Objective:To observe any effect of high-intensity interval training on the blood pressure and renal function of Wistar-Kyoto rats modeling spontaneous hypertension (SHR) and to explore the mechanism of the renal renin-angiotensin system′s (RAS′s) role in this process.Methods:Twenty male SHR were randomly divided into a sedentary group and an exercise group, each of 10. Another 10 Wistar-Kyoto rats formed a normotensive control group. The rats in the normotensive and hypertensive sedentary groups were fed quietly in their cage, while the hypertensive exercise group performed high-intensity interval training for 8 weeks. After the last exercise, blood pressure, renal function, the kidney levels of nitric oxide and interleukin-6 (IL-6) and the protein expressions of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), ACE2, angiotensin type 1 receptor (AT1R), AT2R and Mas receptor (MasR) were measured.Results:Compared with the normotensive group, the hypertensive sedentary group showed a significant increase in average blood pressure, IL-6, ACE and AT1R protein and the ratio of AT1R to AT2R. There was a significant decrease in the renal function, the average NO level and the expression of ACE2, AT2R and MasR protein. That group also showed a significant decrease in blood pressure, IL-6, ACE and AT1R protein expression and the AT1R: AT2R ratio compared with the hypertensive sedentary group, but a significant increase in renal function, average NO content and the expression of ACE2, AT2R and MasR protein.Conclusion:Eight weeks of high-intensity interval training has a protective effect on the kidneys by regulating the renin-angiotensin system, at least in rats.

With continued enhancements in cancer diagnosis and treatment, clinical assessments are deeper. More composite indicators are applied and evaluations are more "patient-centered", focusing on disease status and response to treatment, as well as the quality-of-life of patients as primary components, including the patients themselves, clinical staff, caregivers, and medical examinations, and other aspects of the evaluation. We reviewed the current research on the application and development of clinical assessment indicators for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and modern medicine, and explored its significance and the advancements in effective evaluations.
Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Biomarkers, Tumor ; metabolism ; Disease Progression ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; pathology ; Quality of Life ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Outcome ; Tumor Burden

A novel series of fingolimod analogues containing diphenyl ether moiety were designed and synthesized based on the modification of immunosuppressive agent fingolimod used in the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Compounds were evaluated in vivo for lymphopenic activity and heart rate affection. Most compounds showed moderate lymphopenic activity. It is worth noting that compounds 6c, 6d and 14c-14e showed considerable immunosuppressive activities comparable to fingolimod. And compound 14e had no effect on heart rate.
Animals ; Fingolimod Hydrochloride ; chemical synthesis ; pharmacology ; Heart Rate ; drug effects ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; chemistry ; Lymphopenia ; pathology ; Phenyl Ethers ; chemistry ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Objective:To explore the effect of supplementing stem cell therapy with aerobic exercise in left ventricle remodeling after myocardial infarction.Methods:Sixty 6-week-old male Wistar rats had acute myocardial infarction induced by ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery. They were then randomly divided into a model group, a stem cell group, an exercise group and an observation group. Another ten healthy Wistar rats formed a sham operation group. The rats in the stem cell and observation groups were infused with a suspension of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells through the tail vein. Beginning four weeks later, the exercise and observation groups underwent 60 minutes of aerobic treadmill exercise 5 days per week for 8 weeks. At the beginning and end of the eight weeks the rats′ exercise performance was evaluated using a graded treadmill exercise test. And after the last training session cardiac structure and function were detected using ultrasound imaging. Tissue was then collected from the left ventricles and the collagen volume fractions were calculated. The expression of myocardial brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), heavy chain β-myosin (β-MHC) and α-MHC mRNA was detected using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCRs.Results:Compared with the sham operation group, the time and distance to exhaustion shortened significantly in the model group, with a significant decrease in the average maximum running speed, left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricle shortening fraction (LVFS), expression of α-MHC and the α-MHC/β-MHC ratio. There was a significant increase in the average resting heart rate, collagen volume fraction, expression of BNP and β-MHC in the model group. Compared with the model group, there was a significant increase in the average LVEF and LVFS of the stem cell group as well as in the time and distance to exhaustion, maximum running speed, expression of α-MHC and in the α-MHC/β-MHC ratio of the observation group, but a significant decrease in the average collagen volume fraction of the stem cell group compared with the observation group, together with the resting heart rate, collagen volume fraction, the expression of BNP and of β-MHC. Compared with the stem cell group, the observation group showed a significant increase in the average time and distance to exhaustion, maximum running speed, expression of α-MHC and the α-MHC/β-MHC ratio, with a significant decrease in the average resting heart rate, collagen volume fraction, expression of BNP and β-MHC.Conclusion:Aerobic exercise or stem cell therapy alone can inhibit left ventricular remodeling and improve cardiac function after myocardial infarction, at least in rats. The combination of the two treatments has a synergistic effect and can further enhance the effect of stem cell therapy.

