[Objective]To observe the cerebral activating effects of needling in Yanglingquan(GB34) vs a sham point of healthy volunteers based on the technique of fMRI.[Methods]Sixteen healthy volunteers were randomly divided into GB34 group and sham point group,and received needling in the different points on the right side respectfully.Super nuclear magnetic resonance(1.5T,GE Co.) was used to scan the brain and the obtained experimental data of the regional brain were processed and analyzed by method of Region of Interest(ROI).[Results]There was not any difference between needling in GB34 and the sham point in the cerebral activating rate.While the activating number of needling in the sham point was more than that of needling in GB34 in bilateral parietal lobes and right occipital lobe(P

Objective: To evaluate ultrasound biomicroscopy(UBM) in the surgical treatment of glaucoma complicated by cataract and in the observation of the post-operation changes of the anterior chamber angle and its related structure in patients with primary angle-closure glaucoma(PACG).Methods: Combined surgery of phacoemulsification,intraocular lens(IOL) implantation and trabeculectomy was performed in 30 patients(30 eyes) with cataract and PACG.The changes of the anterior chamber angle and anterior chamber distance were determined by UBM before and 1 month after the operation.At the same time,intraocular pressure was recorded and analyzed.Results:Intraocular pressure was obviously decreased after the operation.There were significant differences between pre-and post-operation in ACD,AOD500,TIA and TCPD(P0.05).Conclusion: Combined surgery for glaucoma and cataract could deepen the anterior chamber,widen the chamber angle,and reopen the trabeculae,which contributes to the control of intraocular pressure and reduces postoperative complications such as shallow anterior chamber.Long-term effect of the surgery needs to be further investigated.

Objective To analyze the clinical features of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in pa?tients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) and investigate correlative factors of RBD. Methods Sixty-three consecutive PD pa?tients were included and classified into PD+RBD group (n=28) and PD-RBD group (n=35) according to REM Sleep Be?havior Disorder Questionnaire (RBDQ-HK). The degree of motor symptoms was compared using Unified Parkinson Dis?ease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and Hoehn&Yahr (H-Y) grade, the incidence of non motor symptoms was compared using non motor symptoms questionnaire (NMSquest), and the cognitive function, anxiety, depression, daytime sleep were com?pared using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Epworth Sleep Scale (ESS) between the two groups. Results The incidence of RBD in PD patients was 44.4% (28/63). There were longer illness course ( χ2=12.733, P=0.002), older age (t=-2.292, P=0.025), and higher H-Y grades (χ2=7.014, P=0.008) in PD+RBD group, compared with those in PD-RBD group, but there were no significant differences in sex, onset age, onset form and levodapa dose equivalents (LDE) between the two groups. There were higher UPDRSⅡ,Ⅲ scores (t=-2.734, P=0.008; U=3.329, P=0.001) in PD+RBD group. Most of the non motor symptoms, including the gastrointestinal dysfunctions, psychiatric comorbidity and sleep disturbances were more frequent in PD+RBD group (P<0.05), and the incidence of anxiety and depression were higher (χ2=3.958, P=0.047; χ2=10.338, P=0.001), whereas there were no significant differences in cognitive function and daytime sleep between the two groups. In addition, constipation (OR=7.257), illness course (OR=5.389), UPDRS Ⅲ scores (OR=1.060) were correlative with RBD in PD patients. Con?clusion PD patients with longer illness course, older ages, and severe motor and non motor symptoms more likely suffer from RBD. Besides, constipation, long illness course and high UPDRSⅢscores may be risk factors of RBD.

DPP-4 inhibitors are new oral hypoglycemic drugs and hot spots developed and launched in recent years, and they pro-vide new choices for the clinical treatment of type 2 diabetes. In China, DPP-4 inhibitors that are approved to use in the treatment of type 2 diabetes are all imported products currently. In the paper, the current intellectual property situation of DPP-4 inhibitors that are developed and approved at home and abroad is researched and analyzed. Reasonable use of the patent information of DPP-4 inhibitors that is about to expire or have failed can provide good guidance for the subsequent development of DPP-4 inhibitors in domestic with promising curative effect and good market prospects, and can generate new patents in order to enhance the market competitiveness.

Protozoans,the natural host of the facultative intracellular pathogen Legionella species,play an important role in survival,proliferation,virulence and stress resistance of Legionella species. By repeating transformation and selection,a spontaneous mutant of plasmid over expressing green fluorescent protein was obtained. This mutant replicates and is maintained stably in Legionella cells. The colonies of L. pneumophila harbouring the mutated plasmid were intense green in colour even under the daylight. After feeding BF1 strain of Tetrahymena thermophila with transformed L. pneumophila,the intracellular dynamic of changing of bacterial shape,bacterial proliferation and lysis of the host cell due to the bacterial proliferation were observed clearly under fluorescent microscopy. Thus,the present paper provides a simple and intuitionistic strategy for investigating the ecological and cellular relationship between L. pneumophila and its host.

Smad3 is a major transporter in the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) signaling pathway.It is in charge of the transfer of TGF-β signal from the surface of the cell membrane into the nucleus.The TGF-β signal can be bound to the target gene in the nucleus and regulate its expression.Abnormalities in Smad3 expression level and functional status will lead to abnormal signal transduction,involving cell growth,proliferation,development,differentiation,migration,apoptosis and other basic life activities.This review focused on the differential expression of Smad3 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)and the adjacent tissue.The character of Smad3 in HCC is outlined in three parts:Smad3 upstream signaling source,Smad3 self-assembly maturation and Smad3 downstream effects,which may provide a summary and reference for the follow-up study on Smad3.

