To investigate the protective effects of Tangxinping Capsule, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on diabetic cardiomyopathy in rats.

AIM: To investigate the biological characteristics of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells in vitro METHODS: The non-adhere peripheral blood monoclear cells from healthy donors were induced into CIK cells in the presence of IFN-?, IL-1?, IL-2 and anti-CD3 antibody. LAK (lymphokine activated killer) cells were prepared as a control. The cellular phenotype were detected by FCM and immunocytochemistry and the cytotoxicity was measured by LDH release assay. RESULTS: After 2 weeks of induction, the proliferation rate of CIK cells reached a peak and the proportion of CD3 + population was above 95%, and then the cells growth entered to plateau phase at week 3. The proportion of CD3 +CD56 + NKT subset cells was 16 5% on day 15 and it had no obvious variety between 2 and 4 weeks. Correspondingly, LAK cells grew slowly and had lower proliferation rate compared with the CIK cells ( P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of Huayu Tongbi Recipe (HTR) combined methotrexate (MTX) in treating refractory rheumatoid arthritis (RRA).

METHODSTotally 167 RRA patients were assigned to the treatment group (73 cases) and the control group (94 cases) according to different therapeutic methods. Patients in the treatment group were treated with HTR combined MTX, while those in the control group were treated with leflunomide (LEF) combined MTX. Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, disease activity score 28 (DAS28), and safety indicators were compared between the two groups before treatment, at week 12 and 24 after treatment. The efficacy and safety indices were also evaluated.

RESULTSAt week 12 after treatment the total effective rate was 82.2% (60/73 cases) in the treatment group and 79.8% (75/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). At week 24 after treatment the total effective rate was 78.1% (57/73 cases) in the treatment group and 755% (71/94 cases) in the control group, showing no statistical difference between the two groups (chi2 = 0.15, P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in the total effective rate between week 24 and week 12 in the control group (chi2 = 0.49, P < 0.05). Clinical signs and symptoms, RF, CRP, ESR, and DAS28 were significantly improved in the two groups after 12- and 24-week treatment (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the improvement at week 12 after treatment between the two groups (P > 0.05). There was statistical difference in time of morning stiffness, tender joint numbers, swollen joint numbers, patient global assessment, RF, CRP, and DAS28 at week 24 after treatment between the two groups (P < 0.05). Besides, adverse reactions occurred less in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe efficacy of HTR combined MTX was equivalent to that of LEF (10 mg per day) combined MTX, but with more stable therapeutic effects and less adverse reactions.

Antirheumatic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Arthralgia ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; drug therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Isoxazoles ; Methotrexate ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore acute toxicity of succimer on mice.Methods Twenty Kunming mice(10 males and 10 females) weighting approximately (21.2?2.3)g were acclimatized for 3 days prior to dosing,then were divided into control group and experiment group with 10 mice in each group according to body weight.Fasted for 12 hours,the mice in experiment group received intragastric administration of 160mg DMSA in deionized water in 24 hours,and the control group received the same volume of deionized water,and then they were observed for 7 days.Blood was collected into heparinized-tubes by removal of eyeball.All mice were sacrificed and brain,heart,liver and kidney were removed and washed with normal saline.The activity or amount of BUN,Scr,AST,ALT,SOD, GSH-PX and MDA were analyzed.Results (1)Given 160rag DMSA in 24 hours,gastrointestinal symptoms were main side effects.During the observation,experiment group lost weight due to the decrease of food-intake ,and some mice had slight hydroabdomen.(2)High dose of DMSA caused a significant inhibition of GSH-PX(P0.05).The hepatic cell was damaged accord- ing to the significant raise of MDA in liver(P0.05),which was related to acute toxicity on liver.Conclusion Succimer could inhibit the antioxidarrt systems and could do damage to liver and kidney.

OBJECTIVEWernicke's encephalopathy (WE) is an acute neuropsychiatric syndrome resulting from thiamine deficiency, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The disorder is still greatly underdiagnosed in children because of either a relatively non-specific clinical presentation in some cases or unrecognized clinical setting. The aim of this literature review was to provide knowledge of pediatric WE in an effort to assist in early diagnosis, thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality.

