Objective To evaluate the efficacy of nerve block combined with oral administration drugs on postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods 40 patients were assigned into 2 groups: group A (n=20) accepted carbamazepine, doxepin, diclofenac sodium, and vitamin B compound; while group B (n=20) combined with intercostal nerve block. The pain was assessed with visual analogue scale (VAS) before, 3 weeks and 6 months after treatment. Results The scores of VAS decreased significantly after treatment compared with the baseline in groups B (P<0.01), but only 3 weeks after treatment in group A, and it decreased more in group B than in group A (P<0.01) at any time after treatment. Conclusion Nerve block combined with oral administration drugs is effective on PHN.

The instability of secondary metabolite production is a ubiquitous problem in plant cell culture. To understand the instability, the investigation of anthocyanin accumulation in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera, as a model system, has been initiated in our laboratory. Suspension culture of a relatively homogeneous cell line E of V. vinifera, was established by long-term cell line selection by anthocyanin content differentiation. The aggregate size of E was smaller than that of other cell lines obtained by routine screening method. The variation coefficients of anthocyanin content in suspension cultures of E were 8.7% in long-term subcultures and 5% in repeated flasks, respectively. The effects of elicitor, precursor feeding and light irridiation on biomass and anthocyanin accumulation in suspension cultures of E had been investigated and the results showed that all the variation coefficients were lower than 12% and this indicated the importance of homogeneity on stable production in plant cell culture. With the combination treatment of 30micromol/L phenylalanine and 218micromol/L methyl jasmonate in the dark in suspension cultures of E, the anthocyanin content and production in suspension culture of E was 5.89-fold and 4.30-fold of the controls, respectively, and all the variation coefficients of biomass and anthocyanin accumulation were lower than those of the controls in 5 successive subcultures.
Anthocyanins ; biosynthesis ; Biomass ; Cell Proliferation ; Light ; Suspensions ; Vitis ; cytology ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDMutations in fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) gene can lead to tyrosinemia type 1 (HT1), a relatively rare autosomal recessive disorder. To date, no molecular genetic defects of HT1 in China have been described. We investigated a Chinese family with a HT1 child to identify mutations in FAH.

METHODSDNA sequencing was used for mutations screening in FAH gene. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed to determine the FAH gene expression level. To confirm the presence of degradation by the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay pathway (NMD), the fragments containing R237X mutations were analyzed by primer introduced restriction analysis-polymerase chain reaction (PIRA-PCR) and cDNA sequencing. Finally, the effects of the mutations reported in this study were predicted by online softwares.

RESULTSA boy aged 3 years and 8 months was diagnosed clinically with HT1 based on his manifestations and biochemical abnormalities. Screening of FAH gene revealed two heterozygous mutations R237X and L375P transmitted from his mother and father respectively. In this pedigree, the amount of FAH mRNA relative to a healthy control was 0.44 for the patient, 0.77 for his mother and 1.07 for his father. Moreover, both PIRA-PCR and cDNA sequencing showed significant reduction of the FAH mRNA with R237X nonsense mutation. The missense mutation of L375P was not reported previously and prediction software showed that this mutation decreased the stability of protein structure and affected protein function.

CONCLUSIONSThis is the first case of HT1 analyzed by molecular genetics in China. The R237X mutation in FAH down- regulates the FAH gene expression, and the L375P mutation perhaps interrupts the secondary structure of FAH protein.

Child, Preschool ; China ; Humans ; Hydrolases ; genetics ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation ; Mutation, Missense ; genetics ; Nonsense Mediated mRNA Decay ; genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tyrosinemias ; genetics

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; analysis ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Liver Diseases ; virology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mutation ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Promoter Regions, Genetic

The low-production is a ubiquitous problem and has prevented the commercialization of secondary metabolite production in plant cell culture. In order to examine the effective approaches to improvement of secondary metabolite production in plant cell culture, the investigation of anthocyanins accumulation in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera, as a model system, had been initiated in our laboratory. In this present research, various elicitors and the precursor of phenylalanine were used in combination to enhance the anthocyanins production in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera. And an integrated process with the combination of elicitation, precursor feeding and light irradiation was reported for rational bioprocess design. Among the combination treatment of phenylalanine feeding and several elicitors (methyl-beta-cyclodextrin, dextran T-40, methyl jasmonate, extracts of Aspergillus niger and Fusarium orthoceras), the combination with methyl jasmonate gave the highest anthocyanins production in suspension cultures of Vitis vinifera. When compared to the controls, the anthocyanins content (CV/g, FCW) and production (CV/L) increased by 2.7-fold and 3.4-fold, respectively. The optimum time for the addition of phenylalanine and methyl jasmonate was 4 days after inoculation. Two cell lines with different anthocyanins-producing capacity responded differently to the optimum combination treatment of 30 micromol/L phenylalanine feeding, 218 micromol/L methyl jasmonate elicitation and 3000 to approximately 4000 1x light illumination. The high-and low-anthocyanins-producing cell lines of VV05 and VV06 produced the maximum of 2975 and 4090 CV/L of anthocyanins that were 2.5- and 5.2-fold of the controls, respectively.
Acetates ; pharmacology ; Anthocyanins ; biosynthesis ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cells, Cultured ; Culture Media ; Cyclopentanes ; pharmacology ; Light ; Oxylipins ; pharmacology ; Phenylalanine ; pharmacology ; Vitis ; cytology ; metabolism

The theoretical basis, location, belonging of zang-fu, treatment function and indications, applying principle and manipulation of Umbilical Ring acupoints in Zhuang medicine are explained in this paper. According to Zhuang medicine, umbilicus is an epitome of the body and all the zang-fu and organs in the body have corresponding epitomes like a fetus in front-standing position. The umbilicus is not only a micro-diagnosis system, but also a window for illness treatment that could be divided into superficial, middle and deep layer to respectively communicate different zang-fu and organs. The umbilical inner ring and outer ring are collectively called Umbilical Ring acupoints, they could dredge paths, regulate the balance of qi and blood to regulate qi, expel poison, tonify deficiency and remove stasis to treat many types of diseases in the whole body.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Umbilicus ; anatomy & histology

The commercial application of plant cell cultures is often hindered by the instability of secondary metabolite biosynthesis, where the metabolite yield fluctuates and decline dramatically over subcultures. This study proposed that such instability is due to the fluctuations of culture variables. To validate this hypothesis, the effects of the fluctuations of two culture variables (subculture cycle and inoculum size) on the biomass, anthocyanin biosynthesig, intracellular carbon, nitrogen and phosphate during continuous 10 subculture cycles were investigated. The subculture cycle was fluctuated for 12h in a 7 day cycle (6.5, 7 and 7.5 d), and the inoculum size was fluctuated by 20% on basis of 2.00 g (1.60, 2.00 and 2.40 g). It was found that all the measured culture parameters fluctuated over the 10 subculture cycles. The fluctuation in terms of inoculum sizes had a greater effect on the stability of anthocyanin biosynthesis in suspension cultures of V. vinifera. Among all the subculture conditions investigated, 7d-subculture cycle and 1.60 g-inoculum size was the best one to hold the relatively stable anthocyanin production. The anthocyanin yield presented a negative correlation with intracellular sucrose content or intracellular total phosphate content.
Anthocyanins ; biosynthesis ; Carbohydrate Metabolism ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Intracellular Space ; metabolism ; Phosphates ; metabolism ; Plant Proteins ; metabolism ; Suspensions ; Vitis ; cytology ; growth & development ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the treatment status of antiparkinsonism in Xi'an. Methods Six general hospitals were randomly chosen in Xi' an and all Parkinson' s disease (PD) patients were interviewed by questionnaire from Jan. 2007 to Apr. 2007. Results 92 PD outpatients were enrolled in, including 48 males and 44 females, from 43 to 86 years old (mean 65.6±17.1) with duration of the disease from 0.2 to 27.8 years (mean 4.4 ±9.4). The preference of the drug use from the patients were: 40 (43.5%) preferred taking levodopa, 25 (27.2%) with amantadine and/or trihexyphenidyl, 14(15.2%) with levodopa and others, 4(4.4%) with dopamine agonist and others, 2 (2.2%) with other drugs, 7 (7.6%) with no treatment. There were 69 (75.0%) patients onset with resting tremor, 15 (16.3%) with bradykinesia, 6 (6.5%) with rigidity, and 2 (2.2%) with unknown symptoms. There was no startically significant difference in anti-PD drugs among the patients onset with different symptoms (P>0.05). 45 patients appeared the onset of disease before 65 years old and with no dementia, 47 onset after 65 with or without dementia. There was no significant difference of anti-PD drugs between the two groups (P>0.05). Most patients initiated anti-PD treatment with levodopa but few of them chose dopamine agonist. According to the classification of Hoehn & Yahr, 25(27.2%) belonged to Grade Ⅰ, 53(57.6%) to Grade Ⅱ ,8(8.7%) to Grade Ⅲ ,3(3.3%) to Grade Ⅳ and 3 (3.3%) to Grade Ⅴ. There was no significant differences of anti-PD drugs between different grades of the disease (P>0.05). 55.3% of the patients changed their anti-PD drugs randomly during the therapy, but with no relation to their gender, age, educational level, dementia, the number of family members, course of diseases, or the degree of Hoehn & Yahr, frequency and categories of medicine. Conclusion Anti-PD treatment in Xi' an did not strictly follow the standardized protocol, with few patients using dopamine agonist and over 50% of the patients changed their drugs randomly.

Adult ; Cecum ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intestinal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Perivascular Epithelioid Cell Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo study the regulatory effect of Bushenfang on the serum testosterone (T) level of naturally aging rats and its mechanism, in order to provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the clinical treatment of late onset hypogonadism (LOH) in males.

METHODSThirty-two 18-month-old male SD rats were randomly divided into four groups of equal number, naturally aging model and low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups, and another eight 4-month-old rats were taken as normal controls. The rats of the aging model and normal control groups were treated with normal saline, while those of the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups received intragastrically Bushenfang at 3.25, 7.50 and 15.00 g/kg, respectively, all for 3 weeks. Then the rats were sacrificed, the histomorphologic changes of the testis observed by HE staining, the serum T level measured by radioimmunoassay, and the expressions of the StAR protein, P450scc and 3beta-HSD I determined by RT-PCR.

RESULTSThe number of Leydig cells was obviously increased after Bushenfang treatment. The levels of serum T were significantly higher in the low-, medium- and high-dose Bushenfang groups ([6.74 +/- 1.56] nmol/L, [8.50 +/- 1.99] nmol/L and [12.41 +/- 2.91] nmol/L) than in the model group ([3.48 +/- 0.75] nmol/L) (P < 0.05). The three Bushenfang groups also showed a remarkable elevation in the mRNA expressions of StAR (0.74 +/- 0.29, 0.83 +/- 0.32 and 1.35 +/- 0.50), P450scc (0.72 +/- 0.36, 1.023 +/- 0.30 and 1.41 +/- 0.37) and 3beta-HSD I (0.58 +/- 0.14, 0.72 +/- 0.07 and 0.85 +/- 0.18), as compared with the models (StAR: 0.44 +/- 0.09; P450scc: 0.33 +/- 0.05; 3beta-HSD I: 0.34 +/- 0.02), with significant differences in the StAR expression between the high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups, as well as in P450scc and 3beta-HSD I expressions between the medium- and high-dose Bushenfang and the model groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONBushenfang could improve the pathological status of testicular injury and increase the expression of testosterone synthetase, which might be the mechanism behind its regulatory effect on the serum T level of aging rats.

Aging ; drug effects ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Hypogonadism ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Testis ; drug effects ; Testosterone ; metabolism