Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Integrative Medicine ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVE: To explore the characteristics of the sublingual venae in patients with primary liver cancer (PLC). METHODS: The shape, color and the red, green and blue values of the sublingual venae were analyzed quantitatively for PLC patients in different clinical stages by analysis system for comprehensive information of tongue diagnosis. RESULTS: With the aggravating of the disease, the patients' sublingual venae became wide and tortuous, and their color became blue and purple. The abnormality of the sublingual venae was more serious in clinical stage III than in stages I and II (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The shape, color and abnormality degree of the sublingual venae in patients with PLC in different clinical stages are distinct.

Objective To observe the clinical behaviors of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) for early diagnosis to improve the therapeutic efficacy Methods Eighty seven cases with different grades of CIN confirmed with colposcopy and pathological examination were reviewed for the clinical features and the results from colposcopy, pathology, testing for HPV (human papillomavirus) All patient were treated with various methods and followed up Results Most patients with CIN were in childbearing period and sought for medical advices because of increased leucorrhagia and/or bloody leucorrhea, postcoital bleeding for a comparatively long course Chronic cervicitis was often found in these patients Contact bleeding and HPV infection were common in patients with CINⅡand CIN Ⅲ Patients with CIN Ⅰ were regular followed up or treated with electrocautery, those with CIN Ⅱ were treated with conization or hysterectomy, and for those with CIN Ⅲ, hysterectomy was performed The outcomes of all patients were satisfactory after treatment Conclusion The most common sign for the patients with CIN is postcoital bleeding For correct diagnosis of CIN, colposcopy and together pathological examimotion is recommended High risk HPV detection is a good prognostic factor After treatment, the patients with different grades of CIN should be followed up regularly

OBJECTIVE: To find out some microscopically visible morphological differences in normal tongue manifestation between patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults, and provide some beneficial evidences for microcosmic syndrome differentiation of tongue inspection. METHODS: Microcirculations of the tongue tip, which represented the macroscopical normal tongue manifestation, were observed under an optical microscope in patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults. Exfoliated cells from tongue coating were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining. RESULTS: The proportion of normal tongue manifestation was larger in healthy adults (38.89%) than that in patients with primary liver cancer (2.32%). The total score of microcirculation of tongue tip and the maturation index of exfoliated cells from tongue coating were both higher in patients with primary liver cancer than those in healthy adults with normal tongue manifestation (P<0.01, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Normal tongue manifestation, which is macroscopically visible, can be observed in both patients with primary liver cancer and healthy adults, but there exists obvious difference in microcosmic view.

This review introduced the anti-tumor effects of non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and summarized their possible molecular mechanisms according to recent abroad literatures and our research results. Some evidence showed that the anti-tumor mechanisms of NSAIDs were different in various tumors.NSAIDs decreased the biosynthesis of PGE_2 and regulated the expressions of downstream correlated genes and proteins through restraining abnormal expression of COX-2 in certain neoplasms,which resulted in the inhibition of tumor angiogenesis and proliferation as well as induced apoptosis. But in other cancer cells, NSAIDs, as activators of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? (PPAR?), induced COX-2 expression, promoted the biosynthesis of cyclopentenone prostaglandins (cyPGs). cyPGs further induced tumor cell apoptosis with PPAR? dependently or PPAR? independently. Since their special mechanisms of anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis, NSAIDs revealed significant synergistic effects with other anti-tumor treatments.

Objective To evaluate arterial stiffness in middle-age and elderly patients on the treatment of hemodialysis and to investigate the risk factors of arterial stiffness. Method A total of 87 in middle-age and elderly patients on the treatment of hemodialysis were enrolled. The distensibility coefficient (DC) of the common carotid artery was evaluated by an ultrasonic phase-locked echo-tracking system. Serum albumin, total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglyceride (TG), glucose, creatinine,calcium, phosphorus, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) were determined with well established methods. Results The ages of 87 patients ranged from 45 to 81 years, and the duration of treatment with hemodialysis was varied from 3 to 204 months . The carotid DC was ( 13.39 ± 5.32 ) × 10-3/kPa in middle-age and elderly patients on hemodialysis. In stepwise multiple regression analysis, systolic blood pressure (β = -0.349, P ＜ 0.001), age (β=-0.323, P ＜ 0.001), diabetes (β =-0.195,P = 0.027), and serum calcium (β =-0.276,P =0.002) were independently correlated with carotid DC. Conclusions Systolic blood pressure, age, diabetic,serum calcium were independent determinants for arterial stiffness of carotid artery in middle-age and elderly patients on hemodialysis.

