Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; classification ; diagnosis ; drug therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Phytotherapy ; methods ; Syndrome

As the core of traditional Chinese medicine theory, Zheng (syndrome, or pattern) classification will promote personalized medicine by changing the clinical diagnosis into a more precise mode when integrating Zheng classification with disease diagnosis approaches. The author adopted rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a disease model, to explore the scientific fundamentals of Zheng classification based on disease diagnosis using systemic biological approaches and evidence-based medicine design, as well as developed novel approaches on the methodology of clinical effectiveness evaluation on Chinese medicine and R&D of combinational drugs design based on Fu Fang (Chinese herbal formula). Some unique research design and methods are herein introduced.
Anti-Infective Agents ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Discovery ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; classification ; Evidence-Based Medicine ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Nutrition Therapy ; Precision Medicine ; Syndrome ; Treatment Outcome

Immunotherapy has become an important therapy for solid tumors,which is in addition to surgery,radiotherapy,chemotherapy and targeted therapy.However immune treatment mechanism is different from those previous treatment.The effect of immunotherapies is on the immune system and not directly on the tumor.The kinetics of immunotherapy is characterized by a cellular immune response followed by potential changes in tumor burden and survival period.They are not captured by the traditional World Health Organiza-tion (WHO)or the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST).New immune-related response criteria are defined which more comprehensively capture all response patters and gradually applied in clinical practice.

The property theory of Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) is regarded as the core and basic of Chinese medical theory, however, the underlying mechanism of the properties in CHMs remains unclear, which impedes a barrier for the modernization of Chinese herbal medicine. The properties of CHM are often categorized into cold and heat according to the theory of Chinese medicine, which are essential to guide the clinical application of CHMs. There is an urgent demand to build a cold/heat property classification model to facilitate the property theory of Chinese herbal medicine, as well as to clarify the controversial properties of some herbs. Based on previous studies on the cold/heat properties of CHM, in this paper, we described a novel strategy on building a cold/heat property classification model based on herbal bio-effect. The interdisciplinary cooperation of systems biology, pharmacological network, and pattern recognition technique might lighten the study on cold/heat property theory, provide a scientific model for determination the cold/heat property of herbal medicines, and a new strategy for expanding the Chinese herbal medicine resources as well.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Phytotherapy ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Child ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Male ; Seizures ; diagnosis ; Status Epilepticus ; diagnosis ; Time Factors

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and drug sensitivity of newborn pneumonia of klebsiella pneumoniae,and investigate the positive rate of extended-spectrum ? lactamases(ESBLs)in klebsiella pneumoniae.Method Sixty-seven cases of sputum samples newborn pneumonia of klebsiella pneumoniae from Jan.2003 to Dec.2005 were collected.Bacteria identification and drug sensitivity test were performed.At the same time,ESBLs were detected.Results The clinical characteristics of newborn pneumonia of klebsiella pneumoniae were non special,and the positive rate of ESBLs in klebsiella pneumoniae was 17.91%.The klebsiella pneumoniae was 100%sensitivie to carbopenems,but resistant to commonly used ?-antibiotics such as penicillin and cephalosporin.ESBLs negative strains had higher drug sensitivity than ESBLs strains.Conclusions Partial klebsiella pneumoniae are ESBLs strains and insensitive to commonly used antibiotics.In order to decrease ESBLs strains,the antibiotics treatment shall be used appropriately and the selection of antibiotics shall be guided by the results of drug sensitivity tests.

Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (TREM)-1, a recently identified molecule, is involved in monocytic activation and inflammatory responses. TREM-1 is a member of natural killer cell receptor family and is expressed on neutrophils, mature monocytes and macrophages, and it can enhance the inflammatory responses mediated by Toll-like receptor-2 and -4, showing a role of inflammation promotion. Reportedly sTREM-1 was detectable in the body fluids in the presence of bacterial or fungal infection; therefore it might be used as a marker for inflammation. In addition, recombinant sTREM-1 may also be a new method for anti-inflammatory therapy. Recently, it has been found that TREM-1 not only promoted the acute inflammatory responses, but also participated in the development of chronic inflammation. This review summarizes the role of TREM-1 in the inflammation-associated dieases.

