OBJECTIVETo explore the influence factors on infectious complications in the patients with primary nephrotic syndrome in the course of using glucocorticoid and immune inhibitors.

METHODS571 hospitalized and some outpatients with primary nephrotic syndrome were retrospectively analysed from January,1992 to June,2001 to explore the relationship between the infectious complication and the dose of glucocorticoid,or the curative course of glucocorticoid, or whether glucocorticoid was united with other immune inhibitors,or the course of disease.

RESULTSThe infectious incidence increased gradually and the degree became more serious along with the increase of the glucocorticoid dose and the prolonging of the curative course. To the patients who failed in the treatment of prednisone(dose > or = 1 mg/(kg.d), curative course 1 month or so), the dose of the prednisone was reduced to 0.5 mg/(kg.d) or so and multiglycosides tripterygii wilfordii tablets or cyclophosphamide united. The infectious complications was decreased and the degree was alleviated obviously for the patients treated with this method for more than 2 months compared with those who only used prednisone(dose > or = 1 mg/(kg.d), curative course >3 month). There was no obvious difference in the infectious incidence among the groups of different course of disease before using glucocorticoid.

CONCLUSIONGlucocorticoid and immune inhibitors must be reasonably applied in order to reduce and alleviate infectious complications for treating primary nephrotic syndromes.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Child ; Cyclophosphamide ; adverse effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infection ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; complications ; drug therapy ; Prednisone ; adverse effects ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation between syndrome types of late-onset acne female patients and constitutions of Chinese medicine (CM).

METHODSA questionnaire was performed in 365 late-onset acne female patients and 135 healthy subjects (as the control) using Professor WANG Qi's. methods and Standards for Chinese Medical Constitutions Classification.

RESULTSTheir CM constitutions were sequenced as damp-heat constitution, yin-deficiency constitution, balanced constitution, yang-deficiency constitution, blood-stasis constitution, qi-stagnation constitution, qi-deficiency constitution, phlegm-damp constitution, inherited special constitution, with statistical difference when compared with those of the control group ( χ2 = 85.206, P < 0.01). In the 365 female late-onset acne patients, 114 (31.23%) were with Chongren imbalance syndrome, 108 (29.59%) were with blood stasis or coagulated phlegm syndrome, 83 (22.74%) were with dampness heat syndrome, and 60 (16.44%) were with wind heat syndrome. There was statistical difference in CM constitution distributions among different CM syndrome types (χ2 = 105.671, P < 0.01). The distribution of CM medical constitutions was different between the two groups. Biased constitutions were often seen in the patient group, while balanced constitution was often seen in the control group. Binary Logistic regression analysis indicated that influencing factors covered sweet food, light diet, roasted food, coffee, stress, work pressure, and family pressure. Of them light diet was one protective factor, while the rest were adverse factors.

CONCLUSIONThe etiology and syndrome types of female late-onset acne female patients were associated with CM constitution.

Acne Vulgaris ; epidemiology ; Body Constitution ; Female ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Syndrome ; Yang Deficiency ; Yin Deficiency

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Female ; Hemagglutination Tests ; Humans ; Influenza A virus ; immunology ; Influenza B virus ; immunology ; Influenza Vaccines ; classification ; immunology ; Influenza, Human ; immunology ; prevention & control ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Safety

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of treatments with the molecular adsorbents recirculating system (MARS) on liver failure patients of severe hepatitis B, in order to seek a safe and effective therapeutic method which contribute to the improved survival rate for severe hepatitis patients.

METHODS52 liver failure patients of severe hepatitis B were performed intermittent MARS therapy for 6 to 8 hours per time in addition to standard medical treatment. Parameters in blood chemical data were collected before and after every treatment and analyzed in comparison with those parameters from controlled groups by means of plasma exchange and standard medical therapy.