METHODSThe clinical manifestations, characteristic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), diagnosis and treatment of one case and the other 35 cases reported in the last decade in children were summarized.

RESULTSThirty-six cases (22 boys and 14 girls, 2-month to 16-year-old) were analyzed. All the other 35 cases except for our case had underlying diseases: improper feeding in 25/35 cases, long-time vomiting in 5/35 cases, immunosuppressive therapy in 4/35 cases, long-time total parenteral nutrition without multivitamin preparations supplementation in 3/35 cases and anorexia nervosa in 1/35 case. The classic triad (mental-status changes, nystagmus and ophthalmoplegia, and ataxia) was seen in 6/36 cases. The other clinical manifestations included consciousness disturbance in 24/36 cases, infection in 22/36 cases, pathological reflex and muscular tension changes in 18/36 cases, convulsion in 17/36 cases, developmental delay in 4/36 cases and failure to thrive in 2/36 cases. Cerebrospinal fluid examination was performed in 31/36 cases, and a slightly raised protein concentration was seen in 7/31 cases. The cerebrospinal fluid lactate levels were detected in 4/36 cases (all increased), serum lactic acid levels in 7/36 cases (6/7 cases increased), serum pyruvate in 4/36 cases (all increased), thiamine pyrophosphate effect (TPPE) in 9/36 cases (all increased), and serum thiamine in 2/36 cases (increased in 1/2 cases). The brain computed tomography (CT) scan was conducted in 20/36 cases and 16/20 cases showed abnormal hypodensity in bilateral basal ganglia, one case revealed diffuse cortical atrophy. The brain MR scan was conducted in 13/36 cases and all the 13 cases revealed symmetrical abnormal signal in bilateral mamillary body and basal ganglia, and 7/13 cases showed abnormal signals in the tegmentum of midbrain, cerebral aqueduct and white matter around the third and fourth ventricles. The diagnosis of WE was confirmed by MR in 12 cases, triad combined with MR in 3 cases, autopsy in 1 case among the 13 cases who underwent MR scan. The diagnosis of WE was confirmed by the TPPE and/or lactate levels in 9/11 cases. The initial thiamine was given by intravenous or intramuscular infusion in 33/36 cases, unknown method in 1 case, orally in 1 case and no thiamine was used in 1 case. The dosage of thiamine was 100 mg daily in 29/35 cases, unknown in 3/35 cases, 50 mg daily in 2/35 cases, 600 mg daily in 1/35 case. 34/35 patients' clinical symptoms improved during 24 hours to 1 week after initial treatment, and 1 case died due to no response to thiamine. Nineteen patients were followed up for 2-2.5 months and 17 cases recovered completely.

CONCLUSIONWernicke's encephalopathy can be difficult to diagnose because of a relatively non-specific clinical presentation. The characteristic MRI findings and the dramatic response of neurological signs to parenteral thiamine will assist early clinical diagnosis. Early and timely thiamine supplementation could reverse the clinical features and improve the prognosis in most cases.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Sepsis ; complications ; Wernicke Encephalopathy ; complications ; diagnosis

OBJECTIVETo summarize the experience and results of surgical treatment for double outlet of the right ventricle (DORV).

METHODSFrom May 1985 to December 2001, 41 patients with DORV with age ranging from 10 months to 21 (mean age 10 +/- 6) years underwent surgical treatment. There were 26 male and 15 female patients. 14 patients underwent the classical Rastelli procedure (an intraventricular tunnel and a extra cardiac conduit repair); intraventricular tunnel and relive right ventricle outflow tract directly with and with out pericardial patch in 11; and modified Rastelli procedure in 11; total cavopulmonary connection (TCPC) in 2; Bidirection cavopulmnary connection in 2; Arterial switch operation in 1. All patients underwent the procedure by cardiopulmonary bypass.

RESULTSThere were 1 early death, 40 patients were discharged without any complication. Thirty-six patients were followed up from 5 months to 17 years. Reoperation in 3, because of residual ventricular septal defect in 1 and left ventricle outflow tract stenosis in 2. All patients were asymptomatic and did well in ordinary life. The cardiac function were in NYHA class I in 34 and class II in 2. The outcome was satisfactory.