This paper reviews the recent advances in recombinant expression and purification of defensins, including the choice of host cells, vectors and expression strategies in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell ex- pression systems, as well as the status of purification processes. By summarizing the problems existed in the production and clinical applications of defensins, the authors here also pointed out the research directions for defensins, and conceived the prospects for its exploitation in the future.

China ; Humans ; Medicine ; methods ; trends ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; trends

Objective To study whether solasodine hydrochloride (SBHL) could enhance the effect of arsenic trioxide in inducing apoptosis and affecting telomerase activity in cervical cancer HeLa cells. Methods Using cell culture methods, cervical cancer HeLa cells were cultured in vitro. The optimal concentration of SBHL was determined by MTT method from 0, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, to 320 μmol/L. HeLa cells were grown in improved RPMI1640 supplemented respectively with arsenic trioxide(5 μmol/L As2O3), As2O3(5 μmol/L)+ SBHL( 40 μmol/L) and none (control group). The growth morphology of HeLa cells was observed under phase contrast microscopy after culture for 24, 48, and 72 h. Apoptosis of HeLa cells was determined under transmission electronic microscopy. The method of MTT was used to study the cell survival percentage. The technique of flow cytometry was used to measure cell cycle and cell apoptosis percentage. The method of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (TRAP-ELISA) was used to determine telomerase activity of HeLa cells. Results Under phase contrast microscopy, in control group HeLa cells were round, densely packed; in As2O3 group the numbers of the cells were less, cell spacing increased; in As2O3 + SBHL group the cells shrinked significantly, nuclear fragmented as a petal-like, gap became larger. Under transmission electronic microscopy, there were rich microvillus on the cell surface in control group, cell intervals clear, immature connections, and the intervals did not close. The structure of the mitochondria in the cytoplasm was integrated. Most of the chromatin in the nucleus were, euchromatin and characteristics of apoptosis with heterochromatin increased and the chromatin condensed into masses, on the boundary of nuclear membrane. The microvillud on the cell surface were ruptured and decreased in As2O3 + SBHL group. The chromatin condensed into masses. The formation of apoptotic bodies was observed. The difference was statistically significant between groups in cell survival percentage at 24, 48, 72h(x2 = 10.39 , 13.88 , 17.21,respectively, all P < 0.05). Cell survival percentage in SBHL + As2O3 group (52.80%) was significantly less than that of As2O3 group(77.51%, x2 = 9.29, P < 0.05) at 72 h. In cell cycles, the difference was statistically significant between groups in C1 phase and S phase(F = 7.46,22.14, all P < 0.05), respectively. Compared with , control group[ (41.57 ± 1.56)%, (50.45 ± 2.37)%], cell percentages in S phase in As2O3 + SBHL group[(20.06 ± 4.98)%] and As2O3 group[(27.10 ± 5.32)%] were decreased(P< 0.05 or < 0.01), while cell percentage in C1 phase was increased[(58.70 ± 5.18)%, (69.67 ± 4.17)%, P< 0.05 or < 0.01]. The difference was statistically significant between groups in apoptotic percentage of HeLa cells (F = 4.01, P < 0.05). Compared with control group[ (1.18 ± 1.40)%], apoptosis percentage was significantly increased in As2O3 + SBHL group and As2O3 group [(21.08± 1.22)%, (6.04±2.53)%, P< 0.05 or < 0.01], respectively, and As2O3 + SBHL group was higher than As2O3 group(P < 0.01). The difference was statistically significant between groups in telomerase activity (F = 21.28, P< 0.05). Telomerase activity was inhibited in As2O3 group(1.214 ± 0.621) and As2O3A + SBHL group(0.865 ± 0.284) compared to control group (2.107 ± 0.057, all P < 0.05), and telomerase activity in As2O3 + SBHL group was lower than that of As2O3 group (P < 0.05). Conclusions SBHL enhances the effect of As2O3 in inducing apoptosis in HeLa cells, which is related to its inhibiting telomerase activity in HeLa cells.