OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Xiaochaihu Decoction (XCHD) on ectopic endometrium in rats with endometriosis and its mechanism.

METHODSThe rat model of endometriosis was established and rats were divided into 5 groups, the low dosage of XCHD group (5 g x kg(-1) x d(-1) , n = 10) , the medium dosage of XCHD group (10 g x kg(-1) x d(-1), n =10), the high dosage of XCHD group (15 g x kg(-1) x d(-1), n = 10) , the danazol group(0. 1 g x kg(-1) x d(-1), n =9) and the control group(20 ml x kg(-1) x d(-1) distilled water, n = 10). After treated for four successive weeks, the effect of XCHD on ectopic endometrium was evaluated by observing the changes in transmission electron microscopy. Fas and Caspase-3 protein expression in endometrium and endometriotic tissue were observed by immunohistochemistry method.

RESULTSEctopic endometrial growth was markedly inhibited (P < 0. 05 or P < 0. 01) in all the XCHD groups; Fas and Caspase-3 protein expressions of ectopic endometrial tissue were higher than those in the endometrium.

CONCLUSIONXCHD could inhibit the growth of the ectopic endometrium in rats with experimentally induced endometriosis. The therapeutic mechanism may be related to promoting the apoptosis in ectopic endometrial tissue by increasing Fas protein expression.

Animals ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Endometriosis ; drug therapy ; immunology ; Endometrium ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Rats ; fas Receptor ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the gene mutations of calcium-and integrin-binding protein 2 (CIB2) 196C＞T, 272T ＞ C and 297C ＞ G carried by students with non-syndromic hearing impairment from special educational schools in Yunnan Province. Methods The experimental group included 337 students with non-syndromic hearing impairment who failed to carry deafness gene with GJB2 (35 del G, 176_191 del 16,235delC, 299_300 del AT), GJB3 (C538T,G547A), mtDNA 12S rRNA (A1555G, C1494T), and SLC26A4 (IVS7_2A＞G, A2168G) . The control group consisted with 150 healthy people. Genomic DNA was isolated from peripheral blood with EDTA anti-coagulate. The subject's DNA fragments including CIB2 196C＞T, 272T ＞ C and 297C＞ G were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and subsequently analyzed by direct sequencing to identify deafness-associated mutations. Results Both in the experimental group and control group, we failed to find the mutation of CIB2 196C＞T, 272T＞C and 297C＞G in all individuals. Conclusion Mutations in CIB2 gene 196C＞T, 272T＞C and 297C＞G are not a frequent cause of non-syndromic hearing loss among deaf people in Yunnan province. It provided important information for deafness with formulating landscape of gene screening in this region.

Objective:To analyze the antibody level of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) in Chinese patients with primary membrane nephropathy (PMN) and its correlation with clinical indicators, and to explore more suitable cut-off value for Chinese patients.Methods:All hospitalized patients with renal biopsy at Peking University People's Hospital from January to August 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. According to the primary disease, patients were divided into PMN group (including patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy and atypical membranous nephropathy of unknown cause) and control group (other pathological types, including secondary membranous nephropathy patients). Their clinical and pathological characteristics were analyzed, and the level of serum PLA2R antibodies was detected using the method of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between PMN patients' blood anti-PLA2R antibody level and clinical indicators. The risk factors of PMN were analyzed by logistic regression model, and the optimal cut-off value of PMN was analyzed by ROC curve.Results:A total of 354 patients were included in this study, including 114 patients in PMN group and 240 patients in control group. The age of PMN group was (51.7±14.1) years old and the ratio of male to female was 2.2∶1. The median concentration of PLA2R antibody in PMN group was 16.87 RU/ml [inter-quartile range ( IQR) 1.88-57.26], which was significantly higher than that in control group (1.43 RU/ml, IQR 1.20-1.62, P<0.001). In PMN group, the concentration of anti-PLA2R antibody was correlated with the 24-hour urine protein ration ( r=0.278, P=0.003) and urine erythrocyte ( r=0.190, P=0.043), but not with serum albumin ( r=-0.149, P=0.114) and serum creatinine ( r=0.136, P=0.149). The ROC curve showed that the sensitivity of distinguishing PMN from other diseases was 69.3% (95% CI 60.3%-77.0%), the specificity was 92.9%(95% CI 89.0%-95.5%), and the area under the curve was 0.859(95% CI 0.813-0.905) when the cut-off value was set as 2.28 RU/ml, which was significantly better than the cut-off value of 20.00 RU/ml (the sensitivity/specificity was 46.5%/97.5%) and 14.00 RU/ml (the sensitivity/specificity was 53.5%/97.1%). Conclusions:PLA2R antibody is one of the main pathogenic antibodies of PMN. In China, it is recommended to lower its cut-off value to 2.28 RU/ml, which can improve the sensitivity of distinguishing PMN from other pathological types without reducing specificity.

