic Nose ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Principal Component Analysis ; Reproducibility of Results ; Smell

BACKGROUNDThis study was designed to detect methylation of E-cadherin gene promoter and gene mutation of beta-catenin in exon 3 and their expression of protein and mRNA in primary tumor and lymph node metastatic tumor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and investigate the mechanism of invasion and metastasis of neoplastic cells in NPC.

METHODSFourty-two fresh biopsy samples were taken from untreated NPC patients at the Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen Medical College, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China during the period of 1999-2002. Among them 21 were taken from primary tumors and the other 21 from lymph node metastatic tumors. The gene promoter methylation of E-cadherin was detected by methylation-specific PCR (MSP). The mutation in exon 3 of beta-catenin was detected by direct sequencing analysis. RT-PCR, Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression patterns in both primary and metastatic tumors of NPC.

RESULTSDown-regulated expression of E-cadherin in metastatic tumor was compared with that in primary tumor. Reduced expression of E-cadherin was found to be correlated with lymph node metastatic tumor of NPC (P = 0.004); but there was no obvious correlation between primary and metastatic tumors in the expression of beta-catenin (P = 0.698). The mRNA expression level of E-cadherin in metastatic tumors decreased significantly compared with that in primary tumors. However, little change was observed in the mRNA level of beta-catenin in different tumor tissues. Only 4 samples (19.1%) displayed gene promoter methylation of E-cadherin in primary tumor and 10 samples (47.6%) showed methylated form of E-cadherin. The gene promoter methylation of E-cadherin was more common in metastatic tumor than in primary tumor of NPC (P = 0.024). Only 2 (4.76%) of the 42 samples showed mutations in exon 3 of beta-catenin at 41 (T41A, ACC-->GCC) and codon 47 (S47T, AGT-->ACT). The cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of beta-catenin in tumor was not found in any samples of NPC.

CONCLUSIONSThe results suggest that the downregulation of E-cadherin results from the gene promoter aberrant methylation of E-cadherin and that the methylation of E-cadherin plays an important role in invasion and metastasis of tumor cells in NPC. However, beta-catenin mutation is an infrequent event in NPC, and beta-catenin is not a critical factor influencing the invasion and metastasis of tumor cells in NPC.

Adult ; Aged ; Blotting, Western ; Cadherins ; analysis ; genetics ; Cytoskeletal Proteins ; analysis ; genetics ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; chemistry ; genetics ; pathology ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Promoter Regions, Genetic ; Trans-Activators ; analysis ; genetics ; beta Catenin

OBJECTIVETo compare the therapeutic effect of Compound Recipe Gengniankang ( GNK) with that of hormone replacement treatment (HRT) on climacteric female rats with osteoporosis, and to investigate the roles of estrogen and estrogen receptors in the mechanism of osteoporosis.

METHODSClimacteric female rats with osteoporosis were chosen and divided into three groups (GNK group, HRT group and control group). Apoptosis of ovarian granulose cells was measured by terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay. Serum level of estradiol (E(2)), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined by the method of radioimmunoassay (RIA). Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCT) technology was used to evaluate the expression of estrogen receptor (ER) in bone. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by double energy X-ray absorption (DEXA).

RESULTSIn the climacteric rats, BMD, serum E(2), ER mRNA expression in bone decreased remarkably, and serum FSH, LH and apoptosis of ovarian granulose cells increased obviously. After treating with GNK, all the indexes were reversed except serum E(2). The increase of E(2) was not significant.

CONCLUSIONGNK is effective on climacteric osteoporosis female rats. Its role is performed not by increasing serum E(2) but by enhancing ER in the bone and inhibiting apoptosis of ovarian granulose cells. GNK can deter further exhaustion of ovarian function.

Age Factors ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone and Bones ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Climacteric ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Hormones ; blood ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Osteoporosis ; metabolism ; Ovary ; drug effects ; physiology ; Rats ; Receptors, Estrogen ; biosynthesis

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of compound gengniankang (GNK) in regulating the endocrine and immune functions in aged female rats.

METHODSAged female rats with osteoporosis were selected as the object for observation and healthy young rats were taken for control. Animals were administered by GNK and nilestriol respectively, through gastric perfusion, for 3 months to observe the therapeutic effect of drug treatment on osteoporosis and the regulatory effect on endocrine and immune function. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by double energy X-ray absorption technique, serum levels of estradiol (E2), follicule-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) were determined by RIA, T-cell subsets and apoptosis in spleen were detected by flow cytometry.

RESULTSIn aged rats with osteoporosis, the BMD decreased, serum level of E2 lowered, FSH and LH levels raised, splenic CD4+, CD4+/CD8+ significantly decreased and T-cell apoptosis rate significantly elevated. GNK could increase the BMD, lower the FSH and LH levels, but showed no significant effect on E2 level. It could increase the CD4+ and CD4+/CD8+ ratio to nearby the normal range, and reduce the apoptosis of T-cells.

CONCLUSIONGNK has therapeutic effect on osteoporosis in aged rats, and is able to regulate the endocrine and enhance the immune function in organism.

Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aging ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Estradiol ; blood ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Osteoporosis ; blood ; immunology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes ; pathology