To observe the clinical effect of Yisui decoction plus western medicine in treating multiple system atrophy patients, totally 65 patients from China-Japan Friendship hospital during 2008-2012 with complete clinical data and received consecutive traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine treatment for more than 3 months were observed changes of traditional Chinese medicine symptom score, part 1 of unified multiple system atrophy rating scale, orthostatic hypotension before treatment and after 3 months treatment. After 3 months treatment, total effective rate of traditional Chinese medicine symptom was 70.8%. Compared with before treatment, score of part 1 of unified multiple system atrophy rating scale was obviously reduced after 3 month treatment (P < 0.001). Ex- cept swallow function without significant improvement, the remaining projects of unified multiple system atrophy rating scale were im- proved obviously (P < 0.05), of which the most obvious differences were orthostatic symptoms, falls and intestinal function (P < 0.001). Orthostatic hypotension after 1 month treatment and 3 month treatment was obviously better than before treatment (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in orthostatic hypotension between 1 month treatment and 3 month treatment. The research results show that Yisui decoction plus western medicine has a certain effect on improving clinical symptoms of multiple system atrophy patients, especially has a significant effect on orthostatic hypotension, and can maintain a stable clinical effect in a certain period of time.
Adult ; Aged ; Humans ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; drug therapy ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; adverse effects ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Multiple System Atrophy ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of sequential therapy of levofloxacin in the treatment of type Ⅲa prostatitis.Methods A total of 280 in-patients diagnosed typeⅢa prostatitis were enrolled in this study and randomized to administer with either levofloxacin 500 mg( n =140 ) for intravenous injection once daily for 28 days ( control group) or administered of levofloxacin injection 500 mg ( n=140 ) once daily for 7 days followed by oral levofloxacin 500 mg once daily for 21 days( sequential group).Clinical results and safety were observed and cost-effectiveness analysis was made after 4 -week therapeutic dura-tion.Results The clinical effective rates showed no significant difference between 2 groups ( P<0.05 ).But cost -effectiveness ratio and sensitivity analysis in sequential group was significantly lower than that in control group(P<0.05).The adverse drug reaction rates in con-trol group ( 15.71%) and sequential group ( 5.71%) showed significant difference between 2 groups ( P<0.05 ).Conclusion The sequential therapy with the antibiotic therapeutic of levofloxacin 500 mg once daily achieved similar clinical efficacy to mono-therapy and offered an eco-nomic superiority and less adverse reactions in the treatment of type Ⅲa prostatitis.

Purpose: To evaluate the use of signal intensity index (SII) of skull-base invasion in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), select a best cut-off SII value to predict the outcome of NPC. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty-two NPC patients (92 men, 30 women) with skull-base invasion were included. All patients underwent MRI, signal intensities on T1-weighted imaging (T1WI) were measured for each invaded site and its contralateral normal counterpart. The SIIs were calculated, receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed. The optimal cut-off values were extracted. The overall survival (OS) rates of 5-year follow-up were performed. Results: Sensitivities for differentiating skull-base invasion from normal contralateral anatomy were 98.9%, 88.5% and 70.0%, and specificities were 98.9%, 96.0% and 74.4%, respectively. There were three cut-off values for differentiating invasion from normal anatomy of skull-base, 49%, 98%, and 60%. Significant difference in OS rates (84.2% vs. 57.1%, p=0.007) was seen for SII threshold values > 60% and those ≤ 60%. Conclusions: The SII might be a useful means of differentiating invasion from normal tissue at the skull-base in NPC. The cut-off value of quantitative SII at the skull-base may aid in monitoring the response to treatment of NPC patients.

OBJECTIVETo study the difference in clinico-pathological features between IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) in children.

METHODSThe medical data of 103 children with HSPN and 61 children with IgAN were retrospectively studied.

