Objective To investigate the effects of low-dose,sustained release oral theophylline on the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient.Methods Fifty-six patients with stable COPD were randomly divided into two group:theophylline group (n =35) that was treated with slow-release theophylline(100 mg,twice daily),and control group (n =21) that was given with placebo.A series of parameters including lung function,quality of life scores,body mass index,airflow obstruction,dyspnea,and exercise capacity index (BODE) score,exercise tolerance,exacerbations,satisfaction with treatments and adverse effects were tested before and 12 weeks after the treatments.Results Forty two patients completed the study,25 cases in the slow-release theophylline group,and 17 cases in the placebo group.The differences of two groups before the treatment were not prominent except the age (P ＞ 0.05).After treated with slow-release theophylline,the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1),forced vital capacity (FVC) and the symptom score were slightly increased,but there were no statistically significant differences (P ＞0.05).After theophylline therapy,the quality of life score,including activity ability score,disease activity score and total score,and BODE index score were significantly decreased(P ＜0.05),but 6 minutes walk test (6 MWT) differences were no significant (P ＞0.05).The differences in pulmonary function test,the quality of life score,BODE index score and 6 minutes walk test were no significant between before and after the treatment with the placebo (P ＞ 0.05).Compared to the cases who treated with the placebo group,the patients in slow-release theophylline group reduced the frequencies of acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) (3/25 vs 7/17,x2 =4.748,P ＜0.05),and increased the efficacy satisfaction (Z =-2.579,P ＜ 0.05).Slightly adverse reaction was observed in 3 cases in slow-release theophylline group,but it could relieve by oneself,and not affect the common treatment.There was no adverse reaction in the placebo group.Conclusions Low dose,sustained release oral theophylline was efficient in improvement of the quality of life scores and BODE index score.

Objective To investigate the anti-inflammatory effects of low-dose and sustained release oral theophylline on the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.Methods Thirty four patients with stable COPD were randomly divided into two groups:theophylline group (n =18) was treated with slow-release theophylline (100 mg,twice daily),and placebo group (n =16) was given with placebo.Healthy non-smokers (n =12) were taken as control.The course of treatment was 12 weeks both of theophylline group and placebo group.The percentages of Neu/Leu and Mφ/Leu in sputum were detected before and after treatment and the concentrations of interleukin (IL)-17,IL-8,and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-et) were detected with enzyme linked immunosobent assay (ELISA).Results (1) Compared to pretreatment with theophylline group,the Neu/Leu was increased [(89 ±4.14)％ vs (83.4 ±6.98)％,P ＜0.05] and the Mφ/Leu was decreased [(6.4 ± 4.11) ％ vs (12.3 ± 6.96) ％,P ＜ 0.05] in the post-treated theophylline group.No significant changes in both Neu/Leu and Mφ/Leu were observed before and after placebo-treatment (P ＞ 0.05).(2) Compared to the control group,the concentrations of TNF-α,IL-8,and IL-17 in the sputum supernatant were significantly increased in both pretreatment and posttreatment with the theophylline or the placebo.Sputum TNF-α,IL-8,and IL-17 levels were significantly decreased in COPD patients who were given theophylline.Compared to pre-treatment with placebo group,the IL-8 and IL-17 levels were significantly increased in the post-treated placebo group (P ＜0.01).There was no significant change in TNF~ level between before and after treatment with the placebo.(3) The concentrations of IL-17,IL-8,and TNF-α in the sputum supernatant were positively correlated with the Neu/Leu counts (r =0.471,0.652,0.466,respectively,all P ＜0.01),negatively correlated with the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1 ％) (r =-0.516,-0.652,-0.496,respectively,all P ＜ 0.01).Conclusions Low-dose and sustained-release oral theophylline was efficient in improving airway inflammatory cells and inflammatory mediators,which plays an anti-inflammatory effect.

Objective To investigate the diagnostic value of the texture analysis in differentiating adult pilocytic astrocytomas (PA)from hemangioblastomas(HB).Methods 22 adult patients with PA and 20 patients with HB which were confirmed by postoperative pathological were retrospectively reviewed.The conventional MRI features and texture parameters were analyzed.Eight texture parameters were extracted using run-length matrix(RLM),and the differences of texture parameters of the two groups were analyzed by independent-samples t test.Results The short run emphasis(SRE),grey-level non-uniformity(GLNU),run-length non-uniformity(RLNU),high grey-level run emphasis(HGRE)and short run high grey-level emphasis(SRHGE)were higher in adult PA than in HB.The long run emphasis(LRE),low grey-level run emphasis(LGRE)and short run low grey-level emphasis(SRLGE)were lower in adult PA than in HB.The eight texture parameters had significant differences between the two groups(P<0.05).Conclusion Texture analysis can provide reliably objective basis for differentiating adult PA from HB.

Skeletal muscle is the largest tissue in the human body, and it plays a major role in exerting force and maintaining metabolism homeostasis. The role of muscle transcription factors in the regulation of metabolism is not fully understood. MondoA is a glucose-sensing transcription factor that is highly expressed in skeletal muscle. Previous studies suggest that MondoA can influence systemic metabolism homeostasis. However, the function of MondoA in the skeletal muscle remains unclear.

Skeletal muscle is the largest tissue in the human body, and it plays a major role in exerting force and maintaining metabolism homeostasis. The role of muscle transcription factors in the regulation of metabolism is not fully understood. MondoA is a glucose-sensing transcription factor that is highly expressed in skeletal muscle. Previous studies suggest that MondoA can influence systemic metabolism homeostasis. However, the function of MondoA in the skeletal muscle remains unclear.

Objective:To explore the anti-aging effects of berberine hydrochloride and underlying mechanism.Methods:Twelve 4-week-old C57BL6/J mice were divided into aging group (fed with normal chaw), aging+ BBR intervention group(fed with normal chaw containing 1 g/kg berberine hydrochloride). At the age of 64 weeks, all the experimental mice were executed. The liver tissues were made into paraffin sections for HE staining to observe the morphological and structural integrity of liver parenchymal cells for pathological evaluation. Immunofluorescence was used to detect p16 protein expression levels in liver. The expression levels of malondialdehyde(MDA), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px) were detected by colorimetry. The expression levels of interleukin(IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) in liver tissues and IL-8 in serum were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) technique. The p16, p21, nuclear factor erythroid-2 related factor 2(Nrf2), nuclear factor-κB(NF-κB), phospho(p-)NF-κB, inhibitory κB(IκB)α, p-IκBα, and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK) protein expression levels in liver were detected by Western blotting. The same indices were tested in the 16-week-old mice as the young control group.Results:Compared with the young control group, the liver tissue in the aging control group exhibited morphological aging and antioxidant capacity were reduced( P<0.01), and inflammatory factors were increased( P<0.05 or P<0.01). Compared with the aging group, the liver tissues in the aging+ BBR intervention group were still maintain regular arrangement of hepatocytes, the p16 and p21 protein expression levels were significantly increased( P<0.05 or P<0.01), the antioxidant capacity were increased( P<0.05 or P<0.01), the level of inflammatory factors were decresed( P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway and Nrf2 pathway were inhibited( P<0.001). Conclusion:Berberine hydrochloride improves the aging morphology of the liver, potentially by suppressing the p38 MAPK/NF-κB pathway to reduce inflammation levels and inhibiting the Nrf2 pathway to ameliorate oxidative stress.

The cisplatin-based concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) has been accepted as a standard treatment for most locally advanced cervical cancer. Compared with radiation therapy alone, CCRT can increase tumor control and survival rates, whereas it also can increase the incidence of acute hematological toxicity, which results in the treatment interruption or delay, and may even affect clinical efficacy and prognosis of patients. Therefore, how to reduce the incidence and severity of acute hematological toxicity induced by CCRT is a hot spot of clinical research. Previous studies have demonstrated that the occurrence of hematological toxicity is associated with the volume and dose of irradiated pelvic bone marrow. With the development of modern radiotherapy technology, precise radiotherapy technologies, such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT), not only guaranteed the enough dose for tumor, but also realized the protection of normal tissues. This article will focus on the feasibility of bone marrow sparing during CCRT for cervical cancer, and summarize the research progress in recent years.

Objective: To study the effects of resistant dextrin (RD) on liver fat deposition in high-fat diet-fed (HFD) mice, and to further explore whether it can regulate the AMPK signaling pathway. Methods: Thirty-six 4-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups: normal control group (chow), high-fat diet group (HFD), and high-fat diet+ resistant dextrin group (HFD+ RD, 10 g·kg^-1·d^-1). After 12 weeks of intervention, the liver tissues and serum samples were collected. Serum triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT) levels and liver TG were measured. Liver tissue HE and oil red O staining were performed to observe hepatocyte steatosis and liver fat deposition. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to detect the relative expression of fatty acid synthesis related genes SREBP1, ACC, SCD1 in the liver tissue, and Western blot was performed to detect relative protein levels of pAMPK, SREBP1, Fasn, and ACC in the liver. Results: Compared with chow group, the body weight gain, fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and ALT levels were increased in HFD group (P<0.01), and serum AST level was also increased (P<0.05). Moreover, liver oil red O staining revealed that liver fat deposition was much more obvious in HFD group than that in chow group, and liver TG was also increased in HFD group (P<0.01). The mRNA levels of SREBP1 and ACC were increased in HFD group compared with that in chow group, and the protein level of pAMPK was reduced in HFD group (P<0.05). As compared with HFD group, the body weight gain, serum TG, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and ALT levels were significantly reduced in RD group (P<0.01), and FBG level was also reduced (P<0.05). Moreover, RD treatment alleviated liver fat deposition and TG accumulation (P<0.01). The mRNA levels of SREBP1, ACC, and SCD1 were all reduced in RD group compared with HFD group. The protein level of pAMPK was increased, and the expression of Fasn was reduced with RD treatment (P<0.01). Conclusion Resistant dextrin improves liver fat deposition and activates the AMPK signaling pathway in HFD-fed mice.