The immunoregulatory effect of thalidomide on peripheral blood mononuclear cells in patients with thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy (TAO) was investigated.The resuhs showed that thalidomide (50 μg/ml)inhibited the proliferation of PBMC significantly.Thalidomide inhibitied tumor necrosis factor-α,IFN-γ,and interleukin-6 secretion,as well as mRNA expressions.

This article was aimed to study the relevance between traditional Chinese medicine ( TCM ) syndromes and the treatment of chemotherapy and targeted therapy , in order to provide theoretical support for TCM syndromes of lung cancer in the clinical application . Uniform TCM syndromes questionnaire was used in the TCM syndrome differentiation among lung cancer patients from the Oncology Department of Longhua Hospital, Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and TCM Department of Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital. The analysis was made on correlation between distribution rules of TCM syndromes and chemotherapy and targeted therapy . The results showed that among primary lung cancer patients , the most TCM syndromes were syndrome of lung-yin deficiency , lung-q i deficiency , blood stasis in lung collaterals , spleen-q i deficiency , lung-yin deficiency with fire excess . There were certain correlation in TCM syndromes and different TCM therapeutic methods , in which targeted therapy had great significant effect on syndrome of lung-yin deficiency ( P < 0 . 05 ) , after targeted therapy syndrome of lung-yin deficiency increased obviously . It was concluded that there were some regulations in TCM syndromes of lung cancer which take syndrome of lung-yin deficiency, lung-qi deficiency, blood stasis in lung collaterals, spleen-qi deficiency, lung-yin deficiency with fire excess. There were certain correlation in TCM syndromes and different TCM therapeutic methods , after targeted therapy syndrome of lung-yin deficiency increased obviously .

Hyperlipidemia is one of the main basic lesions of blood vessels and organ diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in the prevention and treatment of hyperlipidemia with advantages such as little drug side effects and obvious efficacy. The establishment of hyperlipidemia diagnostic aid platform helped to improve treatment efficiency, and provide a platform for data acquisition, storage and analysis for research on hyperlipidemia syndrome standardization. At first, a collection system was implemented, which was consisted of tongue image and the text information of the other three diagnostic methods, for doctor's accurate mastering of patient's clinical manifesta-tions and improvement of therapeutic effect. Through this platform, a clustering algorithm was applied to analyze clin-ical information of four diagnostic methods among 897 hyperlipemia cases, which had been classified into 5 cate-gories. Compare disease characteristics of samples in every category with syndromes category and find out the rela-tionships between them, by which the foundation of hyperlipemia syndrome differentiation standardization will be es-tablish. It provided suggestions on TCM syndrome differentiation and diagnosis.

Objective To investigate the treatment and prevention strategies of hematomas in operation area after anterior approach surgery for cervical spondylosis.Methods A retrospective review was conducted on 12 with hematoma compression in operation area out of 785 patients managed by anterior cervical surgery from January 2007 to July 2013,including 10 males and 2 females at age ranging from 40-71 years (mean 56.8 years).Surgery method was anterior cervical corpectomy and interbody fusion using titanium mesh cage plus plate and intraoperative blood loss was 300-1 200 ml.Primary clinical manifestations were neurological dysfunction in 5 patients,dyspnea in 6,and both neurological dysfunction and dyspnea in 1.There were 10 patients with the presence of symptoms at postoperative 0.5-22 hours,1 at postoperative 73 hours,and 1 at postoperative 74 hours.All the 12 patients underwent a second anterior cervical exploration.Results There were 5 patients with epidural hematoma,6 with subcutaneous hematoma,and 1 with both hematomas.After surgical interventions,the patients presented improvement in respiratory and neurological function,with inapparent respiratory abnormality and improved neurological function at discharge.One patient was died of cardiovascular-associated disease after being discharged from hospital.The left 11 patients were followed up for mean 19.8 months (range,6-43 months),with improved Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) score at final follow-up.Conclusions Hematoma took place frequently in the early period,especially within 24 hours in operation area after anterior approach to cervical disorders and close attention should be paid to respiratory and limb sensation and motion functions.Early detection and early surgical interventions are the key countermeasures to avoiding the severe results.

