BACKGROUND:One function of papaver nudicaule L is its analgesic effect. Previous studies showed that total alkaloid,extracted from papaver nudicaule,possesses observable analgesic effects. Nudicauline,separated from the total alkaloid of papaver nudicaule,is a new kind of alkaloid.OBJECTIVE:To study the analgesic effect of nudicauline and its mechanism of action.DESIGN:A randomized controlled study based on the experimental animals.SETTING:Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine ,Chengde Medical Colege.MATERIALS:The experiment was conducted in the Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Chengde Medical College (Key Laboratory for Research and Exploitation of Traditional Chinese Medicine) from August 2001 to December 2003.Totally 140 mice were included and randomly divided into 14 groups with 10 mice in each group in this experiment.METHODS: ① Study of the analgesic effect.The animals were randomly assigned to 5 groups:saline control group,and nudicauline 2.5,5.0 and 10.0 mg/kg groups as well as morphine group. ② relation with endor-phin.The animals were divided into 5 groups:saline control group,nudicauline +naloxone group,morphine group,and morphine +naloxone group. ③relation with nitrogen monoxide.The animals were divided into 4 groups:saline group,nudicauline group,nudicauline +L-arginine 400 mg/kg group,and n-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 37.5 mg/kg group.Totally 20 μL 10 g/L formalin was injected into the right hindlimbs of the mice. The pain observation item:walking freely was 0 point;being lame,could stand on the floor without moving was 1 point;could lift their feet was 2 point;could shake or lick their feet was 3 points.The observation fell into 2 phases:0 to 10 minutes after pain induction was set as the first phase,and 20 to 30minutes was set as the second phase.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:The pain response scores of the mice in each group under the effect of different drugs.RESULTS: ① Nudicauline reduced significantly the score of response to the pain induced by formalin in the second phase(P ＜ 0.05-0.01).The higher dosage of nudicauine had certain inhibitory effect on the pain reaction in the first phase (P ＜ 0.05).Morphine had significant inhibitory effect on the pain reaction in both phases(P ＜ 0.01). ② Naloxone could completely inhibit the analgesic effect of morphine,but had no influence on the analgesic effect of nudicauline. ③ The analgesic effect of nudicauline was partially blocked by L-arginine in the second phase and enhanced by L-NAME.CONCLUSION:Nudicauline has obvious analgesic effects,whereas opium antagonist naloxone can completely inhibit the analgesic effect of morphine,but cannot alter the effect of nudicauline,which indicates that the analgesic effect is not related to the endogenous opioid system. L-arginine can partially inhibit the analgesic effect of nudicauline while L-NAME can increase the analgesic effect of nudicauline,suggesting that the analgesic effect of nudicauline may be partially associated with the production and release of nitrogen monoxide.

Objective To investigate the assessments from family member and nurse for nursing care needs of critical patients based on the Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Methods Questionnaires regarding nursing care needs of critical patients were designed according to the Maslow′s hierarchy of needs; these questionnaires were performed to family members and nurses, and the results were analyzed. Results There was difference regarding the order of various needs of critical patients between family members and nurses; compared to nurse, family members had significantly higher scores on love and belongingness need [(4.08±0.72) points vs. (3.44±0.63) points, t=5.61, P<0.01], and had obviously lower scores on safety needs [(3.71±0.62) points vs. (3.92±0.69) points, t=2.18, P<0.05]. Conclusions The asymmetry in assessments from family member and nurse for nursing care needs of critical patients exist objectively;during clinical nursing, communication with family members should enhance and provide humanized services and management measures should be adopted to improve family members′satisfaction towards nursing service.

Soft aid for health has become an important component of China's foreign aid. Soft aid for health with a focus on human resources development reflects the core spirit and the innovative mechanism of China's foreign aid. This paper examines three different types of aid for health human resources: medical assistance teams, govern-ment scholarships for students from developing countries, and health training courses for officials from developing countries. It also argues that China's foreign aid exposes problems, including insufficient strategic planning, non-in-volvement of civil society and NGOs, and lack of research on China's soft aid practices. In this paper, we suggests that to improve the effectiveness of foreign aid, the government should improve its strategic planning for aid, ensure the full public participation, strengthen the academic research, and improve knowledge sharing.

BACKGROUND: Yishen jiangu granule is one of sheer traditional Chinese drugs, which has good effect of tonifying kidney, strengthening bone, reinforcing the spleen, nourishing qi and improving the body condition, mainly used to prevent the lassitude, rickets, osteomalacia and calcium-deficiency induced by kidney-deficiency.OBJECTIVE: To observe the preventive effect of yishen jiangu granule on the reproductive organs, physical strength as well as the ability of stress, and compare with the effect of longmu zhuanggu preparation which was characterized by invigorating spleen and replenishing qi, and tonifying kidney and replenishing essence.DESIGN: Completely randomized controlled design.SETTING: Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengde Medical CollegeMATERIALS: A total of 180 Kunming mice, weighing 25-30 g, of half gender, of clean grade, were selected in this study. Longmu zhuanggu granule, which was composed of root of tangshen, tuckahoe, rhizome of lagehead atractylodes, huai yam, astragalus root, schisandra fruit, keel,oyster shell, tortoise plastron, dwarf lilyturf, Chinese date, licorice root,vitamin D, etc., was provided by Wuhan Jianmin Pharmaceutical Factory (batch number: 960618). Yishen jiangu granule, which was composed of 6 kinds of traditional Chinese medicine such as dark plum, Chinese wolfberry, oyster shell, etc., was manufactured by Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Chengde Medical College (batch number: 950510).Hydrocortisone injection was produced by Bohai Pharmaceutical Factory of Tangshan city (batch number: 940303).METHODS: The experiment was completed in Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengde Medical College from January to October 1997. ① A total of 180 mice were randomly divided into 6 groups with 30 in each group: normal group (5.0 mL/kg saline, muscle injection); model group (25 mg/kg hydrocortisone for the mice model with kidney-yang deficiency, muscle injection); longmu zhuanggu granule group (5.0 g/kg longmu zhuanggu granule, and 25 mg/kg hydrocortisone); three groups of yishen jiangu granule at different dosages (perfused respectively with yishenjiangu granule at the dosages of 1.25 g/kg, 2.5 g/kg and 5.0 g/kg;meanwhile, 25 mg/kg hydrocortisone, muscle injection). The mice were administered successively for 14 days. ② In 12 hours after giving the last medicine, each group was divided into 3 parts to go on with the following 3 sub-experiments: Firstly, the spermary and uterus of mice were taken out to determine their weight, then calculate the indexes (mass of uterus/body mass of mice); secondly, the mice were put into the water [water depth:30 cm, water temperature: (20±0.5) ℃], burden of tail of mice was weighed 10% of the body mass, then timed immediately, when the mice could not immerge from the water after their heads sank into the water for 10 seconds.It showed that they were exhausted (the time was regarded as the swimming time of mice); thirdly, 10 g sodalime was added into each bottle with wide neck whose volume was 150 mL, then one mouse was put into each of them,covered them and timed immediately. The breath of the mice was observed until they stopped breathing, then timing was over. This was the bearing time of mice on anoxia under normal pressure. ③ Difference of statistical significance between groups was determined by t-test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The mass indexes of reproductive organs, swimming time and the bearing time on anoxia under normal pressure of the mice in all groups.RESULTS: A total of 180 mice were all involved in result analysis. ① The mass indexes of spermary in mice in normal group, longmu zhuanggu granule group and yishen jiangu groups at high and middle dosages were significantly higher than those in model group (P ＜ 0.05-0.01); the mass indexes of uterus in mice in normal group, longmu zhuanggu granule group and yishenjiangu groups at high dosage were significantly higher than those in model group (P ＜ 0.01). ② The swimming time of the mice in model group was significantly shorter than that in the other 5 groups (P ＜ 0.01). ③The bearing time on anoxia under normal pressure of the mice in model group were significantly shorter than that in the other 5 groups (P ＜ 0.01).CONCLUSION: Yishen jiangu granule has the remarkable effect on kidney-tonifying. It can remarkably relieve the reproductive organ atrophy of the mice with kidney-yang deficiency, has remarkable effect on antifatigue, and also can increase the ability of stress.

Objective To explore the clinical manifestation,laboratory tests,imaging and treatment of general paralysis of insane(GPI).Methods The clinical data of 2 patients with GPI analyzed retrospectively.Results 2 sufferers were both male,and mainly presented with memory decline and mental disorder.One case presented with visceral crisis.Both rapid plasma reagin test and treponema gelatin agglutination test in serum and CSF were positive.Brain MRI scanning showed ventriculomegaly.After antisyphilitic treatments,2 patients obviously improved.Conclusion GPI are often seen in middle-aged males and its misdiagnosis rate is high.The diagnosis of GPI should be considered in young patients with dementia without clear reason.Early diagnosis and active treatments are important for the prognosis of this disease.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effect of total saponins of Man medicine Thladiantha dubia root(TSTR)on the ex-pressions of CD3+,CD4+and CD8+ in spleen tissue of rats with type Ⅱ collagen-induced arthritis (CIA),and explore its mecha-nism in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis(RA). METHODS:8 rats were taken as normal control group(NC group),the others 72 rats were injected mixture of bovine type Ⅱ collagen and Freund's complete adjuvant in tail and back to induce CIA model. The 50 modeled rats were randomly divided into model group(MC group),tripterygium polyglycoside(TG)group(12 mg/kg,posi-tive control),TSTR low-dose,medium-dose,high-dose groups (20,40,80 mg/kg),10 in each group. Rats in medicine groups were intragastrically administrated for 35 d,once a day;rats in NC group and MC group were intragastrically administrated equal volume of distilled water. Ankle swelling degree of rats was determined,arthritis indexes were calculated,HE staining was used to observe the lesions in synovial tissue,and immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expressions of CD3+,CD4+,CD8+ in spleen tissue of rats. RESULTS:After 35 d of administration,ankle swelling degree,arthritis indexes,CD4+ expression in spleen tissue,and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in MC group were significantly higher than NC group (P<0.05 or P<0.01),expressions of CD3+, CD8+were significantly lower than NC group(P<0.05);and there was congestion and massive inflammatory cell infiltration in sy-novial tissue. The ankle swelling degree,arthritis indexes,expression of CD4+ in spleen tissue,and CD4+/CD8+ ratio in administra-tion groups were significantly lower than MC group(P<0.05);the expressions of CD3+,CD8+ in spleen tissue in administration groups were significantly higher than MC group (P<0.05);TG group,TSTR medium-dose and high-dose groups showed mild congestion and a small amount of inflammatory cell infiltration in synovial tissue of rats,and TSTR low-dose group showed no ob-vious congestion or inflammatory cell infiltration. CONCLUSIONS:Up-regulating the expressions of CD3+,CD8+ and down-regu-lating the expression of CD4+ may be one of the mechanisms of TSTR in the treatment of RA;and with best efficacy when the TSTR dose of 20 mg/kg.

A rare case of submandibular venous malformation with multiple phleboliths is reported.The clinical pathology,diagnosis ,treat-ment,causes and differential diagnosis of submandibular gland sialolithiasis were discussed based on related literatures.

Objective To investigate the effect of transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1) on the expression of matrix metal-loproteinase-9(MMP-9) in cultured mouse endometrial stromal cells .Methods After separation and purification ,the mouse endom-etrial stromal cells were cultured with different concentrations of TGF-β1 ,and the final concentrations were 0 .1 ,2 .5 ,5 .0 ,10 .0 , 20 .0 ng/mL ,respectively .ELISA method was used to detect the content of MMP-9 in the the culture medium after 48 h culture . Results Compared with the control group ,the expression of MM P-9 in mouse endometrial stromal cells in the experimental groups increased with the TGF-β1 concentration elevation ,and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0 .01) .Conclusion In the mouse endometrial stromal cell system ,TGF-β1 may be involved in the regulation of extracellular matrix metabolism through regu-lating the expression of MMP-9 .

Objective To compare the structural genome variations of lamivudine resistant HBV strain from a patient with acute exacerbation after lamivudine therapy with pretretment HBV strain. Methods Full length genomes of two HBV strains before lamivudine treatment and after occurring severe acute exacerbation during lamivudine treatment were cloned and sequenced in a patient with chronic hepatitis B. Nucleotide sequence and predicted amino acid sequences of 4 open reading frames in two HBV strains were analyzed. Results Compared with pretreatment full length HBV genome, there were 30 amino acid substitutions in four ORFs of lamivudine resistant HBV strain, including substitution of valine for methionine at residue 550(M550V)accompanied by substitution of methionine for leucine at residue 526(L526M). The numbers of amino acid substitutions in ORF P, X, S, Precore/Core were 10(1.19%), 4(2.60%), 8( 2.00%) and 8 (3.77%) respectively. The total variation rate along the whole HBV genome was 1.86%. A G→A change at nucleotide position 1898 resulted in a precore stop codon and led to lack of HBeAg expression; At the preS2 initiation codon ATG was changed to ATA which caused the loss of preS2 protein expression. Some amino acid changes occurred within the known CTL, B or T cells epitopes.Conclusions In a patient with severe acute exacerbation during lamivudine therapy, together with 29 additional amino acid substitutions were detected outside the YMDD motif in the lamivudine resistant HBV strain.