Objective To assess the efficacy and safety of topiramate monotherapy in the treatment of alcohol de?pendence. Methods The Cochrane library, PunMed, EMBase, CNKI, VIP and CBM database were searched to collect the randomized contolled trials (RCTs) of topiramate monotherapy to compare with placebo or positive control drug in al?cohol dependence. Data were extracted from the included literatures after the literatures’qualities were assessed. The meta-analyses were conducted with RevMan 5.2 software. Results Thirteen trials were included. Compared with place?bo, topiramate reduced score of obsessive compulsive drinking scale(MD=-5.90,95%CI:-10.99~-0.82,P=0.02), de?creased drinks per drinking day(MD=-6.94,95%CI:-12.20~-1.68,P=0.01), and increased percentage of days absti?nent(MD=15.36,95%CI:4.15~6.56,P<0.01). The incidence of paraesthesia, taste perversion, weight loss, memory or concentration impairment, dizziness, psychomotor retardation in topiramate group was higher. But the incidence of other adverse events was similar between groups. Compared with naltrexone, topiramate significantly postponed the days to first relapse(MD=2.10,95%CI:0.23~3.97,P=0.03). The adverse events were similar between groups. Conclusions Topira?mate in treatment of alcohol dependence is effective and safety.

The Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling pathway plays a pivotal role in neurogenesis and brain damage repair. Our previous work demonstrated that the SHH signaling pathway was involved in the neuroprotection of cortical neurons against oxidative stress. The present study was aimed to further examine the underlying mechanism. The cortical neurons were obtained from one-day old Sprague-Dawley neonate rats. Hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2), 100 μmol/L) was used to treat neurons for 24 h to induce oxidative stress. Exogenous SHH (3 μg/mL) was employed to activate the SHH pathway, and cyclopamine (20 μmol/L), a specific SHH signal inhibitor, to block SHH pathway. LY294002 (20 μmol/L) were used to pre-treat the neurons 30 min before H(2)O(2) treatment and selectively inhibit the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway. The cell viability was measured by MTT and apoptosis rate by flow cytometry analysis. The expression of p38, p-p38, ERK, p-ERK, Akt, p-Akt, Bcl-2, and Bax in neurons was detected by immunoblotting. The results showed that as compared with H(2)O(2) treatment, exogenous SHH could increase the expression of p-Akt by 20% and decrease the expression of p-ERK by 33%. SHH exerted no significant effect on p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway. Blockade of PI3K/Akt pathway by LY294002 decreased the cell viability by 17% and increased the cell apoptosis rate by 2-fold. LY294002 treatment could up-regulate the expression of the pro-apoptotic gene Bax by 12% and down-regulate the expression of the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl-2 by 54%. In conclusion, SHH pathway may activate PI3K/Akt pathway and inhibit the activation of the ERK pathway in neurons under oxidative stress. The PI3K/Akt pathway plays a key role in the neuroprotection of SHH. SHH/PI3K/Bcl-2 pathway may be implicated in the protection of neurons against H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis.

Objective To explore the feasibility of excluding oral 75 g glucose tolerance test (OGTT)in pregnant women with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ＜4.4 mmol/L in middle and late trimester.Methods From February 1,2012 to August 31,2013,18 851 pregnant women without pre-gestational diabetes mellitus who received 75 g OGTT in Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province,China,at 24-28 weeks of gestation were enrolled.The criteria for gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) were FPG ＞5.1 mmol/L and/or 1 h plasma glucose ＞10.0 mmol/L and/or 2 h plasma glucose ＞8.5 mmol/L in OGTT.The values of FPG in predicting GDM were analyzed with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.The differences of detection rates for GDM among women of different ages,women with different FPG levels,and those with or without risk factors of GDM were compared by x2 test and Fisher's exact test.Results The overall detection rate of GDM was 9.11％(1 718/18 851).The detection rate of GDM was lower in women aged ＜ 25 years than women aged 25-,30-and ≥ 35 years [4.77％ (137/2 875) vs 7.76％ (803/10 350),12.43％ (552/4 440)and 19.06％ (226/1 186),respectively,x2=30.53,120.24 and 210.66,all P＜0.01].The sensitivity and specificity were 55％ and 68％,respectively,when the cutoff value of FPG was 4.4 mmol/L,and the Youden index was 0.23 and the area under the ROC curve was 0.61 (95％CI:0.59-0.63,P＜0.01).The sensitivity and specificity were 40％ and 80％,respectively,when the cutoff value was 4.5 mmol/L,and the Youden index was 0.20 and the area under the ROC curve was 0.61 (95％CI:0.59-0.63,P＜0.01).The missed diagnosis rate was lower when the cutoff point of FPG was defined as 4.4 mmol/L.The detection rate for GDM was 3.45％ (384/11 121) in women with FPG ＜4.4 mmol/L,significantly lower than in those with FPG ≥ 4.4 but ＜5.1 mmol/L and ≥ 5.1 mmol/L [8.06％ (561/6 957) and 100.00％ (773/773),x2=183.66 and 7 672.08,all P＜0.01].When FPG was ＜4.4 mmol/L or ≥ 4.4 but ＜5.1 mmol/L,the detection rate for GDM was significantly higher in women with GDM risk factors than in those without [5.09％ (118/2 318) and 10.75％ (184/1 712) vs 3.02％ (266/8 803) and 7.19％ (377/5 245),x2=23.56 and 22.06,P＜0.01].Conclusion OGTT may not be included in GDM screening in the pregnant women with FPG＜4.4 mmol/L and without GDM risk factors in the areas lack of medical resources.