Objective:To explore any effect of regular aerobic exercise on renal fibrosis and apoptosis in rats with spontaneous hypertension.Methods:Thirty 6-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were randomly divided into a sedentary group (group HS) and an exercise group (group HE). Ten age- and sex-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats formed a control group. The rats in group HE underwent 12 weeks of swimming exercise lasting 60 minutes, five times a week, while the other two groups were kept quiet in their cages. Before and after the training, the tail artery blood pressure of each rat was measured. Renal function was evaluated after the experiment by measuring 24h urine protein, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels, while the degree of renal interstitial fibrosis was measured using Masson staining and the collagen volume fraction was calculated. The number of apoptotic cells in the renal tubular epithelial tissue was recorded by TUNEL staining and the apoptosis rate was calculated. The expression of renal transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1), Smad2/3, Smad7, Bax and Bcl-2 protein were detected using western blotting.Results:After the intervention, the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure of group HS had increased significantly, while those of group HE had decreased significantly, with no significant changes in those measurements among the control group. Compared with the control group, after the intervention, the average blood pressure, 24h urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine, as well as the cell apoptosis rate and expression of TGF-β1, Smad2/3 and Bax had increased significantly, and that of Smad7 and Bcl-2 had decreased significantly in group HS. And compared with group HS, in group HE the average blood pressure, 24h urinary protein, blood urea nitrogen, serum creatinine and the cell apoptosis rate had decreased significantly, together with the expression of TGF-β1, Smad2/3 and Bax, but the average expression of Smad7 and Bcl-2 had increased significantly.Conclusion:Regular aerobic exercise can relieve the renal dysfunction seen in spontaneous hypertension, at least in rats, by inhibiting renal fibrosis and apoptosis.

BACKGROUNDPalliative chemotherapy has been shown to have a survival benefit for patients with recurrent or metastatic gastric cancer. We conducted a Phase II trial to determine the efficacy and safety of S-1 plus oxaliplatin (SOX regimen) as first-line chemotherapy for patients with unresectable locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer.

METHODSEligible patients had measurable lesions and no previous history of chemotherapy (except adjuvant chemotherapy). Oxaliplatin was administered intravenously at a dose of 130 mg/m(2) on day 1. S-1 was administered orally in doses of 80, 100, or 120 mg/d according to body surface areas of <1.25 m(2), 1.25-1.5 m(2), or >1.5 m(2) respectively; the total dose was divided into two daily doses on days 1-14. Treatments were repeated every 3 weeks until disease progression or intolerable toxicity occurred.

RESULTSForty-three patients were enrolled in the study. All were assessable for efficacy and adverse events. The objective response and disease control rates were 55.8% and 76.7% respectively. The median follow-up time was 16.5 months. The median progression-free survival time was 7 months (95% CI, 5.8-8.2 months) and the median overall survival time was 16.5 months (95% CI, 9.7-23.3 months). The one-year survival rate was 54.2%. Major adverse reactions were grade 3/4 neutropenia (9.3%) and thrombocytopenia (20.9%).

CONCLUSIONThe SOX regimen with oxaliplatin at a dose of 130 mg/m(2) was found to be effective and safe as a first-line chemotherapy in Chinese patients with advanced gastric cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Tanreqing Injection (TRQI) on the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) with Chinese medicine syndrome of retention of phlegm and heat in Fei (RPHF).

METHODSIn a prospective randomized controlled clinical trial, 90 patients with AECOPD of RPHF syndrome were randomly assigned to 3 groups, TRQI and controls A and B, each with 30 cases. The TRQI group was administered with the intravenous injections of 20 mL TRQI once a day and conventional Western medicine treatment. Control group A was administered with the intravenous injection of 15 mg ambroxol hydrochloride twice a day and conventional Western medicine treatment, and control group B was administered with conventional Western medicine treatment only. The treatments were administered for 10 days. Chinese medical symptoms and signs were scored, and plasma concentrations of interleukin (IL)-8 and neutrophil elastase (NE) were recorded.

RESULTS(1) The Chinese medical symptoms (cough, sputum amount, expectoration, dyspnea and fever) and signs (tongue and pulse) improved significantly in the TRQI group (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and improvements in cough, sputum amount and expectoration were better in the TRQI group than control group B (P<0.05); there was no significant difference between the TRQI group and control group A (P>0.05). The sign of tongue was also improved significantly in the TRQI group (P<0.05). (2) The overall effects in the TRQI group and control group A were significantly better than in control group B (P<0.05), with no significant differences between the TRQI group and control group A (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in the total effective rate among the three groups (P>0.05). (3) After treatment, the plasma concentrations of IL-8 and NE decreased in the TRQI group and control group A (P<0.05), and the concentration of IL-8 in control group B decreased (P<0.05). The difference in IL-8 was greater in the TRQI group than in control group A and B before and after treatment, and the change in NE was greater in control group A than in the TRQI group and control group B, but there was no statistical significance among the three groups with regards to the change in IL-8 or NE (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONTRQI could improved the Chinese medical signs and symptoms in the patients with AECOPD, possibly because of the decreasing plasma levels of IL-8 and NE which could improve response to airway inflammation and mucus hypersecretion.

