Chinese herbs with bitter flavor have the function of purgation and dryness as well as strengthening yin.Strengthening Yin means keeping and maintaining yin fluid.Actually,it is to draw assistance from some Chinese herbs with bitter flavor to purge excessive fire in order to maintain yin qi by heat-clearing and fire-purging,that is to say purging fire to keep or save yin.Strengthening yin of bitter herbs is different from the moistening and nourishing function of sweet-cold herbs.It can be generally divided into three aspects: purging ministerial fire and restoring renal yin,clearing heat and purging fire to maintain yin fluid;purging to preserve yin.Strengthening yin doesn't mean the property and flavor of bitter-cold can nourish yin directly.We should not only emphasize clearing fire by using herbs with bitter in flavor and cold in nature,but also pay attention to nourish yin.It is causal relation that exists between purging fire and maintaining yin.The former is only a means and method,and the latter is objection and effect.Because the bitter-flavor can only damage yin by bitterness and dryness but is not good at benefiting yin,we cannot strengthen yin by using bitter herbs in treating yin-deficiency syndrome without excessive fire.

Objective To investigate the risk factors which affect complex febrile seizures developing into epilepsy. Methods Retrospective analysis of 162 complex febrile seizure cases was carried out. Results Fifteen out of 35 children who had familial history of epilepsy developed into epilepsy. Twenty out of 55 cases who had neurological abnormalities developed into epilepsy. Nineteen out of 37 cases of who the length between fever and febrile seizure was less than 1 h developed into epilepsy, but only 13 in 125 patients developed into epilepsy when the interval between fever and seizure was more than 1 h. Conclusion The predictive risk factors for complex febrile seizures developing into epilepsies are familial history of epilepsy, abnormal neurological development, and short intervals between fever and febrile seizure activities.

AIM: To explore the mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of hypoxia inhalation on asthma. METHODS: Guinea pigs were randomized into the normal group(NG), asthmatic group(AG) and the hypoxia inhalation-treated group(HITG). The model of asthma was established in the latter two groups through sensitization and induction with 10% ovalbumin(OA) and 1% OA, respectively. The animals in HITG were treated with hypoxia inhalation (13.0%?0.5% O 2/N 2 mixed gas). The content of serum cortisol, the number of eosinophils(EOS) and percentage of hypodense eosinophils(HEOS) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF),the number of CD 4 +T-lymphocyte in peripheral blood(PB) and the tension of airway muscle were determined. RESULTS: (1)The content of serum cortisol was significantly higher in NG and HITG than in AG( P

Objective To study the effect of endouterine and extra-aterine exposure to lead on iron concentrations in the blood and hippocampus,hemogiobin level and the learning memory in young rats and the protective effect of zinc in this event.Methods Sixteen pregnant Wistar rats were randomized into 4 groups,group A fed with diet containing Zn 17.5 mg/kg and normal water,group B with Zn 17.5 mg/kg and water with PbAC? 3H2O 500 mg/L,group C with Zn 168.7 mg/kg and PbAC? 3H2O 500 mg/L,and group D with Zn

AIM: To explore the mechanism of the therapeutic effect of hypobaric hypoxia on allergic asthmas guinea pigs. METHODS：After the model of asthma was established with ovalbumin(OA) challenge in OA sensitized guinea pigs, the animals were randomized into the asthmas group(AG), the alleviative group(ALG) and hypobaric hypoxia treated group(HHTG). The levels of plasma cortisol and endothelin(ET), ET in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) were determined by radioimmunoassay. The pulmonary pathological changes were observed with optical microscope. RESULTS:(1) Infiltration of eosinophils (EOS) in alveolar septum was found in AG and ALG, while it was reduced in HHTG. (2) The level of plasma cortisol was significantly higher in AG than in normal control group(NCG) (P＜0.01).But it was significantly lower in ALG than in NCG(P＜0.01), there was no difference in plasma cortisol level between HHTG and NCG. (3) The content of ET in plasma was significantly higher in ALG than that in NCG, AG and HHTG(P＜0.01), and ET level in BALF was significantly higher in AG than that in NCG, ALG and HHTG(P＜0.05),however, no significant difference was found among the latter three groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: After the treatment with hypobaric hypoxia, the ET levels of the plasma and BALF were decreaced and the content of plasma cortisol was increaced, and infiltration of EOS in alveolar septum was decreaced in asthmatic guinea pigs.That may be one of the mechanisms by which hypobavic hypoxia prevents and cures asthma.