CONCLUSIONSBiventricular repair can be achieved in most patients with DORV with satisfactory early and late results, and the late survival was exciting. In complex DORV, a right heart bypass procedure is related to a lower surgical mortality.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Double Outlet Right Ventricle ; mortality ; surgery ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Survival Rate ; Thoracic Surgery ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the use of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with self-locking cages to treat multi-segmental cervical myelopathy.

METHODSFrom April 2008 to March 2010, anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with self-locking cages were performed on 45 patients who suffered from multi-segmental cervical myelopathy, among of them there were 23 male and 22 female, aged from 32 to 67 years (average 53 years). Recording the Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) scores and SF-36 scores in the protocol time point, in order to investigate the clinical outcome, meanwhile, accumulating the pre-operation and postoperation X-ray films of cervical spine for measuring the height of intervertebral space, whole curvature of cervical spine and the rate of fusion by repeated measures analysis of variance.

RESULTSThe mean follow-up time was 28.4 months (24 - 35 months). JOA scores ascended from preoperative 6.5 ± 3.1 to postoperative 13.4 ± 1.7 (F = 17.84, P = 0.001), the 7 scores of SF-36 improved significantly after operation (t = 1.151 - 12.207, P < 0.05), but mental health not. The fineness rate was 91.1%. Height of disc space ascended from preoperative (5.5 ± 1.8) mm to postoperative (8.3 ± 0.8) mm (F = 11.71, P = 0.043), globle curvature of cervical spine ascended from preoperative 5° ± 7° to postoperative 10° ± 14° (F = 234.53, P = 0.000), the change of the two index was significantly, respectively. Fat necrosis in one case and hematoma in another case at the bone donor-site were found, both of the two cases were cured by physiotherapy. All of the 45 cases (111 segments) achieved bone fusion.

CONCLUSIONThe use of anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with self-locking cages to treat multi-segmental cervical myelopathy possess many advantages as follows: satisfactory clinical outcome, minimally invasive, higher fusion rate, higher orthopaedic ability.

Adult ; Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; surgery ; Decompression, Surgical ; methods ; Diskectomy ; methods ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Internal Fixators ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; surgery ; Spinal Fusion ; instrumentation ; methods ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo evaluate surgical methods and results of extracardiac conduit total cavopulmonary anastomosis (EC-TCPA) without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).

METHODSFrom May 2000 to April 2003, 11 patients with functional univentricle underwent off-pump EC-TCPA (no-CPB group). Their postoperative outcome was retrospectively compared with a 17-patient group who underwent EC-TCPA with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB group) over a concurrent time period.

RESULTSThere was 1 operative death in no-CPB group and 2 in CPB group; early postoperative hemodynamics appeared to significantly improve in no-CPB group. Blood and platelet transfusions decreased and blood plasma transfusion significantly lowered in no-CPB group compared with CPB group (P = 0.036). Postoperative courses of patients in no-CPB group were smooth and event free, and extubation time was substantially short Intensive cares unit stay (P = 0.04) and hospital stay (P = 0.02) postoperation were significantly shorter, hospital costs were significantly reduced (P = 0.004) in no-CPB group compared with CPB group.

CONCLUSIONSEC-TCPA without use of CPB is not a difficult procedure; the procedure results in improvement in postoperative hemodynamics, and decreased use of blood and blood products. It is a more efficient operation with more short recovery time and reduced hospital stay.

Adolescent ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Bypass, Right ; methods ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Retrospective Studies

Human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) was highly expressed in Escherichia coli by inserted the synthesized whole hPTH cDNA into the vectors pBV220 and pET22b. After expression and disruption, the purified product was acquired through cation exchange chromatography and reverse phase chromatography. From the results of N-terminal sequencing and MALDI-TOF-MS analysis the recombiant prtein was indentified as intact hPTH. In in vitro Bioassays the recombinant hPTH stimulated adenylate cyclase as the standard did. In ovariectomized rats the recombinant hPTH markedly increased the femoral bone mass and bone mineral density.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Ovariectomy ; Parathyroid Hormone ; chemistry ; genetics ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sequence Alignment ; Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization