OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with Dermatophagoides farinae drops for allergic rhinitis (AR) of different symptom severity. METHOD: This retrospective analysis to receive SLIT treatment of 143 cases of patients with allergic rhinitis, according to the severity of disease symptoms divid- ed into two groups, moderate group (62 patients) and severe group (81 patients). Before SLIT and after SLIT for half year, 1 year and 1. 5-2.0 years, the TNSS, TMS and sign scores of patients with allergic rhinitis were evaluated. RESULT: The TNSS, TMS and sign scores had continuously improved significantly after SLIT for half year, 1 year and 1.5-2.0 years in two groups as compared with baseline (P < 0.05). Before SLIT, TNSS and sign scores of severe group had a significantly higher level than moderate group (Z = 10.40, 2.40, P < 0.05), while TMS of two groups had no significant differences (Z = 0.00, P > 0.05). Half year after SLIT treatment, in two groups for sign scores, there were significant differences (Z = 3.32, P < 0.05), and there were no significant differences for TNSS (Z = 1.58, P > 0.05) and TMS (Z = 0.37, P > 0.05). 1 and 1.5-2.0 years after SLIT, there were no significant differences in two groups for TNSS, TMS and sign scores (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION SLIT with Dermatophagoides farinae drops for 1.5-2.0 years is effective in the patients with allergic rhinitis of different symptom severity. And equivalent efficacy could be achieved for different symptom severity.
Administration, Sublingual ; Animals ; Antigens, Dermatophagoides ; administration & dosage ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; drug therapy ; Sublingual Immunotherapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the radiologic and angiographic findings of dilated superior ophthalmic vein(SOV)associat- ed with orbital arteriovenous malformations(AVM).Design Retrospective case series.Participants Six cases of orbital AVM patients, with clinical symptoms and signs mimicking a carotid cavernous fistula(CCF).Methods Examinations of the six cases,such as CT, MRI,and selective cerebral angiography,were summarized and analyzed.Main Outcome Measures Images findings and hemodynam- ics.Results All patients were found with dilated SOV on CT and MRI.Additional radiographic findings included proptosis and AVM. All six AVM were located at the orbit,and one of them was also found with AVM in brain.The main draining vein was SOV in all cas- es.The branches contributing to the fistula's blood supply were the middle meningeal artery,the internal maxillary artery,and the oph- thalmic artery.Conclusions Orbital AVM can cause similar clinical signs and radiologic features to those associated with a CCF.How- ever,the bulging cavernous sinus cannot be found in most AVM.Angiography is necessary for definitive management,non-invasive techniques have an important role in pre-angiographic diagnostic decisions.(Ophthalmol CHN,2007,16:395-398)

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of methylprednisolone pulse therapy in the treatment of thyroid-associated oph- thalmology. Design Meta analysis. Participants Published literatures about methylprednisolone pulse therapy for thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy. Methods A meta-analysis of published randomized clinical trials was used. Published literatures were selected for study based on a computerized search of the literature and a manual search of the bibliographies of relevant papers. Studies meeting se- lected criteria were reviewed systematically by meta-analysis. Data was extracted on the basis of the intention-to-treat principle. Treat- ment effect was measnred as relative risk(RR) of response rates. Main Outcome Measures The effective rate and the relative risk(RR). Results A total of 6 articles were included in this meta-analysis. The RR (95%CI) were 7.50 (1.14, 49.26) when comparing methylpred- nisolone pulse therapy with placebo, 3.33 (0.51, 21.89) when comparing methylprednisolone pulse therapy with surgical decompression, and 1.50 (1.12, 2.00) when comparing methylprednisolone pulse therapy with oral steroids. The combination of methylprednisolone pulse therapy and orbital radiotherapy was significantly effective than oral steroids combined with orbital radiotherapy which pooled RR (95% CI) was 1.42 (1.11, 1.81). Conclusions Methylprednisolone pulse therapy appears to be an effective treatment for thyroid-associated ophthalmology, and seems to have increased effect when given with orbital radiotherapy.

In temporomandibular disorders (TMD), pain takes place when neuropeptides stimulate synovial tissue to produce several cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, which activate neurons and glia of synovial membrane at the bilaminar regions of temporomandibular joint (TMJ). It has been reported that, after neurogenic differentiation, the synovial mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs), deriving from TMJ, possess the same cytological features as the neuronal cells. This study examined the ability of substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) to stimulate SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs secreting inflammatory cytokines during TMD, evaluated the mutual effects of inflammatory cytokines and neuropeptides and tested the analgesic effect of hyaluronic acid (HA). The levels of IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α in SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs in the presence of neuropeptides were measured by ELISA. SP and CGRP produced by SMSCs and neurogenic SMSCs were determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting. The results showed that the expression of SP and CGRP was significantly enhanced in the neurogenic SMSCs in response to IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and the effect was remarkably inhibited by HA. IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, in return, could be enhanced in the neurogenic SMSCs upon stimulation by SP and CGRP. Neuropeptides and inflammatory cytokines might work mutually on the TMD pain. The HA-mediated analgesic effect may be implicated in the inhibition of SP and CGRP expression in neurogenic SMSCs.

This paper reports the hematology screening and parasite morphological features of one case of imported falci?parum malaria and reviews the relevant literature.

Objective To explore the expression and clinical significance of mismatch repair (MMR)protein and MLH1 promoter methylation testing in endometrial cancer(EC). Methods A total of 420 cases with EC diagnosed by the surgical pathology examination from the Department of Pathology of PLA General Hospital, MLH1,MSH2,MSH6 and PMS2 protein in EC were detected by immunohistochemistry and methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification(MS-MLPA) testing. Results (1)Of the 420 tumor cases, the total expression loss rate of MMR protein was 34.5%(145/420), the expression loss rates of MLH1,MSH2,MSH6 and PMS2 protein were respectively 17.1%(72/420), 8.1% (34/420), 7.4%(31/420), 26.2%(110/420)and loss rates of MLH1 and PMS2,MSH2 and MSH6 were 16.7%(70/420), 6.2%(26/420). When there was a loss of MMR protein expression, any one or more protein expression deletions in MLH1, PMS2, MSH2 and MSH6, it could be Lynch syndrome related endometrial carcinoma(LS-EC). The expression loss rate of MMR protein in the poorly differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma was higher than that in the well differentiated endometrioid adenocarcinoma(P<0.05).(2) The expression loss rate of MMR and PMS2 protein had statistically significant between the endometrioid adenocarcinoma and non-endometrioid adenocarcinoma(P<0.01). The expression loss rate of MSH2 protein had statistically significant in the stage Ⅲ(P<0.01). Moreover, there were also significant differences in depth of myometrial invasion and lymph node metastasis between the expression loss rate of MMR protein (P<0.05).(3)The expression loss rate of MLH1 protein was 72 cases and 57 cases had MLH1 promoter methylation testing(excluding those who were not qualified for DNA testing). The positive rate was 47.4% (27/57). Therefore, these patients were sporadic endometrial cancer, not non-LS-EC. Conclusions MMR protein may be play an important role in the development of endometrial cancer and be indicated poor prognosis. Immunohistochemical staining and MLH1 promoter methylation detection may be play an important role in the screening of the LS-EC.

The purpose of the present study was to explore whether substance P (SP) modulates the response mediated by GABAA receptors. Experiments were carried out on cultured hippocampal pyramidal neurons of rats. GABA-activated inward currents were recorded using the whole-cell-patch-clamp techique. The majority of the neurons examined (66/92, 72%) were sensitive to both GABA and SP. When the neurons were treated with SP prior to application of GABA, the GABA-activated current (IGABA) was inhibited markedly, which was concentration-dependent and could be blocked by spantide, an NK1 receptor antagonist. With 10－8, 10－7, 10－6 and 10－5 mol/L SP, IGABA was inhibited by 18%, 24.8%, 25.9% and 28% respectively. Intracellular application of H7, a potent inhibitor of PKC, abolished inhibition of IGABA by SP, suggesting that the inhibition of IGABA by SP may be a result of intracellular phosphorylation of the GABAA receptor.

OBJECTIVETo study whether the caries status of the primary dentition correlated with status of the permanent in the same cohort over an eight-year period. To determine whether the caries status of the primary dentition can be used to predict caries in the permanent dentition.

METHODSA total of 362 children, 3 - 4 years old in the baseline study in 1992 were re-examined in 2000 based on WHO criteria and methods.

RESULTSStatistically significant associations were observed between the caries prevalence in primary and permanent teeth (P < 0.01) and between DMFT(s) and dmft(s) (P < 0.01). Children who had caries in the primary teeth were nearly three times more likely to have caries in the permanent teeth (RR = 2.6,95% CI = 1.4 - 4.7, P < 0.001). The highest sensitivity (93.9%) for prediction caries in the permanent dentition was found in caries presence on any of the eight primary molars, for which the relative ratio was 3.3 (95% CI = 1.8 - 6.1, P < 0.001) and the positive prediction value was 85.4%.

CONCLUSIONThe study determinate clearly that caries status in the primary teeth can be used as a risk indicator for predicting caries in the permanent dentition.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; DMF Index ; Dental Caries ; epidemiology ; Dentition, Permanent ; Female ; Humans ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Tooth, Deciduous

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of Xuebijing injection(XBJI, traditional Chinese medicine), in inhibiting TLR4--NF-kappaB--IL-1beta pathway of myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation in rats.

METHODSThirty six male SD rats (280 +/- 30) g were randomly divided into six groups (n = 6): normal group (N group), balanced perfusion group (BP group), model group (M group), low dose XBJI group (XBJI(L) group), middle dose XBJI group (XBJI(M) group), high dose XBJI group (XBJI(H) group). By Langendorff isolated heart perfusion device to establish the model of myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation in rats. ELISA was used to detect the concentration of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta); Western blot was used to detect the expression of nuclear factor kappa B p65 (NF-kappaB p65) protein and toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) protein; and RT-PCR to determine the expression of NF-kappaB p65 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA;To observe microstructure changes of hypoxia/reoxygenation myocardial by light microscopy.

RESULTSCompared with M group, the IL-1beta concentration, NF-kappaB p65 and TLR4 protein,NF-kappaB p65 and TLR4 mRNA of XBJIL group, XBJI(M) group, XBJI(H) group expression decreased in varying degrees,and decreased most obviously all in XBJI(M) group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); Myocardical structural damage was serious in M group, and improved after treatment XBJI, the most obvious was the XBJI(M).

CONCLUSIONDifferent dose of XBJI can inhibit TLR4--NF-kappaB--IL-1beta signal transduction pathway and reduce several inflammatory reaction after myocardial hypoxia/reoxygenation injury, the 4 ml/100 ml of XBJI is the best.

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Heart ; drug effects ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; drug therapy ; Signal Transduction ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism