Objective:To understand and explore the detection rate of the antibodies of 9 types of a typical respiratory pathogens IgM in children with acute respiratory tract infection and the relationship with air pollutants.Methods:The data of air quality monitoring in Tianjin from June 2015 to May 2017 were recorded,and the serum of hospitalized children with ARI were collected during the same period.Detection the antibodies of 9 types of atypical respiratory pathogens IgM by method of indirect immunofluorescence.To understand the detection rate of the antibodies of 9 types of atypical respiratory pathogens IgM and explore the relationship with air pollutants.Results:Among the 33 078 samples,8 364 samples were positive and total positive rate was 25.29%.ADV accounted for 152(0.46%) in all these samples,COX accounted for 9(0.03%),CPN accounted for 14(0.04%),FLuA accounted for 3(0.01%), FLuB accounted for 930(2.8%),LP accounted for 96(0.29%),MP accounted for 6 719(20.3%),PIV accounted for 326(0.99%), RSV accounted for 115(0.35%).The MP and FLuB were major pathogens.During the survey,the average PM2.5,PM10 and NO2were all at a high level,with PM2.5 being the highest and PM10 being the second highest.The AQI and the concentration of PM2.5,PM10, NO2and SO2had correlation with hospitalized cases,the concentration of PM10,NO2,SO2had correlation with and the total positive samples,and the correlation between the concentration of SO2and MP was the closest.Conclusion: The positive rate of MP was the hightest in hospitalized children with ARI of Tianjin children's hospital from June 2015 to May 2017,followed by FluB.Tianjin has severe air pollution,AQI and air pollutants has correlation with the number of hospitalized patients and the total positive samples, correlation between the concentration of SO2and MP was the closest.

OBJECTIVETo observe the efficacy and safety of Jingui Shengqi Pill in treating partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM), and to explore the new approach in improving the quality of life in PADAM patients.

METHODSForty patients with PADAM were treated with JSP, the efficacy was evaluated with international index of erectile function (IIEF) scoring, PADAM questionnaire scoring, hormone, prostatic specific antigen (PSA), etc., and the data before treatment were compared with those after treatment in the same group.

RESULTSAfter 3 months of treatment, PADAM scoring and IIEF scoring were all significantly improved. Symptoms regarding physical ability, vasomotion, and psychical and mental condition all got improved more markedly than symptoms regarding sexual hypofunction. The serum level of testosterone was 3.85 +/- 0.36 before treatment and 5.02 +/- 0.83 after treatment (P < 0.05); luteinizing hormone of 7.33 +/- 2.14 and 4.84 +/- 1.43 (P < 0.01), follicle-stimulating hormone of 10.22 +/- 4.48 and 6.47 +/- 3.28 (P < 0.01), respectively. The level of PSA failed to change significantly (1.94 +/- 0.55 and 2.06 +/- 0.47, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONJSP is effective and safe in treating PADAM, the mechanism of it is different from supplementing extrinsic androgen. It may have produced the effect by means of favorably regulating the condition of sex hormone to improve the balance of pituitary-sex gland axis, so it has more extensive clinical application.

Aged ; Androgens ; deficiency ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Erectile Dysfunction ; drug therapy ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; Humans ; Luteinizing Hormone ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Testosterone ; blood

OBJECTIVETo research the regulative effect of mica monomer granule preparation on the expression of gene associated with cancer in gastric mucosa tissue of experimental chronic atrophic gastritis (CAG) rats.

METHODTo treat experimental CAG rats using mica monomer granule preparation with three different dosage-high, moderate and low level respectively. To observe the expression changes of mutant antioncogene-p53 gene-protein, oncogene p21, antioncogene p16 and anti-apoptosis gene bcl-2 in gastric mucosa of CAG rats by two-step ways of EnVision system in immunohistochemical method.

RESULTThere was the tendency that mica monomer granule preparation with three different dosage could decrease the expression of p53 as well as p21, and mica had the obvious regulative effects on deletion of p16 and high-expression of bcl-2. It could also alleviate the inflammation of gastric mucosa and promote the regeneration of gland.

CONCLUSIONThe treatment and reversion action of mica on chronic atrophic gastritis is probably related with the regulative effect on the expression of gene associated with cancer.

Aluminum Silicates ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Gastric Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; metabolism ; pathology ; Materia Medica ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Oncogene Protein p21(ras) ; metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo explore whether fractional anisotropy (FA) value could be taken as a quantitative indicator for tracing and reexamining amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and to analyze the correlation between FA value and integrative medical treatment.

METHODSTotally 18 ALS patients were recruited in this study. All patients received diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) using 3. OT (Propeller HD) MRI twice. Six regions of interest (ROI) were selected to measure FA values. Survival analyses were performed in 11 cases of end point events.

RESULTS(1) Three ROI (cerebral peduncle, posterior limb of internal capsule, and corona radiata) all indicated that FA value was the highest in patients with mild health status scale of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/HSS). (2) There was statistical difference in the means of FA values in cerebral peduncle, posterior limb of internal capsule, and corona radiata of 18 cases between initial examination and reexamination (P < 0.01). (3) Kaplan-Meier survival curve showed the survival rate of ALS patients decreased as time went by, with the median survival time of 48 months.

CONCLUSIONSFA value was inversely proportional to the severity of ALS, the more severe, the lower FA values. FA value was an objective indicator for assessing the severity of ALS. ALS is an incurable disease till now. Integrative medical treatment might become one direction for ALS patients.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Anisotropy ; Diffusion Tensor Imaging ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine

To explore the underlying mechanism of acetylcholine (ACh)-evoked membrane hyperpolarizing response in isolated rat vas deferens smooth muscle cells (SMCs), intracellular microelectrode recording technique and intracellular microelectrophoresis fluorescent staining technique were used to study ACh-evoked membrane hyperpolarizing response in SMCs freshly isolated from Wistar rat vas deferens. By using microelectrodes containing fluorescent dye 0.1% propidium iodide (PI), 37 and 17 cells were identified as SMCs in outer longitudinal and inner circular muscular layers, respectively. The resting membrane potentials of SMCs were (-53.56+/-3.88) mV and (-51.62+/-4.27) mV, respectively. The membrane input resistances were (2245.60+/-372.50) MOmega and (2101.50+/-513.50) MOmega, respectively. ACh evoked membrane hyperpolarizing response in a concentration-dependent manner with an EC(50) of 36 micromol/L. This action of ACh was abolished by both a non-sepcific muscarinic (M) receptor antagonist atropine (1 mumol/L) and a selective M(3 ) receptor antagonist diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine-methiodide (DAMP, 100 nmol/L). ACh-evoked membrane hyperpolarization was also abolished by a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 300 micromol/L) and suppressed by an ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel blocker glipizide (5 micromol/L) and an inward rectifier potassium (K(ir)) channel inhibitor bariumion (50 micromol/L). A combination of glipizide and bariumion abolished ACh-evoked membrane hyperpolarizing response. The results suggest that ACh-evoked membrane hyperpolarization in rat vas deferens SMCs is mediated by M(3) receptor followed with activation of K(ATP) channels, K(ir) channels, and NO release.
Acetylcholine ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Glipizide ; pharmacology ; In Vitro Techniques ; Male ; Membrane Potentials ; drug effects ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; physiology ; Nitric Oxide ; physiology ; Potassium Channels ; physiology ; Potassium Channels, Inwardly Rectifying ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Vas Deferens ; drug effects ; physiology

BACKGROUNDPyroptosis is the term for caspase-1-dependent cell death associated with pro-inflammatory cytokines. The role of alveolar macrophage (AM) pyroptosis in the pathogenesis of the acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) remains unclear.

METHODSC57BL/6 wild-type mice were assigned to sham, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) + vehicle, LPS + acetyl-tyrosyl-valyl- alanyl-aspartyl-chloromethylketone (Ac-YVAD-CMK) and LPS + Z-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone groups. Mice were given intraperitoneal (IP) injections of LPS. Drugs were IP injected 1 h before LPS administration. Mice were sacrificed 16 h after LPS administration, and AMs were isolated. Western blot analysis for active caspase-1 and cleaved caspase-3, evaluation of lung injury and a cytokine release analysis were performed. AMs were treated with LPS and adenosine triphosphate (ATP); caspase-1-dependent cell death was evaluated using flow cytometry; the apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC) pyroptosomes were examined by immunofluorescence.

RESULTSThe expression of activated caspase-1 in AMs was enhanced following LPS challenge compared with the sham group. In the ex vivo study, the caspase-1/propidium iodide-positive cells, caspase-1 specks and ASC pyroptosomes were up-regulated in AMs following LPS/ATP stimulation. The specific caspase-1 inhibitor Ac-YVAD-CMK inhibited the activation of caspase-1 and pyroptotic cell death. Ac-YVAD-CMK also reduced the lung injury, pulmonary edema and total protein in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). In addition, Ac-YVAD-CMK significantly inhibited interleukin-α2 (IL-1α2) release both in serum and BALF and reduced the levels of IL-18, tumor necrosis factor-α± (TNF-α±), High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) in BALF during LPS-induced ALI/ARDS.

CONCLUSIONSThis study reported AM pyroptosis during LPS-induced ALI/ARDS in mice and has demonstrated that Ac-YVAD-CMK can prevent AM-induced pyroptosis and lung injury. These preliminary findings may form the basis for further studies to evaluate this pathway as a target for prevention or reduction of ALI/ARDS.