Objective: To examine the therapeutic effects of dual dorsolateral prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) on auditory hallucinations experienced by schizophrenic patients. Methods: A double-blind randomized controlled study was conducted. Totally 25 schizophrenic patients met DSM-Ⅳ criteria for schizophrenia and had anditory hallucination with stable antipsychotic drugs treatment were recruited. Subjects were grouped into active treatment subgroup and sham subgroup randomly. Measurements including the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) for clinical symptom and the Treatment Emergent Symptom Scale (TESS) for side-effects were evaluated Results: Totally 25 subjects completed the trial. The treatment efficiency of active treatment group was higher than that of sham group (75% vs. 31%) .No overt side effects of rTMS were observed. Conclusion: It is effective for rTMS to treat schizophrenia with auditory hallucination at 1Hz. rTMS may be a new selection of schizophrenia treatment.

Objective To screen serum proteomic marker of hepatic echinococcosis, establish a diagnotic model of serum protein fingerprint patterns, and evaluate its clinical application for hepatic echinococcosis. Methods Serum samples from 68 patients with hepatic echinococcosis matched with 73 controls composed of 33 patients with liver diseases other than hepatic echinococcosis and 40 healthy people were collected. All subjects were divided into training group (37) and testing group (67). Serum protein profiling of patients with hepatic echinococcosis and controls were detected using surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry(SELDI-TOF-MS) and weak cation exchange protein chip(WCX2). Peak intensities were compared, in the training group, between 37 patients with hepatic echinococcosis and 37 controls, 5 patients with HCE and 5 patients with HAE, and 8 patients with hepatic echinococcosis before and after operation, respectively. ZJU-Protein Chip Data Analyze System(ZJU-PDAS) was used for data analysis and the model of serum protein fingerprint patterns was build by support vector machine (SVM). The sensitivity and specificity of the model for diagnosis of hepatic echinococcosis were verified by blind method on samples of testing group. Results There were nine different protein peak spectra between hepatic echinococcosis group and control group, of which eight protein peak spectra decreased in patient group, their relative molecular mass were 1044, 1047, 1073, 1075, 1338, 6453, 6649, 8714 m/z, respectively, while one protein peak spectrum(5651 m/z) increased(P < 0.05). The sensitivity,specificity, positive predictive and negative predictive value of the model validated by blind method were 77.4% (24/31), 66.7% (24/36), respectively. There were two different protein peak spectra between HCE group and HAE group, Their relative molecule mass were 8716 and 2751 m/z, respectively (P < 0.05). Six different proteins were detected from pre-operation group and post-operation group. Their relative molecular mass were 1297, 1505, 1525, 1534, 5921, 5941 m/z, respectively(P < 0.05). Conclusions It is a successful way to screen serum proteomic marker in patients with hepatic echinococcosis by SELDI-TOF-MS and Bio-informatics, and the marker has a potential clinical value in diagnosis and judging prognosis of hepatic echinococcosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether GM-CSF can enhance the antiviral effect of HBsAg DNA vaccine.

METHODSDivided animals into 8 groups. Group A: pcDNA3.1-S 100microg; Group B: pcDNA3.1-GM-CSF-S 100microg; Group C: pcDNA3.1-S-GM-CSF 100microg; Group D: pcDNA3.1-S 50microg + pcDNA3.1-GM-CSF 50microg; Group E: pcDNA3.1-GM-CSF 100microg; Group F: recombinant HBsAg vaccine 1microg; Group G: pcDNA3.1,100microg; Group H: PBS 100microl. Serum HBsAg level and concentration of IL-2, IL-4 and IFN-gamma were examined using commercial ELISA kit. The [3H] thymidine incorporation into DNA of Spleen cells was measured; HBsAg expression of hepatocytes from HBV-transgenic mice was assessed using immunohistochemical analysis.

RESULTSSerum HBsAg level was lower and concentration of IL-2, IFN-gamma and SI was higher in mice immunized with pcDNA3.1-GM-CSF-S than those from mice immunized with pcDNA3.1-S and other groups (F=11.262, P<0.01, F=8.147, P<0.01, F=62.275, P<0.01, F=116.28, P<0.01. Less Hepatic HBsAg expression and decline of pcDNA3.1-GM-CSF-S of mice immunized with pcDNA3 were observed in comparison with control groups (F=41.439, P<0.01). Liver histological analysis showed no evidence of necrosis or inflammation in various groups.

CONCLUSIONThe plasmid co expressing GM-CSF and HBsAg could improve HBsAg-specific humoral and cellular immune responses induced by plasmid encoding HBsAg alone and enhance HBsAg DNA vaccine antivirus effect.

Animals ; Female ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; genetics ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; genetics ; Hepatitis B Vaccines ; immunology ; Interferon-gamma ; biosynthesis ; Interleukin-2 ; biosynthesis ; Interleukin-4 ; biosynthesis ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Transgenic ; Plasmids ; Vaccines, DNA ; immunology