Objective To investigate the relationship between diastolic function of the left ventricle and common carotid artery (CCA) elasticity in patients with hypertension. Methods Forty-one primary hypertension patients and 31 healthy volunteers underwent echocardiography to obtain the indices of LV diastolic function and also echo tracking techniqne (ET) to obtain the CCA elasticity indices. The LV diastolic function indices included Ve (early diastolic peak velocity), Va (late diastolic peak velocity ), Ve/Va, Em (early diastolic mitral annular motive velicity), Am (late diastolic mitral annular motive velicity) and Em/Am. The indices of CCA elasticity included Ep (pressure-strain elasticity modulus), β(stiffness parameter), AC (arterial compliance), AI (augmentation index) and PWVβ (pulse wave velocity). Results Va was higher and Em, Ve/Va and Em/Am were lower in patients than that in the healthy , P＜0.05. Ep and PWVβ were higher in patients,P＜0.05. Am and Va were correlated positively with PWV β and Ep , respectively in patients, P＜0.05. Ve/Va was correlated positively with AC, and negatively with PWV β, P＜0.05 in patients. Em/Am was correlated negatively with β and PWV β in patients. Conclusions The LV diastolic function and common carotid artery elasticity were decreased in patients with hypertension. The decreased common carotid artery elasticity was along with the LV diastolic function decreased.

To establish a method for the determination of cucurbitacin in plasma samples, in order to study the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics of cucurbitacin in rats. Rats were intravenously injected with cucurbitacin. With diphenhydramine as the internal standard (IS), the plasma concentrations of cucurbitacin in rat plasma at different time points were determined by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). With electrospray ionization source, the positive ion detection in the multiple reaction monitoring mode was conducted to determine the ion-pairs for target compound and IS were m/z 503.2/113.1 and m/z 256.0/167.2, respectively. Agilent ZOBAX SB-C18 column (2.1 mm x 50 mm, 1.8 microm) was adopted and eluted with methanol and 0.1% formic acid (55:45), and the flow rate was 0.2 mL x min(-1). DAS 2.0 software was applied to fit the blood concentration and calculate corresponding pharmacokinetic parameters. The rats were intravenously injected with cucurbitacin at the concentration of 3.0 mg x kg(-1). The target blood quality concentration show good linear relations within the range of 10.5-3 150 microg x L(-1) (R2 = 0.996), the lower limit of the standard curve was 10.5 microg x L(-1), and the signal to noise ratio S/N = 12. Intra- and inter-day precisions RSD was less than 6.9% and 14%, respectively; The accuracy RE ranged between 0.20% and 3.7%; The extraction recoveries ranged between 92.7% and 97.1%. Regarding the pharmacokinetic parameters of tail intravenous injection of cucurbitacin, AUC (0-t) was (811.615 +/- 111.578) microg x h x L(-1), (t1/2) was (1.285 +/- 1.390) h, CL was (3.627 +/- 0.487) L x h x kg(-1), and V(d) was (6.721 +/- 7.429) L x kg(-1). In this study, researchers established a simple, accurate, sensitive and highly specific method for determining the blood concentration of cucurbitacin, and reported the in vivo pharmacokinetic characteristics of cucurbitacin in rats for the first time.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; Cucurbitacins ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

To compare the pharmacokinetics of syringin, eleutheroside E and isofraxidin after intravenous administration of each monomer and Ciwujia injection. Twenty-four Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups and intravenously administrated with syringin, eleutheroside E, isofraxidin, and Ciwujia injection, respectively. The concentrations of the three components in rat plasma were determined by LC-MS/MS. DAS 2.0 software was applied to calculate the pharmacokinetic parameters while the SPSS 17.0 software was used for statistical analysis. Significant difference (P < 0.05) was found between each monomer and the injection on the main pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC, CL and t1,/2. Compared with the injection, the group treated with the syringin has obvious decrease in AUC, and increase in CL while the group treated with eleutheroside E has obvious increase in AUC, and decrease in CL The t1/2 of isofraxidin was prolonged in Ciwujia injection. Pharmacokinetic characters of the ingredients in the injection varied greatly from the monomer. Other constituents in the injection may have an impact on the pharmacokinetic profiles of these three components.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Coumarins ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Glucosides ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Lignans ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Phenylpropionates ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

In order to mutate a carbofuran degrading strain CFDS-1,transposon of pSC123 was introduced into the genomic DNA of strain CFDS-1 by conjugation with E.coli DH5? (pSC123) as donor and strain CFDS-1 as recipient,6 mutants which lost carbofuran degrading ability were obtained with a kanamycin resistant gene in the middle of transposon and the disappearance of a red compound during the degrading of carbofuran as preliminary selecting marks,they were designated as CFDS-M1～CFDS-M6. UV scanning and GS assay results also proved their mutations. PCR was carried out respectively with primers designed according to the sequence of transposon and genomic DNA of 6 mutants as templates,restriction analysis of PCR products showed that the mutation of carbofuran degrading genes of these mutants was caused by transposon insertion.