Bioactive natural products are the material bases of Chinese materia medica resources. With successful applications of synthetic biology strategies to the researches and productions of taxol, artemisinin and tanshinone, etc, the potential ability of synthetic biology in the sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources has been attracted by many researchers. This paper reviews the development of synthetic biology, the opportunities of sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources, and the progress of synthetic biology applied to the researches of bioactive natural products. Furthermore, this paper also analyzes how to apply synthetic biology to sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources and what the crucial factors are. Production of bioactive natural products with synthetic biology strategies will become a significant approach for the sustainable utilization of Chinese materia medica resources.
Artemisinins ; metabolism ; Biosynthetic Pathways ; Biotechnology ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; genetics ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; metabolism ; Escherichia coli ; metabolism ; Ginsenosides ; genetics ; metabolism ; Metabolic Engineering ; methods ; Paclitaxel ; metabolism ; Saccharomyces cerevisiae ; genetics ; metabolism ; Salvia miltiorrhiza ; genetics ; metabolism ; Synthetic Biology

Objective To evaluate the risk factors associated with in-hospital death in patients co-infected with human immunodeficiency virus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis (HIV-TB). Methods A retrospective case-control study was performed in patients admitted to Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center from November 2004 to May 2009. Fifty-three HIV-TB patients who died during hospitalization were matched with 79 HIV-TB co-infected patients who survived during hospitalization.Clinical, demographic, and radiological characteristics of the two groups were compared by the retrospective case-control study method. Multivariate Logistic stepwise regression analysis was performed to explore the risk factors contributing to death in HIV-TB co-infected patients. Results Among the 459 co-infected patients, 53 (11.5%) cases died during hospitalization and 25 cases died during the first week in hospital. Sixty-four point two percent dead patients (34/53) died from tuberculosis. Several factors were associated with worse prognosis in the death group compared to the survival group, which included body weight≤50 kg (χ2 = 7.50), positive for acid-fast bacilli in sputum smear or culture exam (χ2= 4. 04, 14. 27), drug-resistant/multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection (χ2 =9.00,6.39), extra-pulmonary tuberculosis infection (χ2 =6.99), retreated tuberculosis (χ2 = 5. 92), non-standardized anti-tuberculosis treatment (χ2 = 12. 07), extensive pulmonary TB infection (lesions ≥50% of lung fields, χ2 = 20. 21), co-infection with fungi (χ2 =3.46), respiratory failure (χ2 = 4.27), non-pulmonary organ impairment (χ2 = 3.46), HIV infection longer than 5 years (χ2 = 7. 19), non-standardized highly active antiretroviral therary treatment (χ2 =5.16) and CD4+ T lymphocyte count ≤ 200 × 106/L (χ2= 12.99) (all P＜0. 05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that non-standardized anti-TB treatment, extensive pulmonary TB infection, multi-drug resistant TB infection and CD4+ T lymphocyte count ≤ 200 × 106/L were the major risk factors related to in-hospital mortality. Conclusions Non-standardized anti-TB treatment,extensive pulmonary TB infection, multi-drug resistant TB infection and CD4+ T lymphocyte count ≤200 × 106/L are the major risk factors related to in-hospital mortality in the patients co-infected with TB and HIV.

Objective To study the clinical significance and changes of plasma nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic adernosine monophosphate(cAMP)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate(cGMP) ratio in children with asthma.Methods NO,cAMP,cGMP levels and changes of cAMP/cGMP in 40 asthmatic children in acute attack stage and restoration stage and in 23 health children were measured by nitric acid reductase method and radioimmunoassay.Results 1.the amount of NO 3-/NO 2-in the plasma of asthmatic children in acute attack stage was obviously higher than that in restoration stage and in normal control group(P0.05);6.the results of linear correlation analysis showed that there were positive correlations between plasma NO 3-/NO 2- and plasma cGMP levels in acute attack stage (r=0.401 P

Objective:To observe the efficacy, median progression-free survival (PFS) and adverse reaction induced by rh-endostatin injection (Endostar) plus platin-based chemotherapy for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods:Fifty five histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced NSCLC patients received Endostar combined with platin-based chemotherapy for more than 2 cycles. The evaluated parameters included PFS, response rate (RR), clinical benefit rate (CBR) and adverse reaction. Results:Of the 51 patients who can be evaluated for response, 15 (29.4%) achieved partial response (PR), 27 (52.9%) had stable disease (SD), 9 (17.6%) had progressive disease(PD), no patient had complete response(CR). The overall RR was 29.4% (15/51) and CBR was 82.4% (42/51). The median PFS was 6.3 months. There were no significant differences in the short-term efficacy and PFS between the patients who had different pathological features (P=0.037), those had naive or relapsed diseases (P=0.101), or those received different chemotherapeutic regimens (P=0.232). The total white cells and platelets decreased by 72.7% and 54.5%, respectively. The frequency of grade Ⅲ or Ⅳ neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were 36.4% (20 caces) and 21.8% (12 cases), respectively. Four patients stopped the therapy for adverse reaction. One died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage; one had uncontrolled grade Ⅲ hypertension; one had superventricular arrhythmia; one had grade Ⅳ hepatic dysfunction. Conclusion:The combination of Endostar and platin-based chemotherapy increased the CBR and prolonged the PFS of the patients with advanced NSCLC. The toxicities were tolerable.