Objective To explore the association between metabolic syndromes (MS) and carotid atherosclerosis and to estimate the predictive effects of MS under 3 different definitions.Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2 community-based populations in Beijing,in 2008.1266 subjects (598 men,668 women),aged 45-69,were included in the analyses.MS was defined by the criteria of International Diabetes Federation (IDF),the revised NCEPATPm (ATP Ⅲ-R) and "The Guidelines of Dyslipidemia Control for Chinese Adult" ( "Guidelines" ) in 2007.Results The prevalence rates of MS by the 3 criteria were 39.0%,43.3% and 30.9% respectively.The Kappa value for the measure of the agreement between each pair of the 3 definitions were 0.911,0.719 and 0.730 respectively.The intima-media thickness in common carotid artery (CCA-IMT) was significantly higher (P＜0.001) in all MS groups than in non-MS groups,diagnosed with the 3 criteria independent of age,gender,LDL-C,and current smoking status.After adjustment of age,gender,LDL-C,and current smoking status,the classification of MS significantly increased the risk of prevalence of carotid atberosclerotic plaques,compared to the non-MS group.OR value were 1.499 (95% CI:1.157-1.942) for IDF,1.696 (95% CI:1.314-2.189) for NCEP-R,1.763 (95% CI:1.344-2.312) for "Guideline" respectively.Conclusion Our research findings indicated that,when MS were defined with the 3 definitions,prediction on the risk of sub-clinical atberosclerosis would work beyond some of the conventional cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking,LDL-C.There might exist some differences in gender issue on the strength of association between MS when diagnosed by different criteria and carotid plaque.

This study aimed to propose an operational definition of late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) that incorporates both clinical symptoms and serum testosterone measurements to evaluate the prevalence of LOH in aging males in China. A population-based sample of 6296 men aged 40 years-79 years old was enrolled from six representative provinces in China. Serum total testosterone (TT), sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), and luteinizing hormone (LH) were measured and free testosterone (cFT) was calculated. The Aging Males' Symptoms (AMS) scale was used to evaluate the LOH symptoms. Finally, 5078 men were included in this analysis. The TT levels did not decrease with age (P = 0.59), and had no relationship with AMS symptoms (P = 0.87 for AMS total score, P = 0.74 for ≥ 3 sexual symptoms). The cFT levels decreased significantly with age (P < 0.01) and showed a negative association with the presence of ≥ 3 sexual symptoms (P = 0.03). The overall estimated prevalence of LOH was 7.8% (395/5078) if a cFT level <210 pmol l

OBJECTIVETo investigate the incidence and common types of abnormal hemoglobin diseases of the couples at childbearing age by using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in Guangzhou city.

METHODSThe couple of childbearing age in the Birth defect intervention project and Free pre pregnancy health examination were screened from October 2008 to February 2016 in Guangzhou city. The HPLC was used to detect abnormal hemoglobin; The Gap-PCR and reverse dot blot(RDB) were used to detect thalassemia gene deletions.

RESULTSThe detection rate of hemoglobinopathies was 1.14% in the couples of childbearing age in Guangzhou city. 8 kinds of abnormal hemoglobin were detected: Hb E in 102 cases(17 cases with α thalassemia) , Hb Q-Thailand in 20 cases(18 cases with α thalassemia, 2 cases with α and β thalassemia), Hb D-Iran in 4 cases(2 cases with α thalassemia, 1 case with α and β thalassemia), Hb G-Honolulu in 3 cases(1 case with α thalassemia), Hb J-Bangkok in 2 cases(2 cases with α thalassemia), Hb Osu-Christiansborg in 1 case(with α thalassemia), Hb Hasharon in 1 case(with α thalassemia), Hb Koln in 1 case(with α thalassemia).

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of abnormal hemoglobin diseases in Guangzhou area has been found to be more high, 8 kinds of abnormal hemoglobin are found by HPLC, the HPLC is an effective way to screen the couples of childbearing age for β thalassemia and hemoglobinopathies.