OBJECTIVETo evaluate the small fiber function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus of the early stage by measuring the sensory threshold with the quantitative temperature testing technology.

METHODSTwenty cases of patients with type 2 diabetes with no neurological deficit (DM group) and twenty age and sex-matched healthy controls underwent the detecting of cold sensory threshold (CST), warm sensory threshold (WST), cold pain threshold (CPT), heat pain threshold (HPT) in both inside of their hands.

RESULTSThere was no significant difference in CST, WST, CPT and HPT between left and right inside of hand of the same sample among all the testers. But the four kinds of threshold showed significant difference in the right inside of hand between patients and healthy people ( P < 0.05). In addition, the CST and WST differed significantly in the left inside of hand between the patients and healthy controls while the CPT and HPT showed no significant difference in the left inside of hand between them. Patients group and control group with CST and WST on the left side of the comparison difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONQuantitative analysis of temperature sense threshold can not only reflect increase of the pain threshold value, also can reflect its decrease, i. e. hyperalgesia, which may help to diagnose small fibrous peripheral neuropathy recognition, especially in early diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

Case-Control Studies ; Cold Temperature ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; physiopathology ; Diabetic Neuropathies ; diagnosis ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; Pain Threshold ; Sensory Thresholds ; Thermosensing

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; methods ; standards ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Quality Control ; Receptor, ErbB-2 ; metabolism ; Receptors, Estrogen ; metabolism ; Reproducibility of Results

Objective To study the clinical effect of Qiliqiangxin capsule (QC) in patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF). Methods According to random number table,64 CHF patients were randomly assigned into therapy group (n=33) and control group (n=31).During the treatment,sweat secretion,heart function improved rate,6 min walking distance,the side-effect and compliance were observed.The levels of serum Na+ and K+ of patients were measured on the 2nd,8th and 15th hospital day.Results Compared with control group,the remission rate of sweat secretion in therapy group was higher after treatment (P0.05);compared with control group,the improved rates of heart function and 6 min walking distance in therapy group were higher after two weeks (P0.05);on the 15th day,the level of serum Na+ in therapy group was higher than that in control group (P0.05).During treatment,33 patients had not any uncomfortable complain about this drug and nobody stopped using this capsule;while there was no complain from the patients of control group.Conclusion The effect of QC about releasing hyperidrosis in a short time is conspicuous.QC can improve heart function,but it plays this role gradually.QC can keep the level of serum Na+ to some extent.There is no influence on the level of serum K+.The tolerance of this capsule is well.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a new drug,human urinary kallidinogenase,against acute brain infarction.Method A 15-center,randomized,double-blinded and 3:1 placebo-controlled study was carried out.Acute brain infarction within 48 hours of onset in the territory of the middle cerebral artery were indicated as subjects;kallidinogenase or placebo which was dissolved in 50 ml saline,was slowly injected intraveousely within 30 minutes daily for 3 weeks.The European Stroke Scale and Barthel Index were used to evaluate the neurological deficit and the activities of daily living(ADL),followed by a follow-up at the end of the third month.Results 446 patients were enrolled,who completed ITT analysis,including 330 in kallidinogenase group and 116 in placebo group,meanwhile 421 proceeded with PP analysis(311 and 110 respectively).There were no significant differences of the baseline data between the 2 groups.At the end of treatment,the ESS scores increased by 55.1%?33.0% and 44.7%?32.8% respectively in kallidinogenase group(KG)and placebo group(PG,P=0.0022),the difference being significant.PP analysis had similar results.As for ADL,follow-up 90 days after the treatment showed 374 cases followed,280 in KG and 94 in PG;1 died in PG,while none in KG.In KG,the cases whose BI≥50 were significantly more than those in PG(P=0.0228).Adverse events possibly or definitely attributable to the drug were observed in 27 cases(7.74%),mostly were mild,such as palpitation,flush,dizziness, nausea etc,without special management needed.Only 2 died which was confirmed not correlated to kallidinogenase,and another 2 cases of sudden blood pressure drop were observed.The blood pressure drop, quickly restoring soon after the withdrawal of kallidinogenase and use of hemopiesic drugs,was considered to be caused by the combination use of anti-hypertensive drug ACEI and quick infusion speed.Conclusion Kallidinogenase is efficacious for acute brain infarction in improving the neurological deficits,which is safe in clinical use.

Abnormalities, Multiple ; pathology ; Adolescent ; Alopecia ; pathology ; Bone Diseases, Developmental ; pathology ; Diarrhea ; pathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; pathology ; Syndrome

Objective To study the adsorption performance of chitosan in printing and dyeing wastewater treatment.Methods The influence factors such as chitosan concentrations(0-500 mg/L),pH value(1-13),temperatures(20-50 ℃)and time(0.5-2.5 h) were considered in the test.Results When the concentration of chitosan was 200 mg/L,pH value was 2-5,time was 0.5 h and at the room temperature,the absorption could show a good result.The deeolorizing rate could reach above 90%.Conclusion The chitosan concentrations,pH value,time and temperature affect the adsorption performance of chitosan in printing and dyeing wastewater treatment.

AIMTo evaluate the effects of administration of hyperbaric oxygenation(HBO) when initiated at different time after acute transient ischemia. Apoptosis in the ischemic penumbra was further investigated to search for the possible mechanism.

