Oxymatrine, the main active monomer composition of Sophora flavescens and Sopkoroa alopecuroides L. , has been used in clinic in China with many pharmacological effects, such as anti-inflammation, scavenging free radicals, inhibiting tumor cell proliferation and improving insulin resistance. It may have important clinical application prospects in aging related metabol-ic and cognitive degeneration. This article reviews the current research status of oxymatrine in pharmacokinetics, toxicology and pharmacology.

Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Panniculitis ; physiopathology ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; pathology ; physiopathology

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of telmisartan on Kv1.3 and Kv1.5 potassium channels expressed in Xenopus oocytes.

METHODSKv1.3 and Kv1.5 potassium channel currents expressed in Xenopus oocytes were recorded and observed in the absence and presence of telmisartan using standard two-microelectrode voltage clamp techniques.

RESULTSTelmisartan resulted in a concentration- and voltage-dependent inhibition effect on Kv1.3 channel current (IC(50) 2.05 micromol/L)and on Kv1.5 channel current (IC(50) 2.37 micromol/L).

CONCLUSIONSTelmisartan blocks open-state Kv1.3 channel which could be one of the mechanisms related to its immunomodulatory and anti-atherosclerosis effect. Telmisartan also blocks open-state Kv1.5 channel which might partly account for its effect on reducing the incidence of atrial fibrillation.

Animals ; Benzimidazoles ; pharmacology ; Benzoates ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Kv1.3 Potassium Channel ; drug effects ; Kv1.5 Potassium Channel ; drug effects ; Oocytes ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Xenopus

Objective To investigate the influence of anti-depression therapy on cardiac function and short-term prognosis in elderly patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and the safety and effectiveness of fluoxetine in these patients.Methods Ninety six elderly hospitalized patients with CHF accompanied with depressive disorder were randomly divided into two groups:fluoxetine (20mg once daily)and placebo treated groups based on the routine cardiac drug therapy for 3 months. Results The prevalence rate of depressive disorder in elderly patients with CHF was 31.1%.The length of stay of fluoxetine group was shorter than that of placebo group.The post-treatment depressive exponents of self-rating depression scale(SDS)in fluoxetine group (51.39%?8.63)was lower than those in pretreatment and in placebo group.The improvement of cardiac function in fluoxetine group(53.4%?4.5%) was much better than that of placebo group (P

Adult ; Culture Media ; classification ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mycoplasma Infections ; microbiology ; Mycoplasma hominis ; growth & development ; Ureaplasma Infections ; microbiology ; Ureaplasma urealyticum ; growth & development ; Urethra ; microbiology ; Vaginal Smears

OBJECTIVETo observe the osteoblasts transfected with green fluorescent protein (GFP)by adenovirus vector expressed in vitro and traced it in vivo in order to research the feasibility of GFP as a tracer of seeding cells for tissue engineering.

METHODSCFP were transfected into the osteoblasts which derived from adult human bone marrow stromal cell (hBMSc) by adenovirus vector after being packed in 293A cells. The nontransfected hBMSc was used as the control group. The osteoblasts in each group were observed under an inverted phase contrast microscope and fluorescence microscope. The expressive efficiency of GFP was examined by flow cytometry,and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities and osteocalcin (OCN) synthesis. After eight days of the transfection,the osteoblasts were implanted into the muscle of nude mouse thigh while the non-transfected osteoblasts were also implanted as a control. Four and eight weeks after the operation, the nude rats were killed and the continuous tissue sections were examined using fluorescence microscopy after adjacent sections were performed by immunohistochemistry or routine HE staining.

RESULTSThe green fluorescence was shown the transfected osteoblasts which derived from bone marrow. The rate of positive expression was over 75%. After eight days of the transfection, the marker proteins of the surface of the osteoblasts showed extremely efficient expression of CD29 and CD44, but the CD34 expressed negative. Either ALP or OCN of the osteoblasts was no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05) four and eight days after the transfection. The GFP were obviously expressed in nude mouse both at four and eight weeks, meanwhile it did not harm on the morphology and function of the transfected osteoblasts whose immunohistochemistry examination showed positive reaction.

CONCLUSIONSGFP could be transfected osteoblasts effectively in vitro and traced in vivo in nude mouse. It may be an optimal tracer for living cells on tissue engineering research.

Adult ; Animals ; Bone Marrow Cells ; cytology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Nude ; Osteoblasts ; cytology ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the value of coronary CT angiography in assessment of bifurcation lesions.

METHODSThe original image of 79 established and suspected coronary artery disease patients who underwent both coronary CT angiography and conventional artery angiography (CAG) sequentially were included in this analysis. Bifurcation lesions were assessed on primary and secondary vessels with diameter ≥ 2.0 mm, bifurcation lesions were graded according to Chen's classification. CAG was used as golden standard. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were calculated. Spearman's test and Kappa test were used to evaluate the correlation and classification identity of the two methods.