Objective To explore the role and clinical significance of interleukin-6(IL-6) in children with bronchial asthma.Methods Sera were collected from 29 cases with asthmatic attacks,32 asthmatic children who in stable conditions,and 20 health children.Serum IL-6 concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay(RIA).Results 1.Asthmatic children appeared significantly higher levels of serum IL-6 during asthmatic attacks as compared to those in stable conditions and healthy ones respectively(P3 years old had significantly higher serum IL6 concentrations than ≤3 years old children in remission.Conclusion IL-6 may participate pathogenesis of asthma,and it may play different biological roles during asthmatic attacksas or stable conditions.

Objective To investigate the clinical value of 99Tcm-MIBI gated G-MPI in detecting the myocardial damage in sarcoglycanopathy.Methods 99 Tcm - MIBI G - MPI was performed in 8 patients (3 males,5 females,age ranged from 10 to 30 y) with sarcoglycanopathy confirmed by clinical results and molecular pathology and 4 healthy persons as control group.Quantitative gated SPECT (QGS) software was used for processing and interpretation.Myocardium of left ventricle was divided into 7 segments and 20 subsegments.A five-point scoring system was used to evaluate the myocardial damage.Results Seven patients showed positive results in G-MPI (7/8).Fifty-nine sub-segments of injured myocardium were detected in the 140 sub-segments of 7 abnormal patients.One abnormal segment was observed in 1 patient,two abnormal segments were detected in 2 patients,and ≥3 abnormal segments were observed in 4 patients.Enlarged left ventricles were detected in 5 patients (5/8),and the LVEF of 3 patients among them decreased to (43.1 ±2.8)％.Conclusion 99Tcm-MIBI G-MPI can detect myocardial damage in sarcoglycanopathy as a direct and non-invasive method,and can be used in the early diagnosis and long-term follow-up in sarcoglycanopathy.

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of combined acupuncture and psychological desensitization therapy for anxiety in those with heroin addiction.Methods:All 90 cases were randomly allocated into a treatment group (45 cases) and a control group (45 cases).Cases in the treatment group received 30 min of combined acupuncture and psychological desensitization therapy for each treatment,twice a week and 8 weeks in total,whereas cases in the control group received no treatment.After that,the anxiety score and state were observed.In addition,the mental state prior to and after cue-elicited heroin craving was evaluated.Results:The total and standard scores of anxiety in the treatment group were significantly reduced compared to the control group (P＜0.05),coupled with a significant reduction of heroin craving (P＜0.01).Conclusion:Combined acupuncture and psychological desensitization can alleviate anxiety and inhibit the short-term heroin craving.