Purpose To investigate the pathological features and prognostic value of tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) formation in gastric cancer (GC) . Methods HE staining slides were reviewed to evaluate the TLS in 163 specimens from patients with GC in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University from 2006 to 2008. The validation cohort contained 63 randomly selected cases and immunohistochemical staining of MECA-79 was used to verify the accuracy of pathological assessment of TLS. Results TLS score and MECA-79 immunohistochemical staining showed significant correlation (P = 0. 002) and agreement (P = 0. 024) . The TLS was not significantly correlated to clinical pathological parameters. The patients with high level of TLS had better prognosis (P = 0. 025) with the mean survival time of 48. 54 months. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, TLS was an independent prognostic factor (P = 0. 031) . Conclusion The pathological evaluation of TLS is accurate. The formation of TLS is an important positive prognostic factor for GC patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Cell Cycle Proteins ; analysis ; Coal Mining ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27 ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; chemistry ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; metabolism ; Pneumoconiosis ; metabolism ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; analysis

Objective To evaluate whether the protein SP70 could be used as a serum biomarker for the diagnosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).Methods Polyclonal antibody was prepared by immunizing New Zealand rabbit with SPC-A1 cells.Sandwich ELISA was carried out by using newly-prepared polyclonal antibody(PcMb) coating assay plates,monoclonal antibody (McAb) NJ001 and HRP goat antimouse antibody as primary antibody and labeling antibody respectively.After optimizing the experiment conditions,serum from 175 lung cancer patients [ 80 NSCLC adenocarcinoma,70 NSCLC squamous carcinoma and 25 small cell lung cancer ( SCLC) ],25 benign lung disease ( BLD) patients and 300 healthy controls (HC) were examined.CEA,NSE,CYFRA21-1 were measured by ECLIA for comparison.Results Positive rates of NSCLC adenocarcinoma,NSCLC squamous carcinoma,SCLC and BLD were 68.8％,51.4％,16.0％ and 12.0％ respectively,obviously higher than that of HC (7.3％).NSCLC (adenocarcinoma,Squamous carcinoma) had significantly higher positive rate than SCLC (60.7％ υs 16.0％,x2 =17.23,P＜0.05)and BLD(60.7％ υs 12.0％,x2 =20.41,P ＜0.05).Among 68 NSCLC patients who had definite staging,positive rates at early stage ( Ⅰ/Ⅱ,n=30) reached up to 76.7％.Meanwhile,positive rates of CEA,NSE and CYFRA21-1 (32.7％,18.0％ and 37.3％) were significantly lower than the targeting antigen to McAb NJ001 in NSCLC(60.7％ υs 32.7％,x2 =23.63,P ＜0.05;60.7％υs18.0％,x2 =57.22,P＜0.05;60.7％ υs37.3％,x2=16.34,P＜0.05).Conclusions It showed high positive rates of SP70 in the serum of NSCLC patients,which suggested thai SP70 might be a potential valuable biomarker for the diagnosis of NSCLC.

OBJECTIVE:To observe the clinical efficacy and safety of of heat-sensitive moxibustion combined with modified Pipa qingfei decoction for acne vulgaris.METHODS:A total of 120 patients with acne vulgaris were randomly divided into control group and observation group,with 60 cases in each group.Control group was given Minocycline hydrochloride capsules 50 mg/d,bid.Observation group was given heat-sensitive moxibustion (every other day) combined with modified Pipa qingfei decoction (one dose every day,decocting to 300 mL,morning and night).Both groups were treated for 42 d.Skin lesion score and serum testosterone level were observed in 2 groups before treatment,1st and 90th day after the end of treatment.Clinical efficacies were evaluated in 2 groups on 1st and 90th day after the end of treatment,and the occurrence of ADR was observed in 2 groups during treatment.RESULTS:Before observation,there was no significant difference in these indexes.On 1st day after the end of treatment,the scores of skin lesion items and serum testosterone level in 2 groups were all decreased significantly compared to before treatment,and the scorns of skin lesion items in observation group were significantly lower than control group (P＜0.05);there was no significant difference in the serum testosterone level between 2 groups (P＞0.05).On 90th day after the end of treatment,the scores of skin lesion items and serum testosterone level in control group had no statistical significance compared to before treatment (P＞0.05).The scores of skin lesion items and serum testosterone level in observation group were decreased significantly compared before treatment,and were significantly lower than control group at corresponding period (P＜0.05).On 1st and 90th day after the end of treatment,total response rates of observation group were 85.00％ and 73.33％,which were significantly higher than 73.33％ and 55.00％ of control group,with statistical isgnificance (P＜0.05).There was no statistical significance in the incidence of ADR between 2 groups (P＞0.05).CONCLUSIONS:The heat-sensitive moxibustion combined with modified Pipa qingfei decoction can significantly reduce the scores of skin lesion and serum testosterone levels,improves the symptoms of skin lesions,and shows good safety.