RESULTSCAG evidenced 177 bifurcation lesions out of 445 bifurcation vessels and coronary CT detected 168 bifurcation lesions out of 404 bifurcation vessels with satisfactory imaging quality and 390 bifurcation vessels could be analyzed by both CAG and coronary CT. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of coronary CT angiography were 94.2%, 94.6%, 90.7%, 96.1%, respectively. The results for the lesions at LM-LAD/LCX + LAD/Mid, LAD/Diag, RCA/PDA were more satisfactory and the sensitivity and specificity were as high as: 97.1% and 94.2%, 95.7% and 89.5%, 92.3% and 98.7%, respectively. There were significant correlations for evaluating the narrow degree of the opening of the bifurcation branch with these two methods (r = 0.799 58, P < 0.01) and for identifying I, II, III type bifurcation lesions (Kappa coefficient = 0.7959, P < 0.01) as well as for identifying the subtype bifurcation lesions (Kappa coefficient = 0.6328, P < 0.01) using the two methods.

CONCLUSIONCoronary CT angiography is efficient in identifying the bifurcation lesions and offers a reasonable indication for bifurcation lesion classification.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Coronary Angiography ; methods ; Coronary Artery Disease ; diagnostic imaging ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo observe the role of green fluorescent protein (GFP) in tracing rhesus bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSCs) during tissue-engineered bone formation in vivo.

METHODSAd5.CMV-GFP was amplified by infecting QBI-293A cells, and the bone marrow was harvested from the ilium of adult male rhesus to obtain rBMSCs, which were cultured and passaged in vitro. GFP was transfected into the third-passage rBMSCs via adenovirus vector and the labeled cells were inoculated into absorbable HA scaffold and cultured for 3 days, with untransfected rBMSCs as control, before the cell-matrix compounds were implanted into the latissimus dorsi muscles of rhesus. Samples were harvested at 6 week and embedded in paraform, and ground sections of the bone tissue were prepared to observe green fluorescence under laser scanning confocal microscope. Propidium iodide staining of the sections was also performed for observation.

RESULTSThe rBMSCs grew well after GFP transfection, and green fluorescence could be seen 24 h after the transfection and became stronger till 48 h, with a positive transfection rate beyond 80%. Six weeks after cell implantation, the rBMSCs labeled by GFP-emitted green fluorescence were detected in the bone tissue under laser scanning confocal microscope.

CONCLUSIONGFP can effectively trace BMSCs during bone tissue engineering, and the transplanted BMSCs constitute the main source of bone-forming cells in bone tissue engineering.

Animals ; Bone Substitutes ; Cell Differentiation ; Cells, Cultured ; Green Fluorescent Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Macaca mulatta ; Male ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; cytology ; metabolism ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Tissue Engineering ; methods ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo compare the actions of local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid and repeated perfusion of mitomycin C for the postoperative prophylaxis of superficial urinary bladder carcinoma.

METHODSIn the prospective non-randomized contemporary controlled study, 123 patients were divided into 2 groups. The patients in group A received local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid starting from 1-2 months after operation, once tri-monthly for one year. Those in group B received intravesical perfusion of mitomycin C, starting from 2 weeks after operation, once weekly, six times in total, thereafter once monthly for one year. The recurrence rate, disease free interval, and adverse reaction after operation were observed.

RESULTSThe follow-up lasted for 10-45 months with the average of 28.6 +/- 5.8 months. The recurrence rates in group A and B were 5.0% and 14.3%, respectively. Significant difference was shown when compared by Kaplan-Meier analysis of disease free interval and the recurrence rate between the two groups (P < 0.05). The occurrence rates of cystitis, hematuria, vesical contracture, urethral stricture were 28.3%, 5.0%, 1.7%, 1.7%, respectively in group A, 25.4%, 4.8%, 0%, 0%, respectively in group B, showing no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe effect of local thermotherapy with rabdosia liquid is reliable in preventing the recurrence of superficial urinary bladder transitional cell carcinoma.

Adult ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; prevention & control ; surgery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperthermia, Induced ; Isodon ; chemistry ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; prevention & control ; Phytotherapy ; Postoperative Period ; Prospective Studies ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; prevention & control ; surgery

OBJECTIVETo explore the molecular biological mechanism of Arnebia Root oil (AO) in promoting the recovery of surface of wound by observing basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA expression in the wound tissue and healing rate of the wound.

METHODSPatients in the observed group with their wound treated by AO and those in the control group treated by petrolatum gauze. The wound surface healing rate was estimated and bFGF mRNA expression was observed by RT-PCR.

RESULTSEndogenous bFGF mRNA expression existed in the wound surface of both groups, but its level in the observed group at any time point was obviously higher than that in the control group respectively, with significant difference in comparison of the gray density between the two groups (P < 0.05). The wound surface healing rate kept abreast with bFGF mRNA expression in wound tissues, so it was significantly higher in the observed group than that in the control group (P < 0.05). GAPDH gene, which was taken as a parameter for internal reference, expressed with a certain amount unchanged in different periods of healing (P > 0.05 ).

CONCLUSIONAO shows obviously promotive action on bFGF, an important regulatory factor on wound healing, it might complete the recovery process by stimulating the increase of bFGF.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Boraginaceae ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Plant Oils ; administration & dosage ; isolation & purification ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Wound Healing ; drug effects ; Wounds and Injuries ; drug therapy ; metabolism