Objective To investigate the methods and effects of posterior fixation and fusion in treatment of complete thoracolumbar fracture and dislocation.Methods The study enrolled 8 cases of complete thoracolumbar fracture and dislocation treated by posterior fixation and fusion with pedicle screwrod system between January 2006 and December 2012.There were 7 males and 1 female,at mean age of 31.9 years (range,19-49 years).Mean time interval between injury and surgery was 8.1 days (range,4-12 days).Fracture-dislocation classification was AO type C,Denis three-column injury,and Meyerding grade V.According to American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA),there 5 cases at grades A,1 at grade B,1 at grade C 1 at grade E.Fracture-dislocation segments included T5-T6 in 1 case,T12-L1 in 3,L1-L2 in 2,L3-L4 in 1 and L4-L5 in 1.Results Mean duration of surgery was 220.6 minutes (range,135-335 minutes) and mean intraoperative blood loss was 1 150 ml (range,500-2 400 ml).Seven cases sustained dural laceration during the operation,which were sutured or covered with autologous fat grafts,but 3 of them were subjected to cerebrospinal fluid leakage and healed after conservative therapy.Anatomic reduction was achieved in 6 cases,partial reduction in 1 and non-reduction in 1.Mean Cobb angle improved from 29.3 ° (range,8 °-51 °) preoperatively to 1.9 ° (range,-5°-10 °) postoperatively.After a mean follow-up of 39.3 months (range,2-76 months),2 cases were recovered from preoperative ASIA grade A and B to C respectively and 6 cases (4 A,1 C,1 E) revealed no significant improvement.There was no implant loosening or breakage.One case was died of lung-related complications at postoperative 4 years.One case sustained lumbar deep infection at postoperative 3 weeks and managed by debridement,irrigation,drainage and implant retention.Conclusion Posterior fixation and fusion is the general treatment principle for complete thoracolumbar fracture and dislocation,but the degree of reduction depends on severity of the injured spinal cord.

Objective To understand health literacy levels in elderly people aged 60 years and above in Hunan, and explore factors related to health literacy.Methods Hunan residents aged 60 years and above were randomly recruited by the multistage stratified cluster sampling method.A total of 611 elderly people from 13 counties of Hunan were included in the study, which was conducted through questionnaires.Results The median health literacy score for elderly people aged 60 years and above was 51.00 (4-90), and it was lower than that for people under 60 years old, which was 56.00.Single factor analysis found that education level, occupation, number of family members, and household income each had an influence on health literacy scores (H=59.526, 20.609, 17.214, and 50.749, respectively;P=0.000, 0.002, 0.001 and 0.000, respectively).The number of people with basic health literacy accounted for 10.6％ (65/611) of the total.Multiple logistic regression analysis found that chronic disease was a factor affecting basic health literacy.Compared with elderly people without chronic diseases, a higher percentage of people with basic health literacy was among elderly people with chronic diseases (OR =1.870, 95％ CI: 1.037-3.373).Conclusions The health literacy level is lower in elderly people aged 60 years and above than those under 60 years old in Hunan.Only 10.6％ (65/611) of them show basic health literacy.Education level, occupation, number of family members, and household income are the factors related to health literacy.Health education about healthy lifestyle and behavior as well as chronic disease prevention and control should be increased in order to improve the health literacy level in elderly people.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of oligochitosan in promoting intestinal absorption of protoberberine alkaloids in extracts from Corydalis saxicola total alkaloids.

METHODThe in vitro single-pass intestinal perfusion model in rats was established to study the changes in absorption kinetic parameters of dehydrocavidine, berberine hydrochloride and palmatine chloride in C. saxicola total alkaloids after the addition of different concentrations oligochitosan and evaluate the effect of oligochitosan in promoting intestinal absorption of the drugs.

RESULTThe concentration of oligochitosan had different effects on the absorption rate constant (Ka) and apparent permeability coefficient (Peff) of the three active component in rat intestines. Ka and Peff in 0.5% oligochitosan group significantly increased, indicating a stronger effect in promoting the absorption.

CONCLUSIONOligochitosan has a certain effect in promoting the intestinal absorptions of protoberberine alkaloids in C. saxicola total alkaloids.

Animals ; Berberine Alkaloids ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Chitin ; administration & dosage ; analogs & derivatives ; Corydalis ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Intestinal Absorption ; drug effects ; Intestines ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo demonstrate the effects and mechanisms of Qifu decoction( QFD) on renal interstitial fibrosis (RIF) in model rats with yang-deficiency syndrome.

METHODThe rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, the Sham group (Group A), the Model group (Group B), the Qifu decoction group (Group C) and the Enalapril group (Group D). The RIF model was established by adenine administrated and unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) of the left ureter. After the model was successfully established, the rats in Group C and D were administrated with QFD or the Enalapril suspension,while the rats in Group A and B were administrated with distilled water. All rats were administrated for 3 weeks. Before administration and at the end of week 1, 2 and 3, the rats were weighted, and 24 h urinary protein excretion (Upro), urinary β2-microglobulin (Uβ2-MG) and urinary N-acetyl-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were examined, respectively. All rats were killed after administration for 3 weeks. Blood and renal tissues were collected, renal morphology and tubulointerstitial morphology were evaluated, respectively. Serum cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), blood urea nitrogen (BUN), serum creatinine (Scr) and uric acid (UA) were detected, respectively. The protein expressions of E-cadherin, α-smooth muscle actin(α-SMA), transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1), onnective tissue growth factor (CTGF) extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1/2(ERK1/2) and phosphorylated-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in kidney were evaluated, respectively.

