Objective: To study the relationship between the inhibitory effects of Tongxie Yaofang, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on the contraction of the colonic smooth muscle isolated from rats and calcium mobilization. Methods: By measuring the tension of the isolated colonic smooth muscle strips, the inhibitory effects of Tongxie Yaofang on the contraction induced by acetylcholine (ACh), KCl and exhausting Ca(2+) of internal calcium store were assessed respectively. Results: Tongxie Yaofang could concentration-dependently inhibit the contraction of isolated rat colonic smooth muscle strips induced by KCl and exhausting the Ca(2+) of internal calcium store. Tongxie Yaofang could also inhibit the tension of the second contractile phase induced by ACh (P<0.01, vs control), but had no influence on the first contractile phase. Conclusion: Tongxie Yaofang can inhibit the contraction of isolated rat colonic smooth muscle strips mainly by preventing the influx of extracellular Ca(2+), which may be associated with blocking voltage-dependent channel, store-operated channel and receptor-operated channel, but not by preventing the release of internal Ca(2+) from calcium store.

Objective To investigate the efficacy and safety of modified endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) and rubber band ligation assisted endoscopic dissection for treatment of small gastric submucosal tumors (SMT) originating from the muscularis propria layer. Methods A total of ninety-two patients diagnosed as gastric SMT (6 mm≤diameter≤13 mm) originating from the muscularis propria layer by EUS in our hospital were enrolled in this study. With intravenous anesthesia and tracheal intubation in all patients, modified ESD was performed firstly to stripe the small tumors. After being exposed to a certain extent, the tumors were ligated by rubber band and snared for endoscopic dissection. The situation of bleeding, perforation in both intraoperative and postoperative, the integrity and size of the resected specimens were observed and recorded. The resected specimens were identified with histopathological detection and immunohistochemistry assay. At the 6-month and 12-month after the operation, all patients were reviewed by gastroscopy and EUS in our hospital. Results All the 92 tumors were resected completely and successfully. The mean operating time was (19.2±2.3) min and the mean blood loss in operation was (2.6±0.5) mL. Perforation after resection occurred in 3 cases, which were closed with metal hemostatic clips and nylon ropes. No delayed bleeding and perforation occurred in one week after the operation. The tumor sizes ranged from 6 mm × 5 mm to 13 mm × 12 mm. Seventy-three gastric stromal tumors (risk classification:all were very low risk), 18 gastric leiomyomas and 1 gastric neurofibroma were identified. There were no residue or recurrence in all cases during the 12-month follow-up period. Conclusion The modified ESD and rubber band ligation assisted endoscopic dissection are effective and safe for treatment of small gastric submucosal tumors originating from the muscularis propria layer. The tumors are resected completely and successfully, showing certain significance to assess the nature, degree of malignancy of the tumor and prognosis of the patients.

Objective To investigate the correlations of serum prealbumin and albumin with the shortterm outcome in patients with acute cerebral infarction in different age groups.Methods Patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted to hospital with 48 h were prospectively enrolled in the study.The modified Rankin Scale was used to assess the functional outcomes at 14 d after onset,0-2 was defined as a good outcome.According to the age of the patients,they were divided into either a young and middle-aged group (＜ 60 years) or an elderly group (≥60 years).The demography,baseline clinical data and laboratory findings of the patients were compared in the overall patients and the different age groups between the good outcome group and the poor outcome group.Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent influencing factors of short-term outcomes.Results A total of 622 patients with acute ischemic stroke were enrolled,including 402 (64.6％) males and 220 (35.4％) females;206 (33.1％) were in the young and middle-aged group,and 416 (66.9％) were in the elderly group;310 (49.8％) had good outcomes and 312 (50.2％) had poor outcomes.There were significant differences in the proportions of patients in male,old people,hyperlipidemia,diabetes mellitus,history of previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA),as well as age,body mass index,levels of prealbumin,albumin,triglyceride,high-density lipoprotein cholesterol low-density lipoprotein cholesterol total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,indirect bilirubin,urea nitrogen,and uric acid between the good outcome group and the poor outcome group (all P ＜0.05).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the female (odds ratio [OR] 1.522,95％ confidence interval [CI] 1.023-2.266;P =0.038),diabetes (OR 1.789,95％ CI 1.171-2.735;P =0.007) and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 1.251,95％ CI 1.017-1.539;P =0.034),total bilirubin (OR 1.054,95％ CI 1.029-1.081;P＜0.001),urea nitrogen (OR 1.245,95％ CI 1.100-1.409;P=0.001),and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (OR 2.854,95％ CI 1.027-3.628;P =0.019) were the independent risk factors for poor outcomes,and higher prealbumin (OR 0.798 95％ CI 0.633-0.979;P =0.034) and albumin (OR 0.741,95％ CI 0.693-0.988;P =0.020) were the independent predictors of good outcomes.In the young and middle-aged patients,there were significant differences in the proportions of patients with small artery occlusion as well as age,triglyceride,and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels between the good outcome group and the poor outcome group (all P ＜0.05);multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes (OR 2.343 95％ CI 1.127-4.871;P=0.023) and higher baseline NIHSS scores (OR 2.041,95％ CI 1.304-4.125;P =0.027) were the independent risk factors for poor outcome,and higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 0.742 95％ CI 0.639-0.937;P =0.044)was an independent predictor for good outcome.In the elderly patients,there were significant differences in the proportions of patients in male,previous stroke or TIA,and cardiogenic embolism,as well as prealbumin,low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,total bilirubin,direct bilirubin,indirect bilirubin,and uric acid levels between the good outcome group and the poor outcome group (all P ＜ 0.05);multivariate logistic regression the analysis showed that diabetes (OR 2.797,95％ CI 1.153-4.756;P =0.039),higher baseline NIHSS score (OR 2.586,95％ CI 1.033-3.435;P =0.035) and higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (OR 1.304,95％ CI 1.027-1.656;P =0.029) were the independent risk factors for poor outcome,and higher prealbumin was an independent predictor for good outcome (OR 0.795,95％ CI 0.691-0.998;P =0.002).Conclusions Prealbumin and albumin are the independent predictors for short-term good outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke.The protective effect of serum prealbumin is more obvious in the elderly population (≥60 years).