RESULTSThere were no significant differences in age, sex and disease course between the HSPN and IgAN groups (P>0.05). Clinical classification demonstrated that more severe conditions were found in the IgAN group than in the HSPN group and gross hematuria was more common in the IgAN group (P<0.05). Serum creatinine and cholesterol levels were higher in the IgAN group than in the HSPN group (P<0.05). Fibrinogen-related antigen deposition was more common in the HSPN group, while complement 3(C3) deposition was more common in the IgAN group. Interstitial fibrosis, tubular casts and tubular inflammatory infiltration were also more common in the IgAN group (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSignificant clinico-pathological differences can be found between HSPN and IgAN in children, and these differences do not support a one disease entity hypothesis.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; immunology ; pathology ; Humans ; Kidney ; pathology ; Male ; Nephritis ; immunology ; pathology ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; immunology ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To assess the role of microRNA-9 in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiating into neurons and research the role of gene modification in spinal cord injury treatment.Methods Adherent culture was used to isolate and culture rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs); microRNA-9-1 lentiviral vector was constructed.Acute spinal cord injury (SCI) models were established in 84 adult SD rats at T10/11 level according to the improved Allen's method; then,they were randomly divided into control group,MSCs group and miRNA group (n=28).One week after SCI,the rats of MSCs group were treated with MSCs implantation,and the rats of miRNA group were treated with MSCs-transfected microRNA-9-1 lentiviral vector; while rats of the control group only received the same amount of physical saline in the same region.The neurological functions were evaluated by using Basso-Beattie-Bresnahan (BBB) scale 1 and 3 days,and 1,2,4,6,8 and 12 weeks after SCI.The immunoreactivity of neuro filament 200 (NF-200) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was measured,and the percentage of positive response area was assayed and compared between groups.Results Four weeks after cell transplantation,statistical difference of BBB scale scores was noted between each two groups; the scores of miRNA group were significantly higher than those of the MSCs group and control group (P＜0.05).The immunohistochemistry staining indicated that the expression of NF-200 was significantly more intense and the expression of GFAP was significantly weaker in miRNA group than those of the other two groups (P＜0.05).Conclusion MicroRNA-9 may play an important role in bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells differentiating into neurons,and possess effects on repairing injured spinal cord and promoting functional recovery through promoting axonal regeneration and reducing the number of reactive glial cells in the spinal cord injury site.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor-gamma (PPARgamma) on the function of the vital organs in rats with pancreatitis.

METHODSAcute pancreatitis (AP) was induced in 30 male SD rats by ductal injection of 4% sodium taurocholate at 1.0 ml/kg. The rats received subsequent intravenously injection of 0.3 mg/kg of PPARgamma ligand (rosiglitazone, n=10), PPARgamma antagonist (GW9662, n=10) followed 10 min later by rosiglitazone administration at 0.3 mg/kg, or left untreated (AP model group, n=10). Another 10 male SD rats receiving no particular treatment served as the control group. The rats were sacrificed 6 h after the operation, and blood samples were collected for measurement of the biochemical indices of the vital organs. The histological changes of the pancreas and portal vein blood endotoxin content were examined.

RESULTSThe rats in AP group and GW9662 group showed significantly higher level of the biochemical indices for the vital organs, pathological scores of the pancreas and portal vein blood endotoxin content were significantly higher in the control group and roglitazone-treated groups (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONPPARgamma ligand roglitazone can significantly ameliorate multiple organ injuries and effectively protect the functions of the organs in rats with experimental pancreatitis.

Anilides ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Multiple Organ Failure ; prevention & control ; NF-kappa B ; metabolism ; PPAR gamma ; agonists ; antagonists & inhibitors ; metabolism ; Pancreatitis, Acute Necrotizing ; drug therapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thiazolidinediones ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the quantitative relationship between white matter tract (WMT) variation resulting from cerebral tumors and shifting of the fractional anisotropy (FA) index in magnetic resonance (MR) diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).

METHODSFour female and 8 male patients aged from 21 to 62 years with brain malignancies (2 malignant lymphomas, 2 low-grade astrocytomas, and 8 high-grade cerebral gliomas) underwent conventional contrast-enhanced MR and DTI examinations before operation. Routine T(2)-weighted image, fractional anisotropic (FA) map, color-coded directional map, three-dimensional white matter tractography (WMT), and the FA index of bilateral internal capsule were obtained in every patient.