Objective To investigate the reliability and practicality of Chinese version the hearing handicap in-ventory for the elderly -screening version(HHIE -S) scale for elderly hearing screening in China .Methods We compared the HHIE -S scores with results of pure -tone audiometry test .A total of 840 Chinese individuals older than 60 years filled in the scale all by themselves first ,then refilled it according to explanations of each question translated by researchers .All participants finished pure -tone audiometry test with frequencies of 0 .25 ,0 .5 ,1 .0 , 2 .0 ,and 4 .0 kHz .Sensitivity ,specificity ,positive predictive value (PPV ) ,false-negative rate and false -positive rate were compared with HHIE -S cut -off points of >8 or >10 and pure-tone averages (PTAs) greater than 25 ,40 and 60 dB HL .Analysis the area under the curve (AUC) values of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves for each three PTA levels .Results Cronbach's α of the scale was 0 .85 .HHIE -S scale pre -explanatory score was 7 .6 ± 10 .6 ,and post-explanatory score was 10 .8 ± 16 .7(P<0 .01) .HHIE -S> 8 points higher than H HIE-S> 10 points in the sensitivity ,positive predictive value increase ,specificity ,false-positive rate ,false negative rate decreased ,paired samples t - test sensitivity and false -negative rate (P< 0 .05) .After the guide meanwhile HHIE-S cut-off points of > 8 when grouping with PTA> 25 dB HL ,PTA> 40 dB HL and PTA>60 dB HL ,conducted ROC curve analysis ,the AUC value was 0 .70 ± 0 .03 ,0 .84 ± 0 .01 and 0 .88 ± 0 .02 .Conclusion The score of HHIE-S scale>8 points can be used when PTA> 40 dB HL as goal for hearing loss of old people , it can be more accurate after explanations ,so HHIE-S scale can be used as a preliminary hearing screening method for Chinese elderly people .

The metabonomics method was used to study the intervention effect of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill" on the changes in serum endogenous metabolites in spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea rats before and after processing, screen out differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and explore the metabolic patterns related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea and the processing synergy mechanism of Psoraleae Fructus and Myristicae Semen in "Ershen pill". Efforts were made to detect SOD and MDA of each group, test rat serum metabolic fingerprints in different stages by using GC-MS, analyze by PCA and PLS-DA methods and screen out potential biomarks through VIP and t test. The results revealed that "Ershen pill" could enhance the level of SOD and decrease the level of MDA and identified 10 differentiated metabolites related to spleen-kidney Yang deficiency diarrhea. Compared with the model group, all of metabolites recovered to varying levels after being intervened with "Ershen pill", with the best effect shown in the "Ershen pill" IV group (salt-processed Psoraleae Fructus + bran-roasted Myristicae Semen). It is speculated that that Psoraleae Fructus and Semen Myristicae in "Ershen pill" show a synergistic effect by inhibiting peroxide, improving aglucolipid, amino acids and energy metabolism, with multiple target sites.
Animals ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Diarrhea ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Energy Metabolism ; drug effects ; Humans ; Kidney ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Metabolomics ; Myristicaceae ; chemistry ; Psoralea ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Yang Deficiency ; drug therapy ; metabolism

The objective of this study is to explore the application possibility of chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFPbeta1 nanoparticles in the transfection of synovial-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SDMSCs). Chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFbeta1 nanoparticles were fabricated through method of ionic crosslinking. The SDMSCs were harvested from rabbit joints and cultured to passage 3. The SDMSCs were then transfected with chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFbeta1 nanoparticles. Scanning electronic microscope (SEM) was employed to detect the shape and diameter of the nanoparticles. The transfected SDMSCs were examined under the fluorescence microscope and detected through the flow cytometry (FCM). The SEM examination showed that the contour of the fabricated chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFbeta1 nanoparticles was round and its average diameter was 50 nm. After being cultured for 48 h, the SDMSCs transfected by chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFbeta1 nanoparticles could be detected under the fluorescence microscope, and the live SDMSCs could also be examined through FCM. The transfection rate was 8% - 10%. Therefore, it suggested that the chitosan/pcDNA-EGFP-TGFbeta1 nanoparticles fabricated through the method of ionic crosslinking could transfect the SDMSCs, but the transfection rate should be improved.
Animals ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Genetic Vectors ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Nanoparticles ; chemistry ; Rabbits ; Transfection ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo predict part of medicinal properties of traditional Chinese medicine components and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces by using the traditional Chinese medicinal property data prediction platform, in order to establish the relationship between properties of traditional Chinese medicine components and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces.

METHODThe properties of traditional Chinese medicine components were predicted by using the medicinal property data prediction platform based on the pharmacological effects of the components.

RESULTThe total sum of identical or similar results of the prediction for the properties of traditional Chinese medicine components and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces accounted for over 75%.

CONCLUSIONThe self-similarity exists between properties of traditional Chinese medicine components and traditional Chinese medicine decoction pieces, which reflects the inheritance, additivity and emergence among different properties of traditional Chinese medicines.