To observe the effects of early intervention with effective components from a Chinese herbal formula (Huannao Yicong formula, HNYCF) on behavior and related indicators of cholinergic system in β-amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mice.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect and explore the mechanism of Huannao Yicong capsule in treating senile patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: The investigational drugs were packed by blind method. A randomized, double-blind and controlled trial was conducted on ninety senile patients with MCI. Other forty-five senile healthy persons were recruited to the healthy control group. The ninety senile patients were randomly divided into the Huannao Yicong capsule-treated group (45 patients administered with three Huannao Yicong capsules and two aniracetam capsule analogues) and aniracetam-treated group (45 patients treated with two aniracetam capsules and three Huannao Yicong capsule analogues). Patients in the two groups were treated three times daily for 16 weeks. Memory, traditional Chinese medicine syndrome, cerebral blood flow, free radicals and inflammatory mediators, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), acetylcholinesterase (AchE), interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were determined before and after the treatment. Blood lipids, including triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein A-1 (ApoA-1) and apolipoprotein B-100 (ApoB-100), were detected before and after the treatment. The safety indexes, such as routine tests of blood and urine, hepatic and renal function tests and electrocardiogram (ECG) were taken before and after the treatment. RESULTS: Index score of clinical memory scale in senile healthy people was significantly higher than that in MCI patients before treatment (P<0.01), and the content of AchE, IL-1alpha and IL-6 was obviously lower (P<0.01, P<0.05), the activity of SOD was higher (P<0.05). No significant difference was found in direction memory of clinical memory scale between the two treatment groups. Other index scores of clinical memory scale and traditional Chinese medicine syndrome in patients of Huannao Yicong capsule-treated group were significantly improved as compared with those of the aniracetam-treated group (P<0.05, P<0.01). The blood flow parameters of anterior cerebral artery, posterior cerebral artery and resistant index in patients of Huannao Yicong capsule-treated group were increased significantly (P<0.01, P<0.05). Huannao Yicong capsule could significantly increase the activity of serum SOD and decrease the content of AchE, IL-1alpha and IL-6 (P<0.01, P<0.05), better than aniracetam. Furthermore, Huannao Yicong capsule could significantly improve the blood lipid, such as the level of TG, LDL-C, HDL-C, ApoA-1 and ApoB-100 (P<0.01, P<0.05), and better than aniracetam (P<0.01, P<0.05). No significant changes were found after treatment in safety indexes, such as routine tests of blood and urine, hepatic and renal function tests and ECG. CONCLUSION: Huannao Yicong capsule has better therapeutic effect than aniracetam capsule in treating senile mild cognitive impairment.

Objective To discuss the feasibility of establishing the model of combining myocardial ischemic coronary disease with syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis by surgical method.Methods Non-disease of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome model was built by taking the methods of fright, being placed in a cold environment and injection of hydrocortisone. The model of combining the myocardial ischemic coronary disease with the syndrome of kidney deficiency and blood stasis was established through ligating the left anterior descending branch of artery and injecting hydrocortisone. The rats were divided into kidney deficiency and blood stasis group, combination of disease and syndrome group, and normal group, 5 rats in each group. The temperature, weight, heart rate, breathing rate and whole blood viscosity, casson viscosity of the rats in the two groups before and after modeling were observed. According to TCM clinical diagnosis criteria of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome, TCM syndrome characteristics of the two groups were compared.ResultsCompared with normal groups and before modeling, rat temperature dropped and breathing rate increased in kidney deficiency and blood stasis group, combination of disease and syndrome group (P<0.05). Compared with normal group, rat weight decreased or grew slowly, and whole blood viscosity and casson viscosity increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). There were statistical significant differences in whole blood viscosity and electrocardiogram between the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusion There is no obvious difference between TCM syndrome characteristics of the two groups. They all meet the TCM clinical diagnosis criteria of kidney deficiency and blood stasis syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the correlation of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) and precancerous lesion with HPV infection subtypes and possible clinical relationship. METHOD: Eighty-three cases in paraffin embedded tissues were detected with thirty seven HPV subtypes by flow-through hybridization and gene chip (HybriMax), including 31 cases of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma, 52 cases of precancerous lesions (29 cases of vocal cord leukoplakia and 23 cases of laryngeal papilloma), and 36 cases of vocal cord polyp as normal vocal mucosa were used as control. RESULT: The total positive rate of HPV was 19.4% in the group of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (6/31), 0 in vocal cord leukoplakia, 65.2% in laryngeal papilloma (15/23), and the control group were all negative, HPV virus subtype of HPV-positive laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma were all high-risk HPV16; and there were 6 HPV virus subtypes in laryngeal papilloma (8: HPV6,4: HPV52, 1: HPV11, 1: HPV18, 2: HPV45, 3: HPV16), individual mixing two or more subtypes infection. HPV infection of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous lesions has no statistically significant difference according to gender, high low-risk subtypes. CONCLUSION HPV infection related to laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and precancerous lesions, but no significant correlation with the subtype distribution of high and low risk; HPV detection is making positive sense to clinical diagnosis of laryngeal carcinoma and precancerous lesions as well as the development of specific HPV subtype vaccine.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; complications ; virology ; Genotype ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; complications ; virology ; Human papillomavirus 11 ; Humans ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; complications ; virology ; Papilloma ; complications ; virology ; Papillomaviridae ; classification ; Papillomavirus Infections ; complications ; virology ; Precancerous Conditions ; Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck

Animals ; Cannabinoid Receptor Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Cannabinoids ; pharmacology ; Fibrosis ; metabolism ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; etiology ; metabolism ; therapy ; Piperidines ; therapeutic use ; Pyrazoles ; therapeutic use ; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB1 ; metabolism ; Receptor, Cannabinoid, CB2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Cannabinoid ; metabolism ; Scleroderma, Diffuse ; metabolism ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Skin ; metabolism ; Smad Proteins ; metabolism ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the genotype of staphylococcal chromosomal cassette mec (SCCmec) in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from burn wards and its current status of drug resistance.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-nine strains of Staphylococcus aureus were isolated from wound excretion, blood, and sputum samples of patients that were admitted to ICU or public wards of our Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery from September 2012 to September 2013. Among them, 68 strains were from ICU and 111 strains from public wards. The MRSA phenotype of Staphylococcus aureus was detected with cefoxitin K-B disk diffusion method, and the isolation rates of MRSA in ICU and public wards were compared. Genotyping of SCCmec was performed by PCR in strains of MRSA. In the meantime, the identification result of MRSA by K-B method was verified through detecting methicillin-resistant determinant mecA. The antimicrobial resistance of MRSA and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) to 23 kinds of commonly used antibiotics in clinic were detected by K-B disk diffusion method. Except for the antibiotics to which the resistant rates of MRSA were 100.0% or 0, the resistant rates of SCCmecIII MRSA and non-SCCmec III MRSA to the rest of antibiotics were compared. Data were processed with Pearson chi-square test or corrected chi-square test.

RESULTSOne hundred and forty-eight strains out of the 179 Staphylococcus aureus were identified as MRSA (accounting for 82.7%), among which 62 were originated from ICU and 86 from public wards. The rest 31 strains of Staphylococcus aureus were MSSA, accounting for 17.3%. The percentage of MRSA in the isolated Staphylococcus aureus was 91.2% (62/68) in ICU, which was significantly higher than that in the public wards [77.5% (86/111), χ2 = 5.526, P = 0.019]. PCR detection showed that the 148 strains of MRSA harbored the mecA gene, out of which 106 strains were SCCmec III positive, accounting for 71.6%. The percentages of SCCmec III type MRSA in MRSA isolated from ICU and public wards were respectively 72.6% (45/62) and 70.9% (61/86), showing no statistically significant difference (χ2 = 0.048, P = 0.826). The 148 strains of MRSA were 100.0% resistant to a total of 8 kinds of antibiotics including penicillin and cephalosporins, but it was 0 for vancomycin, teicoplanin, linezolid, tigecycline, nitrofurantoin, and quinupristin/dalfopristin. Except for the 6 kinds of antibiotics to which the resistant rates of MRSA and MSSA were 0, resistant rates of MRSA to the remaining 17 kinds of antibiotics were significantly higher than those of MSSA (with χ2 values from 4.091 to 138.546, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Resistant rates of the 106 strains of SCCmecIII type MRSA to levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, rifampicin, tetracycline, erythrocin, lincomycin, gentamicin, clindamycin were respectively 56.6% (60/106), 85.8% (91/106), 89.6% (95/106), 86.8% (92/106), 84.9% (90/106), 78.3% (83/106), 92.5% (98/106), 74.5% (79/106), and they were significantly higher than those of the 42 strains of non-SCCmec III type MRSA [33.3% (14/42), 61.9% (26/42), 71.4% (30/42), 66.7% (28/42), 69.0% (29/42), 57.1% (24/42), 71.4% (30/42), 52.4% (22/42), with χ2 values from 4.801 to 11.377, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01].

CONCLUSIONSIsolation rate of MRSA from burn wards in our hospital is high, and drug resistance status of this strain against antibiotics is very serious. SCCmec III is the major genotype of the isolated MRSA, but no strains resistant to the glycopeptide antibiotics are found.

Anti-Bacterial Agents ; pharmacology ; Burns ; microbiology ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Genes, Bacterial ; genetics ; Genotype ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Staphylococcal Infections ; drug therapy ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Huannao Yicong formula (HNYCF) extract on behavior and ultrastructure of mitochondria in hippocampus CA1 area of APP transgenic mice of different months, and explore its partial mechanism in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) through the perspective of energy metabolism.

METHODOne hundred and twenty APP695V717I transgenic mice of 3-month old were divided randomly into model group, Donepezil group (0.65 x 10(-3) g x kg(-1) x d(-1)), HNYCF extract large dose group (2.8 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)) and HNYCF extract small dose group (1.4 g x kg(-1) x d(-1)), and 30 mice in each group. Another 30 C57BL/6J mice with the same age and background were used as normal control group. All animals were administered once daily by gavage with the corresponding drug or distilled water. The course of intervention was 4 and 6 months. Behavioral changes were observed by Morris water maze test and step down test. Ultrastructure of mitochondria in hippocampus CA1 area was observed by transmission electron microscope.

RESULTAt the age of 7 and 9 month, the number of times of passing through platform, swimming time and path length of model group increased significantly (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in Morris water maze test, and the latent period decreased (P < 0.01) in step down test compared with normal group, and it would get worse with the development of disease course. HNYCF extract could increase the number of times of passing through platform, swimming time and path length (P < 0.05, P < 0.01) in Morris water maze test, prolong latent period in step down test of different age. At the age of 7 and 9 month, mitochondrial of hippocampus CA1 area was disrupted and dissolved. Most ridge structure arranged in a mess, and some ridge showed expanding, matrix loosing and swollen appearance, and it would get worse with the development of disease course. HNYCF extract could improve ultrastructure of mitochondria in hippocampus CA1 area, and increase its quality.

CONCLUSIONLearning and memory ability decreased in APP transgenic mice model, and the quantity of neural mitochondria in hippocampus CA1 area with structure disrupting, and it would get worse with the development of disease course. HNYCF extract could improve the learning and memory ability of APP transgenic mice model, its mechanism might relate with improving ultrastructure of mitochondria in hippocampus, and increasing its quantity.

Age Factors ; Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Animals ; Behavior, Animal ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Hippocampus ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Male ; Maze Learning ; drug effects ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Mice, Transgenic ; Mitochondria ; drug effects ; ultrastructure ; Random Allocation ; Specific Pathogen-Free Organisms

Background: Isolated systolic hypertension (ISH) is a common disease in elderly people, threatening their health. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment or integrative treatment had advantages in improving quality of life and protecting target organs, but need to be proved by large evidence-based researches. Objective: To observe the effects of TCM treatment (Jiangya Capsule) or integrative treatment (combination of Jiangya Capsule and nimodipine) on blood pressure and vasoactive agents, and their safety in elderly ISH patients. Design, setting, participants and interventions: A multicenter, randomized, double-blind controlled trial was adopted. A total of 270 elderly ISH patients recruited from Xiyuan Hospital, and TCM Hospital and Community Health Service Centers of Yanqing County of Beijing were randomly divided into 3 groups: TCM group (Jiangya Capsule plus nimodipine simulation, 90 cases), integrative group (Jiangya Capsule plus nimodipine, 90 cases) and Western medicine (WM) group (nimodipine plus Jiangya Capsule simulation, 90 cases). They were all treated for 4 weeks. Main outcome measures: Before and after 4-week treatment, office blood pressure, 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure, serum nitric oxide (NO), and plasma endothelin-1 (ET-1), thromboxane B2 (TXB2) and 6-keto-prostaglandin 1alpha (6-keto-PGF1alpha) were detected, and safety evaluation was conducted. Results: After 4-week treatment, 5 patients in TCM group were lost to follow-up and another 5 patients were excluded, and 80 patients finished the trial; 7 patients in integrative group were lost to follow-up and another 7 patients were excluded, and 76 patients finished the trial; 2 patients in WM group were lost to follow-up and another 3 patients were excluded, and 85 patients finished the trial. After treatment, systolic blood pressure (SBP) decreased in each group (P<0.05), and integrative treatment was superior to TCM or WM treatment in decreasing SBP (P<0.05). Twenty-four hour average SBP and day average SBP decreased significantly in each group, and night average SBP decreased in integrative group, and integrative treatment was superior to TCM or WM treatment in decreasing day average SBP. Serum NO and plasma 6-keto-PGF1alpha levels were elevated and plasma ET-1 and TXB(2) levels were reduced after treatment, and integrative treatment was superior to TCM or WM treatment in reducing plasma TXB(2) level. Conclusion: TCM treatment or integrative treatment has affirmative effects and safety in treating elderly ISH patients, and integrative treatment has superiority in improving some indexes, and deserves further study.