Acute Disease ; Aged ; Body Temperature ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Injections ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Mucus ; drug effects ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; complications ; drug therapy ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the characteristics,occurrence times and management of cardiac erosion after transcatheter closure of ASD,and to discuss the mechanism and predictive factor of erosion.Methods We analyzed all the cases who received transcatheter ASD closure from September 1997 to September 2016 in our hospital retrospectively.Results 9 cases (9/6903,0.13％) were reported to have cardiac erosion events after device closure ASD of including 2 cases of acute cardiac tamponade needed pericardiocentesis,2 cases of aorta-to right-atrial fistula needed transcatheter closure or operative repair and 5 cases of perforation of the anterior leaflet of mitral valve.1 case with MV anterior leaflet perforation presented with hemolysis and required surgical repair.Cardiac erosion events were found at average 52.9±68.3 days (1-180days) after the ASD closure.Conclusions Cardiac erosion is a rare but serious complication of device closure for ASD.Erosion events are mostly attributed to device over-sizing or deficient retro-aortic rims.It is important for a strict follow-up,early deduction and timely disposition when an erosion event is identified.occurring.

In this study, HPLC-ESI-MS and HPLC methods were established to explore the differences in the main chemical components and content of Mori Cortex with(mulberry root bark) and without(Mori Cortex) the phellem layer from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The HPLC-ESI-MS method was used for quality analysis in positive and negative ion modes, and 33 compounds were identified in mulberry root bark, 22 compounds in Mori Cortex, and 26 compounds in phellem layer; mulberry root bark and Mori Cortex shared 22 components, and mulberry root bark has 11 unique compounds; Mori Cortex and its phellem layer shared 15 components, while Mori Cortex has 7 unique compounds. HPLC method was used to simultaneously determine 7 major constituents, including mulberroside A, chlorogenic acid, dihydromorin, oxyresveratrol, moracin O, kuwanon G, and kuwanon H, and the developed method showed good linearity(r>0.998 9) within the concentration range and the recoveries varied from 99.88% to 103.0%, and the RSD was 1.7%-2.9%. The HPLC results showed that the contents of the 7 compounds have great differences in 13 batches samples, compared with mulberry root bark, the contents of mulberroside A, chlorogenic acid, dihydromorin and moracin O of Mori Cortex were increased, while the contents of oxyresveratrol, kuwanon G and kuwanon H were decreased after peeling process. These results can provide a basis for the rationality and quality control of Mori Cortex required to remove the phellem layer.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; Mass Spectrometry ; Morus ; Plant Bark

Objective:To explore the feasibility of three-dimensional CT axial sequence assisted volumetric measurement (CTAS) in evaluating atrial septal defect (ASD).Methods:The patients with single secundum ASD who successfully underwent interventional therapy in Fuwai Hospital from January 2016 to December 2019 were retrospectively collected. The patients underwent coronary CT angiography (CTA) before and on the second day after closures, and DSA examinations during operation. A total of 52 cases met the inclusion conditions, among them, there were 37 patients with large defects which had deficient inferior rims ≤3 mm, and 15 patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension that occluded with fenestrated ASD occluder. The CT data of patients before and after operation were reconstructed by CTAS. Then the anatomical structure of ASD before the operation was evaluated, including the long diameter and short diameter of ASD, and the CT three-dimensional volume diameter of ASD was calculated by using the equivalent circle conversion formula of ellipse. The waist diameter of occluder and rims of the ASD were measured after occlusion on postoperative CT three-dimensional volume reconstruction images. Meanwhile, the deployed occluder waist dimension was measured in DSA examination during the operation by simulating the balloon measurement of ASD. Lastly, paired t-test and consistency analysis were carried out among the values of parameters. Results:Before operation, the equivalent circle diameter of ASD was (32.3±5.4) mm measured by CTAS. After ASD occlusion, the size of the waist dimension measured by DSA and CTAS were (32.5±4.9) mm and (32.6±4.9) mm. There were no significant differences between them ( P>0.05). There were also no significant differences for each rims of the ASD pre and post operation on CTAS except for the inferior rims and the total length of atrial septum in superior-inferior direction ( P>0.05). Conclusion:As an alternative to balloon sizing, CTAS can be used as a reference standard to conduct ASD interventional treatment.