Acute Lung Injury ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones ; pharmacology ; Animals ; Lipopolysaccharides ; toxicity ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; drug effects ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oligopeptides ; pharmacology ; Pyroptosis ; drug effects

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of simvastatin on vascular endothelial cell apoptosis and Bcl-2 protein expression in the aorta in a rat model of atherosclerosis.

METHODSThirty-six rats were randomized into control group (n=10), atherosclerosis model group (n=13) and simvastatin intervention group (n=13). In the latter two groups, rat models of atherosclerosis were established by intraperitoneal injection of vitamin D3 combined with high-fat feeding for 6 weeks, and the control rats were fed with regular diet. In the intervention group, the rats were further fed with high-fat diet with daily simvastatin treatment for 4 weeks. After the treatments, the pathological changes and plaque in the thoracic aorta were observed, and the expression of Bcl-2 protein was detected with immunohistochemistry. TUNEL assay was used to determine the apoptosis index (AI) of the vascular endothelial cells.

RESULTSCompared with that in the control group, Bcl-2 protein expression in the aorta of atherosclerotic rats was significantly decreased (P<0.05); simvastatin treatment obviously increased the expression of Bcl-2 protein in atherosclerotic rats (P<0.05) to a level similar to that in the control group. The AI was the highest in the model group (P<0.05) and comparable between the control and simvastatin treatment group.

CONCLUSIONThe therapeutic effect of simvastatin against atherosclerosis is probably mediated by up-regulation of Bcl-2 protein, which inhibits vascular endothelial cell apoptosis in rats with aortic atherosclerosis.

Humans ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/epidemiology* ; Liver Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Prothrombin ; Biomarkers

Liver disease is the general term for all diseases that occur in the liver. In recent years, traditional Chinese medicine has certain advantages in the treatment of liver diseases. With a high experimental study value, good clinical efficacy and less adverse reactions, it has broad prospects. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signaling pathway is closely related to liver diseases. Its mechanism is to activate nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) through tlr4-mediated signaling pathway, inhibit the secretion of such inflammatory factors as interleukin-1(IL-1), interleukin-6(IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and the inflammatory damage of liver cells, so as to further inhibit the effect of IL-1,IL-6, TNF-α in activating Hepatic Stellate Cell(HSC). The ways of blocking TRL4 pathway are as follows:Inhibiting the expression of TLR4,Inhibiting the dimerization of TLR4. Blocking intracellular signal transduction:①acting on the binding protein; ②acting on the kinase IRAKs; ③acting on TLRAFst. In these ways, the TRL4 pathway is blocked, the inflammation is inhibited, and the anti-liver disease effect is achieved. Therefore, inhibiting or enhancing TLR4 signaling pathway or intervening in some links of TLR4 signaling pathway has become a new strategy for the treatment of liver diseases. Toll-like receptor 4 signaling pathway has become one of the targets of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) against liver diseases. In this paper, the recent literatures on the effect of TCM in resisting activation of TLR4 signaling pathway and the effect of anti-liver diseases through monomers and effective parts of TCM, extracts of TCM and compound prescriptions of TCM were collected and summarized to provide important guiding significance and direction for the treatment of liver diseases by TCM and WM in the next step.

OBJECTIVE: On the basis of sodium hyaluronate eye drops, to observe the clinical efficacy of acupuncture on dry eye and explore the effect mechanism of ocular surface protection. METHODS: A total of 80 patients with dry eye were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, 40 cases in each group. The control group was treated with routine cleaning of eyelid margin, hot compress of eyes with warm towel, and external application of sodium hyaluronate eye drops for 5 weeks. On the basis of the treatment as the control group, the observation group was treated with acupuncture at Jingming (BL 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Chengqi (ST 1), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), etc., once a day, 6 times a week for 5 weeks (30 times totally). Before and after treatment, SchirmerⅠtest (SⅠT), breaking up time (BUT), corneal fluorescent (FL) score, ocular surface disease index (OSDI) score, and the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in tears were evaluated and the therapeutic effect was compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Compared with before treatment, SⅠT and BUT after treatment in the observation group were prolonged (P<0.05), the scores of FL and OSDI and the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in tears were decreased (P<0.05). After treatment, SⅠT and BUT in the observation group were longer than the control group (P<0.05), and the scores of FL and OSDI and the contents of IL-6 and TNF-α in tears in the observation group were lower than the control group (P<0.05). The total effective rate in the observation group was 87.5% (35/40), which was higher than 45.0% (18/40) in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION On the basis of sodium hyaluronate eye drops, acupuncture could improve the clinical symptoms of dry eye, promote the secretion of tears, prolong the tear film breaking up time, and reduce corneal damage, and effect mechanism may be related to the reduction of inflammatory response.
Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Interleukin-6 ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Dry Eye Syndromes/therapy* ; Ophthalmic Solutions