Objective To investigate the role of high mobility group box l protein (HMGB1) in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Methods Enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay (ELISA) was used to test the levels of plasma HMGB1 levels in 58 patients with active AS [bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI)>6, or 6>BASDAI>4 and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)>22 mm/1 h, 6>BASDAI>4 and hypersensitive C reactive protein (hsCRP)>9 mg/L], 73 cases of stable AS (BASDAI<4) and 70 healthy control. Twelve patients who were treated with TNF-alpha antagonist for 6 month were followed-up. Their plasma levels of HMGB1 were detected before and after treatment. Quantitative data were described by, while qualitative data were described by case number. Variance analysis or rank sum test was adopted for the difference between measurement data groups, LSD method was adopted for further pair-wise comparison. The correlation between variables was analyzed by using Spearman correlation analysis. Results The levels of plasma HMGB1, ESR, hsCRP, White blood cell WBC, GR, Mo and GLOB were significantly higher in the AS patients than those in the healthy control group (P<0.001), and the level of plasma HMGB1 in the AS patients was significantly positively correlated with BASDAI, Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI), ESR, hsCRP, WBC, GR, Mo, and GLOB (r=0.288, 0.174, 0.308, 0.243, 0.261, 0.301, 0.279, 0.289; P=0.004, 0.047, 0.000, 0.005, 0.003, 0.000, 0.001 ,0.001). The level of plasma HMGB1, BASDAI, BASFI, ESR, hsCRP, WBC, GR, GLOB were significantly higher in the active AS group than in the stable group (Z=-3.598,-9.456,-5.907, -2.562, -3.178, 4.134, -2.574, -4.582; P=0.000, 0.000, 0.000, 0.012, 0.002, 0.000, 0.011, 0.000). The level of plasma HMGB1 was not found statistically poor in the patients with different expressions of HLA-B27, or hip involvement and history of vuvitis (P>0.05). The plasma HMGB1 level, BASDAI, BAIFI, ESR, hsCRP and GLOB in the 12 followed-up patients were significantly decreased (P=0.034, 0.002, 0.002, 0.005, 0.004, 0.004) after being treated with biological agents for 6 months. Conclusion HMGB1 might play a vital role in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis,and the HMGB1 might be used as a clinical indicator to evaluate the activity of AS and to assess the clinical efficacy.

Objective: To summarize the clinical application patterns in acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of AD by reviewing the clinical literatures on acupuncture-moxibustion for Alzheimer disease (AD) published between January 2009 and December 2019. Methods: China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang Academic Journal Full-text Database (Wanfang), Chongqing VIP Database (CQVIP), Chinese Medicine Acupuncture-moxibustion Information Database, PubMed Medical Data Retrieval Service System, Springer Database and Ovid Technologies (OVID) were retrieved to screen clinical studies of acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of AD according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria to conduct quantitative, clustering and association analyses. Results: In acupuncture-moxibustion treatment of AD, the frequently used points were Baihui (GV 20), Zusanli (ST 36), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Taixi (KI 3), Sanyinjiao (SP 6), and Neiguan (PC 6) in the descending order. Regarding meridians, the most frequently used one was the Governor Vessel, followed by the Stomach Meridian of Foot Yangming and Gallbladder Meridian of Foot Shaoyang. From the perspective of body regions, the points in the head-face region and the lower-limb region had the highest frequencies, followed by the upper-limb, back and chest-abdomen regions. The point group, Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1)-Neiguan (PC 6)-Sanyinjiao (SP 6), showed the most significant association, and the group winning the second place was Baihui (GV 20) and Sishencong (EX-HN 1)-Neiguan (PC 6)- Zusanli (ST 36). The clustering analysis showed that the commonly used point pairs included Zusanli (ST 36)-Sishencong (EX-HN 1) and Taixi (KI 3)-Sanyinjiao (SP 6), which were closely associated with Baihui (GV 20). By analyzing the three commonly used acupuncture-moxibustion methods, acupuncture plus medication was found achieving the best result in the total effective rate and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score, followed by monotherapy of electroacupuncture therapy, and these two methods were superior to acupuncture alone (P<0.05); the scores of MMSE, Alzheimer disease assessment scale-cognitive section (ADAS-cog) and activity of daily living scale (ADL) showed significant improvements after treatment (all P<0.01). Conclusion: In the acupuncture-moxibustion prescriptions for AD, the main points are Baihui (GV 20), Sishencong (EX-HN 1), Neiguan (PC 6), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taixi (KI 3). Monotherapy of acupuncture has the highest frequency amongst the treatment methods, but its effective rate is lower than that of acupuncture plus medication and monotherapy of electroacupuncture.