RESULTSMARS therapy achieved a remarkable improvement in clinical symptoms and physic signs, accompanied with a significant decrease in serum bilirubin, ammonia, urea nitrogen, fragrant amino acid, endotoxin, IL-6, and TNF-alpha levels (0.05); at the 72 hours bilirubin rebounding analysis. MARS treatments resulted in a significant decrease of bilirubin rebounding level in comparison with what PE did (0.01 ), though the bilirubin removal efficiency between two groups was not statistically significant. The overall survival rate of MARS therapy was 50% (26/52), which was better than that of standard medical therapy (40.5%, 17/42, P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe results indicated that MARS was a safe and promising technology in the field of liver support therapy. It might be associated with considerable improved survival rate for liver failure patients.

Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis B ; complications ; Humans ; Liver Failure ; blood ; mortality ; therapy ; Male ; Renal Dialysis ; Sorption Detoxification ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVESTo observe the effects of pioglitazone on morphological changes and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF b)-induced rat hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in vitro, and to investigate the anti-fibrotic mechanism of pioglitazone.

METHODSCultured rat HSCs were divided into a no-treatment control group, a TGF b-treated group, and a TGFb plus different dosage pioglitazone-treated group. The morphological changes of the cultured HSCs were observed. The expression of CTGF was assessed by immunohistochemistry and flow cytometry. The level of collagen type III in the culture supernatant was measured by ELISA.

RESULTSTGFb induced morphological changes, and increased the expressions of CTGF and collagen type III of the HSCs (P less than 0.05). Pioglitazone prevented the TGFb induced morphological changes of the HSCs. The expression of CTGF and the levels of collagen type III in the pioglitazone group were lower than the TGF b-treated group (P less than 0.05). This prevention effect was dose-dependent (P less than 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPioglitazone blocks the excretion of CTGF and collagen type III of cultured HSCs, preventing the development of liver fibrosis.

Animals ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type III ; secretion ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Hepatic Stellate Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Thiazolidinediones ; pharmacology ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVEThe contents of bererine, palmatine and glycyrrhizin acid in Banxiaxiexintang decoction of different combinations were determined by PR-HPLC.

METHODA Shim-pack CLC-ODS column was used with a mobile phase of CH3CN-H2O (31:69; 0.005 moL.L-1 -pentanesulfonic acid sodium salt, H3PO4: pH 3.0) for bererine andpalmatine, which were detected at the wavelength of 275 nm. A YWG-C18 column was used with a mobile phase of CH3OH-H2O-HAc(62:37:1) for glycyrrhizin acid which was detected at the wavelength of 260 nm.

RESULTEach herbs' combination influences the contents of the 3 components.

CONCLUSIONThe experiment is an attempt to study the comical foundation of traditional Chinese prescription.

Berberine ; analysis ; Berberine Alkaloids ; analysis ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; analysis ; Plant Extracts ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo study the expression and clinical significance of ribosomal S6 kinase-4 (RSK-4) in breast cancer and explore the role of RSK-4 in the genesis and development of breast cancer.

METHODThe expression levels of RSK-4 mRNA and protein were detected in 56 cases of breast cancer and the normal breast tissues, as well as in 20 cases of breast benign lesions, by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSThe expression rates of RSK-4 mRNA in breast cancer, the normal breast tissues and breast benign lesions were 48.2%, 76.8% and 75.0%, respectively. The expression level of RSK-4 mRNA in breast cancer was significantly lower than those in normal breast tissues and breast benign lesions tissues (P < 0.05). The expression level of RSK-4 significantly correlated with tumor size and clinical stage (P < 0.05).The expression rate of RSK-4 protein was 39.3% in breast cancer tissues, which was significantly lower than that of normal breast tissues (71.4%) and breast benign lesions (75.0%, P < 0.01). The expression level of RSK-4 protein was lower in breast cancer with large tumor, high clinical stage and lymph node metastasis. In 56 cases of breast cancer samples, the consistency rate of RSK-4 mRNA and protein was 73.2%. A significant correlation was found between RSK-4 mRNA and protein (χ² = 10.254, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe down-regulation of RSK-4 expression in breast caner suggests that it is a breast cancer suppressor gene, and the lack or down-regulation of RSK-4 expression is involved in the genesis and progression of breast cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Breast ; metabolism ; Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; metabolism ; pathology ; Down-Regulation ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 90-kDa ; genetics ; metabolism ; Tumor Burden ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the expressions of costimulators on peripheral T and B lymphocytes in patients with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP).