Serum vitamin A level was determined in 75 healthy primiparae and their neonates and the correlation of serum vitamin A level with the levels of hemoglobin,ferrum rotein,feritin and zinc was analyzed.The serum vitamin A level was 3.06?1.03/imol/L in the mothers and 2.74?1.0?mol/L in the neonates,and it was higher when determined in summer than when determined in autumn but the difference was of no statistical significance.The rate of subclinical vitamin A deficiency was 27 % and 45.3% in the mothers and the neonates respectively.Serum vitamin lev- el was positively correlated with the levels of hemoglobin,ferrum and zinc(P

Objective To explore the molecular mechanism of bilirubin in the hippocampus of the newborn rats with hyperbilirubinemia. Methods Hyperbilirubinemia model was established. The expression levels of Fas protein and N methyl D aspartate (NMDA) receptor and the apoptosis rate of nerve cells in rat hippocampus were detected with immunochemistry, TUNEL method and cytometry. Results Histological changes of nerve cells were found in hippocampal area of rats with hyperbilirubinemia. Significantly increased expression levels of Fas protein and NMDA receptor and apoptosis rate of nerve cells were positively correlated with the bilirubin level in rat brain tissues. Conclusion The bilirubin neurotoxicity is mediated by the excessive activation of NMDA receptor and participation of Fas system, which induces the apoptosis of nerve cells.

Oxidative stress and mitochondria disorder are the common mechanism of neurodegenerative disease, such as Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease. Melatonin (MT) level decreases with aging may be one of the reasons of the increased oxidative stress in aging people. So the neuroprotective effect of MT becomes more attractive in recent years. This paper summarized recent studies on the mechanism of melatonin on degenerative disease, including free radical scavenge, anti-apoptosis, neuroprotective effect, neurotrophic effect, anti-amyloid neurotoxicity, regulation of inflammatory reaction and cytoskeletal protein etc.

Objective To compare the effect of 4 different cold and hot properties of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) on body temperature and related factors of yeast induced fever rats,and discuss the thermoregulatory mechanism of cold and hot properties of TCM.Methods 108 male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal group,a yeast-induced group,a R.palmatum treated group,a C.chinensis treated group,a Euodia ruticarpa treated group,and a Alpinia officinarum Hance treated group,with 18 rats in each group.Pyrexia model was induced by injecting yeast suspension subcutaneously on rat.At the 4h,8h and 12h after injection of yeast,the rats were sacrificed,and the blood and hypothalamus were collected.The levels of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2),cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) in hypothalamus and plasma were detected by ELISA assay.Results At the 4h after injection of yeast,the temperature of rats in the model group began to rise,and it reached the peak at 8h,while RheumpalmatumL and Coptis chinensis could significantly reduce the body temperature of yeast-induced rat (P＜ 0.01 or P＜ 0.05).At 8h,the levels of PGE2 and cAMP in hypothalamus increased significantly [respectively (31.55 ± 9.88) pg/mg and (0.17±0.03) pmol/mg] compared with the normal group,while the level of AVP (0.14±0.02) pmol/ml in plasma reduced (P＜0.05).Compared with model group,at 8h RheumpalmatumL and Coptis chinensis could significantly lowered PGE2 [respectively (113.65± 18.60) pg/mg and (127.72 ± 15.75) pg/mg,P＜ 0.01 or P＜0.05],and cAMP [respectively (0.69±0.08) pmol/mg and (0.74±0.10) pmol/mg,P＜0.05] in hypothalamus,and increased AVP levels [respectively (1.08 ± 0.12) pmol/ml and (0.91 ±0.01) pmol/ml,P＜0.05 or P＜0.01] in plasma.Euodia ruticarpa and Alpinia officinarum had no significant effect on both body temperature and the levels of inflammatory factors.Conclusion The two cold property traditional Chinese medicines,R.palmatum and C.chinensis,could significantly reduced the body temperature of yeast-induced rats,which may be related to its effective regulation on levels of PGE2 and cAMP in hypothalamus and AVP in plasma,however,the two hot property traditional Chinese medicine,Euodia ruticarpa and Alpinia officinarum Hance,had no related effects.