Objective:To explore the influence of flipped classroom combined with case-based learning (CBL) teaching mode on teaching effect of X-ray cephalometric analysis in orthodontic experimental class.Methods:In the study, 70 undergraduates majoring in stomatology were selected as research objects and randomized into teaching reform group and traditional group in average. Flipped classroom combined with CBL teaching mode was adopted in teaching reform group, while traditional group adopted traditional teaching mode. Questionnaire was used to investigate the students' evaluation on the two teaching modes, and the accuracy of the measurement of X-ray cephalometrics of the two groups was compared and analyzed respectively. GraphPad Prism 7.03 software was used to perform t test and chi-square test. Results:Teaching reform group believed that this kind of teaching mode could improve the ability of self-study, communication coordination ability, independent problem solving ability, and logic and language expression ability, deepen the understanding of the project connotation, and apply the X-ray cephalometrics to the actual clinical case analysis and diagnosis. Compared with the traditional group, there were significant differences ( P<0.05). In the accuracy evaluation of measurement values, the absolute values of 70% measurement items in teaching reform group were higher than those in the traditional group, but the difference was not statistically significant ( P>0.05). Only in bone type Ⅲ malocclusion, the absolute values of Y-axis angle and FMA were lower than those of the traditional group, and the difference was statistically significant ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Flipped classroom combined with CBL teaching mode can help students improve self-study ability, communication cooperation ability and the ability of solving problem independently and clinical application. However, the accuracy evaluation of measurement values in teaching reform group were lower than that of the traditional group, indicating that this teaching method in the experimental teaching of X-ray cephalometric analysis needs to be further improved.

Objective To investigate the expression levels of FOXO1 and SMAD4 in esophageal cancer (EC) tissues and their associations with clinicopathological features and prognosis. Methods Tissue samples of cancerous and adjacent non-cancerous tissues were collected from 131 EC patients. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining was performed to observe the pathological morphology of EC and adjacent tissues. The mRNA expression of FOXO1 and SMAD4 was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), while the protein expression of FOXO1 and SMAD4 was determined by immunohistochemistry; Spearman's correlation analysis was employed to assess the correlation between FOXO1 and SMAD4 protein expression in EC tissues; Cox regression analysis was conducted to analyze factors influencing the prognosis of EC patients; Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to perform survival analysis for EC patients. Results The expression of FOXO1 mRNA and its protein positive expression rate were significantly higher in the EC tissues than those in the adjacent tissues, whereas the expression of SMAD4 mRNA and its protein positive expression rate were significantly lower (P < 0.05). FOXO1 and SMAD4 were associated with tumor diameter, tumor differentiation, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage (P < 0.05). A negative correlation was observed between FOXO1 and SMAD4 protein expression in EC tissues (r=-0.419, P < 0.05). FOXO1, SMAD4, tumor diameter, differentiation, lymph node metastasis and TNM stage were identified as factors influencing mortality in EC patients (P < 0.05). The 3-year overall survival rate of EC patients was 84.73% (111/131). The 3-year cumulative survival rate was significantly lower in the EC patients with positive FOXO1 expression than in thosewith negative FOXO1 expression (P < 0.05), while it was significantly higher in patients with positive SMAD4 expression than in those with negative SMAD4 expression (P < 0.05). Conclusion The positive expression rate of FOXO1 is higher, while that of SMAD4 is lower in EC tissues. Their protein expressions were associated with clinicopathological features and prognosis in EC patients. FOXO1 and SMAD4 may serve as important biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of EC.