METHODSThe expression of B7-CD(28) and CD(40) of peripheral lymphocytes was measured by flow cytometry in 21 ITP patients and 9 normal subjects. The expression of PAIgG was measured by ELISA method.

RESULTSThe expression of CD(4)(+)CD(28)(+) was lower in ITP patients than in normal controls, but the expression of CD(86)(+) and CD(86)(+)CD(19)(+) was higher in ITP patients than in normal controls, while the expression of CD(80)(+), CD(40)(+), CD(28)(+), CD(19)(+)CD(86)(+), CD(19)(+)CD(40)(+), CD(4)(+)CD(28)(+)/CD(4)(+), CD(19)(+)CD(80)(+)/CD(19)(+) and CD(19)(+)CD(40)(+)/CD(19)(+) in ITP patients was normal. The PAIgG level was higher in 16 patients with a mean of (184.62 +/- 38.00) ng/10(7) plt. A positive correlation was found between PAIgG and CD(19)(+)CD(86)(+)/CD(19)(+) expression.

CONCLUSIONThere is no deficiency in expression of CD(28) on CD(4)(+) T lymphocytes in ITP patients. The change of CD(86) expression on B lymphocytes is possibly involved in pathophysiology of ITP, which may provide a theoretical instruction for ITP patients immunological therapy.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Antigens, CD ; blood ; Blood Platelets ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Lymphocytes ; chemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic ; blood

Animals ; Gene Expression ; Genetic Therapy ; Male ; Mice ; Spermatogenesis ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Testis ; metabolism ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo observe the function of gamma delta T lymphocytes and the polymorphism of T cell receptor V delta chain in the lungs of asthmatic patients and explore the role of gamma delta T cells in airway inflammation.

METHODSBronchoalveolar lavage fluid BALF was obtained from 7 asthmatic patients and 7 healthy control individuals. The percentage of gamma delta T cell in BALF was measured by flow cytometry. The gamma delta T cell in BALF was purified by magnetic labeled beads. Proliferous activity was examined by MTT assay. Cytokines secreted by gamma delta T cells in medium was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Polymorphism of T cell receptor V delta chain was detected by RT-PCR and gene scan analysis.

RESULTSThe proportion of gamma delta T cell in the BALF of asthmatic patients [(6.39+/-0.71)%] was significantly higher than that in control subjects [(2.62+/-0.37)%] (P<0.01). The proportion of macrophage in the BALF of asthmatic patients [(81+/-4)] was significantly lower than that in control subjects [(86+/-2)] (P<0.05). The proliferation rate of asthmatic patients [(284.2+/-43.6)%] was significantly higher than that of control subjects [(217.5+/-59.5)%] (P<0.05). Interleukin-4 secreted by gamma delta T cells of asthmatic patients [(18.9+/-3.1) pg/ml)] significantly increased when compared with the control subjects [(14.1+/-3.0) pg/ml] (P<0.05). The polymorphism of T cell receptor V delta chain was not significantly different between these two groups.

CONCLUSIONSThe increase of gamma delta T cells in the lung of asthmatic patients further exacerbates Th1/Th2 disturbance and airway inflammation. Antigen recognition by gamma delta T cells is non-specific.

Adult ; Asthma ; genetics ; immunology ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; cytology ; Case-Control Studies ; Cell Proliferation ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Female ; Genes, T-Cell Receptor delta ; genetics ; Genes, T-Cell Receptor gamma ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Variable Region ; genetics ; Lung ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; immunology ; metabolism ; Th1-Th2 Balance