METHODSThe male SD rats were randomly assigned to the following groups: control, HBO therapy initiated 3 h after ischemia, HBO therapy initiated 6 h after ischemia, HBO therapy initiated 12 h after ischemia. All animals were subjected to 90 min intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) with the regional cerebral blood flow monitored in vivo by laser Doppler flowmetry. HBO treatment was performed in a pressure chamber with 100% O2, 3 arm for 1 h. Neurological deficits and infarct volumes were assessed at 24 hours after ischemia. The immunohistochemical changes of apoptosis in the penumbra were evaluated by detecting the expression of cleaved Caspase-3, cleaved Caspase-9, Bcl-2, Bax and TUNEL staining.

RESULTSHBO therapy initiated at 3 and 6 hours after ischemia significantly improved the neurological function and reduced infarct volume. Meanwhile, it increased the expression of Bcl-2 protein and decreased the expression of activated Caspase-3, activated Caspase-9 and TUNEL-positive cells. However, HBO therapy administrated 12 hours after ischemia aggravated the neurological deficits and enlarged infarct volume, while it showed no significant reduction of apoptotic change compared with control.

CONCLUSIONThere is a therapeutic window for the use of HBO in acute transient cerebral ischemia in rats. HBO-treatment is highly effective in reducing infarct volume when initiated up to 6h after the onset of ischemia. Inhibition of apoptotic cell death in the penumbra appears to be the underlying protective effect of early therapy.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Brain Ischemia ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Caspase 3 ; metabolism ; Caspase 9 ; metabolism ; Cerebral Infarction ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation ; Male ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the expression of c-FOS oncogene in rats hippocampus with pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced generalized seizure. To also investigate the anticonvulsant effect of calcium antagonists. METHODS: 52 rats was divided into 6 groups, 12 received 0.9% saline as control, 21 received PTZ, and 19 received both Nimodipine and PTZ. PTZ was injected intraperitoneally and the time to onset of seizure occurrence was recorded. The seizure events were scored using the Racine scale (1972). The c-FOS protein expression was observed at 2 h or 4 h using peroxidase-labelled streptavidin biotin (LSAB) staining techniques. RESULTS: Control antimals had no seizure activity. There was a significant increase in the time to onset of seizure activity in the Nimodipine-treated group, compared with that of the PTZ group (P<0.01). Seizure activities was more severe in the PTZ group compared with rats who received both PTZ and Nimodipine [P<0.01]. There was low level c-FOS protein expression in hippocampal pyramidal neurons and granule cells of the dentate gyrus.C-FOS expression was upregulated at the 2nd and 4th hour post-PTZ injection. Nimodipine could reduce c-FOS protein expression induced by the PTZ-induced generalized seizure at 2nd hour post-PTZ injection (P<0.01). There was no significant difference in c-FOS expression between the PTZ group and the Nimodipine-treared group by 4th hour (P> 0.05). CONCLUSION: PTZ can induce generalized seizure in rat. There is post-ictal upregulation of c-FOS protein expression in the hippocampal pyramidal neurons and dentate gyrus granule cells. Thus the hippocampus pathways are likely involved in the occurrence of PTZ-induced epilepsy. Nimodipine may attenuate PTZ-induced seizure activity.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the activation of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-KB) and the influence of puerarin on it after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in rats.

METHODCerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced by 90 min of middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion and followed by 2, 6, 12, 24, 72 h reperfusion. Puerarin or saline was intra-peritoneally injected 1h before MCA occlusion and then the drugs were administered once every six hours. The infarct volume and brain edema were determined by TTC stain. Level of NF-kappaB P65 subunit was determined by immunohistochemistry and western blot.

RESULTImmunohistochemistry revealed the translocation of NF-kappaB. A time course of NF-kappaB induction in brain showed that NF-kappaB P65 subunit obviously increased at 6 h, peaked at 24 h and then decreased by 72 h post-reperfusion. Puerarin decreased the level of NF-kappaB at 24, 72 h after reperfusion. There was a decrease trend in brain infarct volume between puerarin and control.

CONCLUSIONNF-kappaB is translocated and its level is increased after ischemia-reperfusion. Puerarin may attenuate the ischemia-reperfusion injury through inhibition of NF-kappaB activation.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; complications ; Isoflavones ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Male ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Pueraria ; chemistry ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Transcription Factor RelA ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of puerarin with aspirin on the markers of damaged vascular endothelial cells, as von Willebrand factor (vWF), and thrombomodulin (TM) in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI).

METHODForty-five patients with ACI were included in this study and divided into basic treatment and puerarin groups, meanwhile 26 healthy persons selected as control group. The serum vWF and sTM concentrations were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA) and national institute health stroke scale (NIHSS) score was evaluated at admission and 14 days later after treatment.

RESULTThe level of serum vWF significantly increased in patients with ACI compared to control and major stroke had higher vWF level than minor stroke (P < 0.01), but the serum level of sTM had no obviously differences respectively. Correlation analysis showed that there is a positive correlation between the level of vWF and NIHSS score (P < 0.05, r = 0.368), while the significant correlations between the level of vWF and sTM, sTM and NIHSS score were not observed. After 14 days treatment, the level of serum vWF and NIHSS score were obviously decreased in patients treated with puerarin and aspirin, not in basic treated patients. The level of sTM was increased in patients after 14 d, while puerarin treated patient has lower sTM level than patients with basic treatment (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPatients with ACI cotreated with puerarin and aspirin improved the neurological function, decreased the levels of serum vWF and sTM, indicating puerarin with aspirin had the protective effects on the damaged vascular endothelial cells.

Acute Disease ; Aged ; Aspirin ; administration & dosage ; Cerebral Infarction ; drug therapy ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Isoflavones ; adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thrombomodulin ; metabolism ; von Willebrand Factor ; metabolism