OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of vinyl chloride on reproductive and endocrine system of male rats.

METHODSMale SD rats were administered with vinyl chloride at dose of (0, 10, 100, 1000 mg/kg) for 14 and 28 days, respectively. The levels of testosterone (T), inhibin B, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and estradiol (E2) were measured in serum and testis homogenates. Histopathological examinations were performed for testis with electron microscopy.

RESULTSCompared with the control group after 14-day exposure, T and E2 serum levels of 1000, 100, 10 mg/kg groups decreased, InhB and LH levels of three dose groups increased. LH serum levels of 100 mg/kg increased significantly statistically compared with control group (P < 0.05). After 28-day exposure, T serum levels of 100, 1000 mg/kg groups were (10.90 +/- 1.56), (8.52 +/- 2.85) ng/ml respectively (P < 0.05), InhB serum levels of 100, 1000 mg/kg groups were (31.40 +/- 6.21), (28.39 +/- 5.67) pg/ml respectively. Both of T and InhB serum levels of 100, 1000 mg/kg groups decreased significantly (P < 0.05). Serum FSH levels of 10, 100, 1000 mg/kg groups decreased significantly compared with control group (P < 0.05). Compared with groups of 14-day exposure, serum InhB and LH levels of 10, 100, 1000 mg/kg groups decreased significantly statistically after 28 days. T and InhB testis levels of 100, 1000 mg/kg groups were 8.05 +/- 2.19),(6.75 +/- 1.94) ng/mg pro and (39.32 +/- 5.55), (35.53 +/- 8.71) pg/mg pro respectively, which decreased significantly compared with control group (P < 0.05). Leydig cell and Sertoli cell were damaged according to histopathological examinations.

CONCLUSIONVinyl chloride has adverse effects on reproductive and endocrine system of male rats and may change their serum and testis homogenate levels of hormones.

Animals ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Leydig Cells ; ultrastructure ; Male ; Rats ; Sertoli Cells ; ultrastructure ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Testosterone ; blood ; Vinyl Chloride ; toxicity

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of modified Zengyetang in treating slow transit constipation （STC） due to Qi-Yin deficiency and its effect on gastrointestinal function. Method:One hundred and thirty eligible patients were randomly divided into a control group （n=65， 6 cases dropped out or were lost to follow-up and 59 completed the trial） and a treatment group （n=65， 3 cases dropped out or were lost to follow-up and 62 completed the trial）. Patients in the control group received oral mosapride citrate dispersible tablets， 5 mg per time， three times per day， while those in the treatment group were treated with modified Zengye Tang， one bag per day， for four successive weeks. The main symptom constipation， the Patient Assessment of Constipation Symptoms （PAC-SYM）， and traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） syndrome scores， colonic transit， as well as motilin （MTL）， vasoactive intestinal peptide （VIP）， and substance P （SP） levels before and after treatment were recorded， together with the frequency of spontaneous complete bowel movements （SCBMs） per week and STC recurrence during treatment. Result:The clinical efficacy （95.16%） of the treatment group was higher than that （81.36%） of the control group （χ²=5.631 4， P<0.05）， whereas the recurrence rate （30.65%） of the treatment group was significantly lower than that （57.63%） of the control group （χ²=8.941 1， P<0.01）. After treatment， the main symptom constipation， three sub-scale and total PAC-SYM， and TCM syndrome scores in the treatment group were obviously decreased as compared with those in the control group （P<0.01）. The proportions of residual markers at 24， 48， and 72 h in the treatment group declined in contrast to those in the control group （P<0.01）. The frequency of SCBMs per week in the 2^nd， 3^rd， and 4^th weeks of the treatment group was higher than that in the control group （P<0.01）. Compared with the control group after treatment， the treatment group exhibited significantly elevated MTL and SP but lowered VIP （P<0.01）. Conclusion:Modified Zengyetang relieves the clinical symptoms， regulates gastrointestinal hormone secretion， increases the frequency of SCBMs， enhances colonic transit， and decreases the recurrence of patients with STC due to Qi-Yin deficiency.

This study was designed to determine the metabolites of Zhali Nusi Prescription(ZLNSP) in rats. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-LTQ Orbitrap mass spectrometric(UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS) and mass defect filter techniques were applied to analyze the metabolites of ZLNSP in rat plasma, bile, urine and feces. The biological samples were analyzed by ACQUITY UPLC BEH T_3 column(2.1 mm×100 mm,1.7 μm), with 0.1% formic acid water(A)-acetonitrile(B) as mobile phase, and the biological samples were analyzed in negative ion mode by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry(ESI-MS). An analytical method for biological samples of rats was established, and 8 prototype components and 36 metabolites were identified. The results showed that the metabolic pathways of the main components of ZLNSP in rats included methylation, glucuronidation, sulfation and so on. It provi-ded information for the therapeutic effect of ZLNSP in vivo.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Bile ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Feces ; Plasma ; Prescriptions ; Rats

Objective:The investigation and research on the application status of Hepatic Venous Pressure Gradient (HVPG) is very important to understand the real situation and future development of this technology in China.Methods:This study comprehensively investigated the basic situation of HVPG technology in China, including hospital distribution, hospital level, annual number of cases, catheters used, average cost, indications and existing problems.Results:According to the survey, there were 70 hospitals in China carrying out HVPG technology in 2021, distributed in 28 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central Government). A total of 4 398 cases of HVPG were performed in all the surveyed hospitals in 2021, of which 2 291 cases (52.1%) were tested by HVPG alone. The average cost of HVPG detection was (5 617.2±2 079.4) yuan. 96.3% of the teams completed HVPG detection with balloon method, and most of the teams used thrombectomy balloon catheter (80.3%).Conclusion:Through this investigation, the status of domestic clinical application of HVPG has been clarified, and it has been confirmed that many domestic medical institutions have mastered this technology, but it still needs to continue to promote and popularize HVPG technology in the future.