Objective:To systematically evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of tuina therapy for primary insomnia.Methods:Nine Chinese and English databases were searched from the inception to May 2017 to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studying tuina therapy for insomnia.The enrolled articles were all RCTs with tuina as the monotherapy or major therapy in the experiment group,with clear diagnostic criteria for primary insomnia well recognized worldwide or in China,and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQ I) as one of the outcome measures.Two researchers evaluated the risk of bias and quality of the enrolled studies by following Cochrane Handbook version 5.1.0.The meta-analysis was performed by RevMan version 5.3.Results:Eleven studies were included with a total of 1 076 participants.The Western medication adopted in the control groups were benzodiazepine receptor agonists.The studies were all assessed as high risk of bias for blinding since blinding method was unable to be performed due to the specificity of tuina therapy;no study reported the support of fund or potential interest conflict,so they were all rated unclear for selective reporting.The meta-analysis showed that compared with other traditional Chinese medicine therapies,tuina worked more effectively in reducing the PSQI score (MD=-4.11＜0,95％ confidence interval (CI)-6.01 to-2.22,P＜0.0001);compared with oral administration of Western medication,tuina showed more significant efficacy in reducing the PSQI score (MD=-3.42＜0,95％CI-5.19 to-1.66,P＜0.0001).Subgroup analysis showed that head tuina alone showed no significant difference compared with oral administration of Western medication regarding the change of PSQI score (MD=-4.19＜0,95％CI-8.87 to 0.50,P＞0.05);a combination of head and back tuina could more effectively reduce the PSQI score compared with oral administration of Western medication (MD=-2.08＜0,95％CI-3.09 to-1.06,P＜0.0001).Conclusion:Tuina can produce more significant efficacy in treating primary insomnia compared with other traditional Chinese medicine therapies and oral administration of Western medication,especially the combination of head and back tuina.

OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effects of locking titanium plate for the treatment of comminuted proximal humeral fracture in elderly.

METHODSFrom June 2011 to May 2013, 72 elderly patients with comminuted proximal humeral- fractures were divided into locking titanium plate group and anatomical plate group, 36 cases in each group. In locking titanium plate group, there were 16 males and 20 females aged from 60 to 79 years old with an average of (69.55±5.62) years old; 10 cases were type Neer II, 18 were type Neer III and 8 cases were type Neer IV in accordance with Neer classification; treated with locking titanium plate. In anatomical plate group, there were 15 males and 21 females aged from 60 to 81 years old with an average of (69.76±5.70) years old; 9 cases were type Neer II, 20 were type Neer III and 7 cases were type Neer IV; and treated with anatomical plate. Clinical effects, preoperative and postoperative Neer scoring, operative time, bone healing time and incidence of complications between two groups were compared.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 1 to 3 years with an average of 15 months. The excellent and good rate of locking titanium plate group (91.7%) was significantly higher than anatomical plate group (75.0%). Postoperative Neer score of two groups were improved obviously, but locking titanium plate group (92.51±7.85) was higher than anatomical plate group (83.64±8.56); there was no significant differences between two groups in operative time (P>0.05); bone healing time in locking titanium plate was (18.6±3.4) weeks, and shorter than anatomical plate group (24.3±3.9) weeks; incidence of complications in locking titanium plate was (5.6%) shorter than anatomical plate group (22.2%), and had obviously differences between two groups.

CONCLUSIONLocking titanium plate for the treatment of comminuted proximal humeral fracture in elderly plays an important role in good rate, bone healing time and Neer score. It has advantages of early rehabilitation exercise, less shoulder pain, rapid recovery of shoulder joint, less complications, safe and effective, and be worthy of clinical application, especially for senile osteoporosis patients.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Plates ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Fractures, Comminuted ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Shoulder Fractures ; surgery ; Titanium

Recently, the droplet microfluidic system attracts interests due to its high throughput and low cost to detect and screen. The picoliter micro-droplets from droplet microfluidics are uniform with respect to the size and shape, and could be used as monodispensed micro-reactors for encapsulation and detection of single cell or its metabolites. Therefore, it is indispensable to characterize micro-droplet and its application from droplet microfluidic system. We first constructed the custom-designed droplet microfluidic system for generating micro-droplets, and then used the micro-droplets to encapsulate important amino acids such as glutamic acid, phenylalanine, tryptophan or tyrosine to test the droplets' properties, including the stability, diffusivity and bio-compatibility for investigating its application for amino acid detection and sorting. The custom-designed droplet microfluidic system could generate the uniformed micro-droplets with a controllable size between 20 to 50 microm. The micro-droplets could be stable for more than 20 h without cross-contamination or fusion each other. The throughput of detection and sorting of the system is about 600 micro-droplets per minute. This study provides a high-throughput platform for the analysis and screening of amino acid-producing microorganisms.
Amino Acids ; isolation & purification ; Microfluidic Analytical Techniques ; Microfluidics ; instrumentation

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical significance of fibrinolysis inhibitors including thrombin activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor(TAFI), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) and alpha2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha2-PI) in acute leukemia (AL).

METHODSPAI-1 antigen and TAFI antigen were investigated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and PAI activity, alpha2-PI activity, TAFI activity by chromatography substrate assay in 117 AL patients and 50 normal controls.

RESULTS1) alpha2-PI activities in AL patients were reduced, especially in ALL patients [(96.8 +/- 21.2)%]; 2) PAI-1 antigens in AML patients [(37.8 +/- 9.2) microg/L] were significantly higher than that in normal controls [(33.8 +/- 4.9) microg/L]; 3) PAI-1 antigens in APL [(37.8 +/- 9.0) microg/L] and AML-M5 patients [(39.9 +/- 11.6) microg/L] were higher and TAFI activities in APL patients [(13.3 +/- 4.8) mg/L] were lower than that in normal controls [(16.9 +/- 2.6) mg/L]; 4) PAI-1 antigens of relapsed/refractory patients (39.6 +/- 11.6) microg/L) were significantly elevated; 5) TAFI activities in bleeding patients [(13.2 +/- 5.3) mg/L] were significantly lower than that in normal control as well as non-bleeding patients (17.0 +/- 4.6) mg/L); 6) The severity of bleeding was negatively correlated with TAFI activity (r = - 0.276, P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHyperfibrinolysis caused partially by decrease of alpha2-PI and TAFI activity takes part in the pathogenesis of bleeding in AL.

Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Carboxypeptidase B2 ; blood ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Leukemia ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; blood ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the histopathological and ultrastructural changes,alterations in the expressions of type Ⅳ collagenases(MMP-2 and MMP-9),the tissue inhibitors(TIMP-1 and TIMP-2)and intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1)in the internal carotid arteries(ICAs)of patients with moyamoya disease(MD),and explore the pathogenesis of MD.Methods The bilateral ICAs were obtained during autopsy from two MD patients.HE staining and Weigert staining was used for histological observation,and transmission electron microscopy Was employed to observe the ultrastructure of the ICAS.The expression of ICAM-1 in the ICAs was detected using immunohistochemical staining,and the mRNA expressions of MMLP-2,MMP-9,TMP-1 and TIMP-2 were assayed using in situ hybridization.The ICA specimens from two patients died from non-vascular diseases were used as the control.Restilts HE staining revealed thinning of the ICAs of the MD patients with luminal stenosis,obstruction and calcification.Weigert staining identified fibrous thickening of the intima,thinning and fragmentation of the elastica interna(EI)and elastica externa(EE),degenerafion of the smooth muscle cells in the media,and thinning and local exfoliation of the adventitia.Immunohistochemistry showed ICAM-1 expression in the ICAs of both MD and control patients,but the MD patients exhibited a stronger ICAM-1 positivity in the ICAs localized primarily in the tunica intima.The ICA wall was positive for MMP-9 mRNA expression,which Was especially intense in the elastica intema,as shown by in situ hybfidization.Conslusions The high expression of MMP-9 and ICAM-1,destruction of the elastic layer and adventitia,and collapse of the vascular wall result in luminal stenosis or everi obstruction of the ICAs,which can be associated with the occuITence of MD.

OBJECTIVETo study the ability of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) to repair the internal environment of the testis in male azoospermia rats.

METHODSWe established azoospermia models in 22 six-week-old male SD rats by intraperitoneal injection of busulfan at 20 mg per kg body weight. We transplanted allogeneic rat BMSCs (rBMSCs) into the testicular seminiferous tubules of the model rats and, 30 days after transplantation, observed the composition and structure of the seminiferous tubular cells by HE staining and detected the expressions of CD44, CD106, and c-kit in the rBMSCs by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe number of epididymal sperm was significantly reduced in the model rats as compared with the normal controls (P < 0.01). CD44 and CD106, but not c-kit, were expressed in the isolated rBMSCs. At 30 days after transplantation of rBMSCs, lots of new cells were observed in the seminiferous tubules, some expressing CD106 and some expressing the germ cell surface marker c-kit.

CONCLUSIONBMSCs can transdifferentiate into germ cells and repair the damaged seminiferous tubules of sterile rats.

Animals ; Azoospermia ; chemically induced ; therapy ; Biomarkers ; metabolism ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Busulfan ; Cell Membrane ; metabolism ; Epididymis ; Hyaluronan Receptors ; metabolism ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-kit ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seminiferous Tubules ; anatomy & histology ; metabolism ; Spermatozoa ; Staining and Labeling ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

Objective To evaluate the effect of various iterative reconstruction methods on phase analysis of gated myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI). Methods Thirty consecutive patients scanned by the Philips CardioMD system were recruited into this study. The gated SPECT (GSPECT) data were reconstructed with filtered backprojection (FBP),maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM),three-di-mensional (3D) resolution recovery MLEM (AST),attenuation corrected (AC) MLEM,AC and 3D Monte Carlo scatter corrected (ACSC) MLEM methods. Parameters of left ventricular ( LV ) dyssynchrony ( phase standard deviation and histogram bandwidth) were measured using the software SyncTool. Paired t-test was used to compare the differences of the LV dyssynchrony indices between FBP and MLEM,AC MLEM,ACSC MLEM,AST respectively. Results The phase standard deviations of stress GSPECT MPI for FBP,MLEM,AC MLEM,ACSC MLEM,and AST were 11.6°,10.9°,11.2°,11.6°,11.4° respectively;while the histogram bandwidths were 35.7°,34.3°,35.1°,36.9°,35. 1 ° respectively. The phase standard deviations of rest GSPECT MPI for FBP,MLEM,AC MLEM,ACSC MLEM and AST were 15.2°,14. 5°,15.4° ,15. 4°,14.8° respectively; while the histogram bandwidths were 47.3°,46.4°,46.4° ,47.9°,46.1 ° respectively. No statistical significance was observed between the FBP and various iterative reconstruction methods for both the stress and rest GSPECT MPI study (t:-1. 179 to 1.554,P＞0.05 forall). Conclusion The standard FBP reconstruction method is accurate enough for the measurement of LV dyssynchrony indices using the widely used clinical software SyncTool.

Produced by and purified from Taxus brevifolia, Taxol (paclitaxel) has become a widely used cancer drug in clinic. Due to the rapid growing market, current industrial production of taxol by semi-synthesis that consumes large amount of Taxus trees cannot meet the requirement of the market. The discovery of taxol-producing fungus Taxomyces andeanae, an endophyte of T. brevifolia, by Stierle et al (1993), paves a new way to the production of the drug, i.e. employing large-scale fungal fermentation to make Taxol at lower cost and yet higher yield. This review discusses the present problems in taxol production in pharmaceutical industry, the finding and research progress on taxol-producing fungi, and the potential application of fungal fermentation to manufacture this important drug.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; biosynthesis ; Fermentation ; Mitosporic Fungi ; metabolism ; Paclitaxel ; biosynthesis ; Taxus ; microbiology ; Technology, Pharmaceutical ; methods

Aim To construct the fusion gene of human IgG3 upper hinge region and p53 tetramerization domain and to analyze its space conformation. Methods The fusion gene was obtained by recursive polymerase chain reaction (R-PCR),and was cloned into vector pUC19. The positive clone was selected and sequenced with PE310 auto-sequencer. The space conformation of the fusion gene expression product was predicted by using computer program Antheprot. Results Restriction endonuclease digestion confirmed that the fusion gene has been inserted correctly into the vector. The result of sequencing showed that the fusion gene is identical with designation. Analyzing with antheprot program showed that the fusion gene expression product could auto-assembly into a tetramer with four long and flexible linkers. Conclusion Successful construction of the fusion gene mentioned above laid the foundation for further preparation of multivalent gene engineering antibody.

Objective （ ） To investigate the association between urinary polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons PAHs metabolites - Methods and high normal blood pressure in coke oven workers. A total of 433 coke oven workers were selected as the study - subjects using convenient sampling method. They were divided into normal blood pressure group and high normal blood pressure group according to their blood pressure level. The levels of ten kinds of urinary hydroxylated PAHs metabolites were measured by - Results - high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Among the subjects,57.5% had high normal blood - ， - ， - pressure. The levels of 1 hydroxynathalene 2 hydroxyphenanthrene 1 hydroxyphenanthrene and the metabolite of total PAHs - （ P ） in the high normal blood pressure group were higher than those in the normal blood pressure group all <0.05 . The results of - ， - ， - ， the multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that urinary 1 hydroxynathalene 2 hydroxyfluorene 3 hydroxychrysene - （ P ）， and metabolite of total PAHs were all risk factors for high normal blood pressure in coke oven workers all <0.05 after ， ， ， ， ， adjusting for confounding factors such as gender length of service body mass index smoking index alcohol consumption tea ， ， ， Conclusion consumption night shift exercise frequency and other PAHs metabolites. Exposure to PAHs in coke oven plants may increase the risk of elevated blood pressure within the normal range among coke oven workers.