RESULTSFiber tractography derived from DTI was consistent with known white matter fiber anatomy. The DTI patterns in WMT altered by the tumor were categorized on the basis of FA1/FA2 ratio as follows: pattern 1, FA1/FA2> or =75% with normal or only slightly decreased FA; pattern 2, 50%< or =FA1/FA2<75% with WMT displacement; pattern 3, 25%< or =FA1/FA2/50% with WMT involvement; pattern 4, FA1/FA2<25% with WMT destruction.

CONCLUSIONSDTI allows for visualization of WMT and benefits surgical planning for patients with intrinsic brain tumor. There is a positive relationship between the bilateral FA ratio (FA1/FA2) variation and WMT alterations resulting from the tumor.

Adult ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; Brain Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Female ; Glioblastoma ; diagnosis ; Glioma ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Fibers ; diagnostic imaging ; Neural Pathways ; radiation effects ; Preoperative Care ; Radiography ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVETo assess the value of white matter fiber tractography based on magnetic resonance diffusion-tensor imaging (MR-DTI), a new noninvasive technique that helps estimate the structural connectivity of the brain, in understanding the anatomy of the white matter fiber tract.

METHODSSix consecutive volunteers received MR-DTI examination using a GE 1.5T Sign CV/I whole-body MR system and version 2.0 Functool software for image processing. The protocol included T1WI for localization and single-shot echo-planner diffusion tensor imaging of the entire brain in axial, sagittal, and /or coronal sections.

RESULTSWhite matter fiber tracts imaged by MR-DTI were consistent with known white matter fiber anatomy. The major fiber tracts were well observed in all the cases. The tracts visualized included the corpus callosum, anterior commissure, uncinate fasciculus superior and inferior longitudinal fascicules, inferior occipito-frontal fasciculus, internal capsule and corona radiate.

CONCLUSIONA set of detailed white matter fiber anatomy maps of the normal brain is obtained by means of single-shot echo-planner diffusion tensor imaging at high resolution. This technique allows rapid visualization of the white matter tracts in vivo, and provides a new reliable means for studying fiber connectivity in the brain.

Adult ; Brain ; anatomy & histology ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

Nasopharyngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma (NACC) is a rare malignancy with high local invasiveness. To date, there is no consensus on the imaging characteristics of NACC. To address this, we retrospectively reviewed 10 cases of NACC and summarized the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. MR images of 10 patients with histologically validated NACC were reviewed by two experienced radiologists. The location, shape, margin, signal intensity, lesion texture, contrast enhancement patterns, local invasion, and cervical lymphadenopathy of all tumors were evaluated. Clinical and pathologic records were also reviewed. No patients were positive for antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). The imaging patterns of primary tumors were classified into two types as determined by location, shape, and margin. Of all patients, 7 had tumors with a type 1 imaging pattern and 3 had tumors with a type 2 imaging pattern. The 4 tubular NACCs were all homogeneous tumors, whereas 3 (60%) of 5 cribriform NACCs and the sole solid NACC were heterogeneous tumors with separations or central necrosis on MR images. Five patients had perineural infiltration and intracranial involvement, and only 2 had cervical lymphadenopathy. Based on these results, we conclude that NACC is a local, aggressive neoplasm that is often negative for EBV infection and associated with a low incidence of cervical lymphadenopathy. Furthermore, MRI features of NACC vary in locations and histological subtypes.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; surgery ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo determine the content of polyphenol contained samples, in order to provide basis for comprehensive quality evaluation on Echinacea extracts.

METHODLC-MS was used for qualitative analysis on relevant compounds of the samples of Echinacea extracts. Optimized USP methods, RP-HPLC and QAMS (quantitative analysis of multi-components by single-marker) were used to determine the content of polyphenol. Meanwhile, UV method was adopted for comparative analysis on content according to international standard IS014502-1-2005.

RESULTThe six batches of samples could not meet the export standard for polyphenol content by HPLC. UV showed four batches in line with the standard and two batches in inconformity.

CONCLUSIONUV method is generally adoptedfor the content determination of domestic Echinacea extracts, but shows results that are significantly different from that by HPLC method. it is suggested to use HPLC method to standardize quality of extracts and raise market access standards.

China ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; standards ; Echinacea ; chemistry ; Quality Control