RESULTQFD ameliorated serum cAMP level and the rate of cAMP/cGMP, attenuated urinary β2-MG level, NAG level and renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, increased E-cadherin protein expression, and reduced α-SMA, TGF-β1, CTGF and p-ERK1/2 protein expressions in the kidney. However, QFD had no influence on renal function in vivo. In addition, these effects were better than those of the model rats treated by Enalapril.

CONCLUSIONQFD could alleviate yang-deficiency parameters, as well as urinary β2-MG level and NAG level in model rats induced by adenine administration and UUO. Moreover, QFD could improve EMT and RIF by up-regulating E-cadherin protein expression, and down-regulating α-SMA, TGF-β1, CTGF and p-ERK1/2 protein expressions, the key molecular in ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Fibrosis ; Kidney ; drug effects ; pathology ; Kidney Diseases ; drug therapy ; pathology ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; drug effects ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Ureteral Obstruction ; complications ; Yang Deficiency ; complications

Methods: From September 3, 2018, to March 23, 2024, participants with essential hypertension (receiving antihypertensive medication treatment, hypertension group) and normal blood pressure (control group) were recruited from the Cardiology Department of Shanghai Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the Coronary Care Unit of Shanghai Tenth People's Hospital, the Physical Examination Center of Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Gaohang Community Health Service Center. This study employed the propensity score matching (PSM) method to reduce study participants selection bias. Spectral information in the facial visible light spectrum of the subjects was collected using a flame spectrometer, and the spectral chromaticity values were calculated using the equal-interval wavelength method. The study analyzed the differences in spectral reflectance across various facial regions, including the entire face, forehead, glabella, nose, jaw, left and right zygomatic regions, left and right cheek regions as well as differences in parameters within the Lab color space between the two subject groups. Feature selection was conducted using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression, followed by the application of various machine learning algorithms, including logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), random forest (RF), Naïve Bayes (NB), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB). The reduced-dimensional dataset was split in a 7 : 3 ratio to establish a classification and assessment model for facial coloration related to primary hypertension. Additionally, model fusion techniques were applied to enhance the predictive power. The performance of the models was evaluated using metrics including the area under the curve (AUC) and accuracy. Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) was used to interpret the outcomes of the models. Results: A total of 114 participants were included in both hypertension and control groups. Reflectance analysis across the entire face and eight predefined areas revealed that the hypertensive group exhibited significantly higher reflectance of corresponding color light in the blue-violet region (P < 0.05) and a lower reflectance in the red region (P < 0.05) compared with control group. Analysis of Lab color space parameters across the entire face and eight predefined areas showed that hypertensive group had significantly lower a and b values than control group (P < 0.05). LASSO regression analysis identified a total of 18 facial color features that were highly correlated with hypertension, including the a values of the chin and the right cheek, the reflectance at 380 nm and at 780 nm of the forehead. The results of the multi-model classification showed that the RF classification model was the most effective, with an AUC of 0.74 and an accuracy of 0.77. The combined model of RF + LR + SVM outperformed a single model in their classification performance, achieving an AUC of 0.80 and an accuracy of 0.76. SHAP model visualization results indicated that the top three contributors to ideal prediction results based on the characteristics from the facial spectrum were the reflectance at 380 nm across the entire face and of the nose as well as the a value of the chin. Conclusion Within the same age group, patients with essential hypertension exhibited significant and regular changes in facial color and facial spectral reflectance parameters after the administration of antihypertensive drugs. Furthermore, facial reflectance indicators, such as the overall reflectance at 380 nm and the a value of the chin, could offer valuable references for clinically assessing the drug efficacy and health status of patients with essential hypertension.

This study was aimed to investigate the chemical constituents from the leaves of Vitex negundovar. cannabifolia. Column chromatography including silica gel, Sephadex LH-20, ODS, and semi-preparative HPLC were used to separate and purify the chemical constituents, and the structures were elucidated on the basis of physicochemical properties, MS and NMR spectroscopic data. As a result, 11 compounds were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of V. negundo var. cannabifolia, and identified as apigenin (1), penduletin (2), chrysosplenol-D (3), quercetin (4), 1,4-dihydroxy-3R,5R-dicaffeoyloxy cyclohexane carboxylic acid (5), maeranthoin F (6), capsidiol (7), caryolandiol (8), β-sitosterol (9), p-hydroxybenzonic acid (10), and β-daucosterin (11). It was concluded that compounds 5 8were firstly isolated from the plants of Vitex genus, and compounds 1 and 4 were isolated from V. negundovar. cannabifolia for the first time.