OBJECTIVETo compare the efficacy difference in treatment of myofasical pain syndrome between sparrow-pecking moxibustion and acupuncture at trigger points so as to provide the reference of the effective therapeutic method for myofascial pain syndrome.

METHODSNinety patients were randomized into a sparrow-pecking moxibustion group and an acupuncture group, 45 cases in each one. The trigger points were selected in pain areas in the two groups. In the sparrow-pecking moxibustion group, the sparrow-pecking moxibustion was applied, 30 min in each time. In the acupuncture group, the filiform needles were inserted obliquely at 45 degrees and retained for 40 min in each treatment. The treatment was given once a day and 10 treatments made one session in the two groups. The short-form McGill pain questionnaire was used as the observation index, and the changes in pain rating index (PRI), present pain intensity (PPI) and visual analogue scale (VAS) before and after treatment were used for efficacy assessment.

RESULTSThe results of PRI, PPI and VAS after treatment were reduced apparently as compared with those before treatment in the sparrow-pecking moxibustion group and the acupuncture group (all P<0.001). The differences in PRI, PPI and VAS after treatment were not significant in comparison of the two groups (both P>0.05). The curative and remarkably effective rate was 80.0% (36/45) in the sparrow-pecking moxibustion group, which was better than 40.0% (18/45, P<0.001) in the acupuncture group.

CONCLUSIONSparrow-pecking moxibustion at trigger points achieves the superior efficacy on myofascial pain syndrome as compared with acupuncture at trigger points. This therapy is simpler in operation additionally.

Acupuncture Points ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Trigger Points ; physiopathology ; Young Adult

Objective To explore the change of serum HER2/neu concentration during neoadjuvant chemotherapy for HER2-overexpressed breast cancer and its correlation with the response to the neoadjuvant chemotherapy.Methods The concentration of the serum HER2/neu in 78 cases of HER2-overexpressed advanced breast cancer treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy were detected with enzyme-linked immunosordent assay(ELISA).The relationship between the serum HER2/neu concentration and the response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was analyzed.Results The serum HER2/neu concentration of befor and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy was 18.6 ± 10.0ng/ml,11.6 ± 6.lng/ml respectively.The serum HER2/neu concentration decreased significantly(P ＜ 0.001).The response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy was correlated with the change of the serum HER2/neu concentration.The pathologic complete response was correlated with the serum HER2/neu concentration of prechemotherapy and the change of the serum HER2/neu concentration.Conclusion The change of serum HER2/neu concentration may serve as a marker predicting the response of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-overexpressed breast cancer.

Objective To explore the expression of human epidermal growth factor receptor -3( HER3) in human epidermal growth factor receptor-2(HER2)-positive breast cancer and its relationship with the therapeutic effect of trastuzumab and clinical prognosis .Methods Clinicopathological characteristics of 235 HER2-positive breast cancer patients undergoing surgery in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital from Jan .2007 to Jun.2012 were analyzed retrospectively.The expression of HER3 was detected using immunohistochemisty staining .The expression of HER3 and its correlation with the clinicopathological characteristics were analyzed .All patients were followed-up to find out the impact of HER3 on the disease free survival and the therapeutic effect of trastuzumab .Results The positive rate of HER3 in Luminal B ( HER2 +) and HER2-overexpressing breast cancer was 100/135 (74.1%), and 85/100(85%)respectively.The difference had statistical significance (P<0.05).The histolog-ical grading and the lymph node metastasis were significantly different in Luminal B ( HER2+) breast cancer .The tumor volume , histological grading and lymph node metastasis were significantly different in HER 2-overexpressing breast cancer .The 5-year disease free survival of HER 2-positive breast cancer patients with negative HER 3 was higher than that with positive HER3.The non-relapse survival time was not significantly different between the pos-itive and negative HER 3 expression in Luminal B ( HER2+) breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab treat-ment , but was significantly different in HER 2-overexpressing breast cancer patients .Conclusions HER3 is cor-related with unfavourable prognosis in HER 2-positive breast cancer .The treatment targeting HER3 may improve the clinical prognosis of both HER 2-positive and HER3-positive breast cancer patients .The HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients with negative HER 3 may benefit more from trastuzumab treatment .

Breast Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Multidrug Resistance-Associated Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Receptors, Progesterone ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the relationship between the imbalance of suppressors of cytokine signaling 1(SOCS1)/SOCS3 and abnormal activation of monocytes/ macrophages in children with acute-phase asthma, and explore the molecular mechanism of chronic inflammatory process on airway.Methods The present study enrolled 20 asthmatic children and 20 age-matched normal children. Dual-color flow cytometric analysis was performal to detect the percentage of CD_ 80 、CD_ 86 expressing on CD_ 14 ~+ cell. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and real-time PCR were used to analyze SOCS1,SOCS3 expression in monocytes/ macrophages.Results The proportions of CD_ 80 ,CD_ 86 expressed on CD_ 14 ~+ cell in children with asthma were significantly higher than those in control subjects(CD_ 80 :7.0% vs 1.70%),(CD_ 86 :11.37% vs 2.03%),all P

OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect and action mechanism of petroleum ether extracts from Saussurea involucrate on brain tissues of hypoxia rats under constant pressure and closed conditions.

METHODThe PESI dosage-dependent experiment for hypoxia rats was conducted under constant pressure and closed conditions by intraperitoneally injecting 125, 250, 500 mg x kg(-1) to finalize that the optimum dosage is the high dose of PESI. Afterwards, 90 Wistar rats were randomly divided into the hypoxic model group, the acetazolamide 250 mg x kg(-1) group and the PESI high dose group. Each group was further divided into three subgroups according to different hypoxia times, with 10 rats in each subgroup. Under the same hypoxia and administration conditions, the rats were sacrificed after 0, 3, 6 h respectively. Their brain samples were collected for common pathological observation and immunohistochemical staining of HIF-1alpha. Real-time RT-PCR was used to detect HIF-1alpha, EPO, HO-1 and Caspase-3 gene expressions. And the Western blot assay was adopted to detect HIF-1alpha protein expression.

RESULTThe brain tissues of the hypoxia model group were severely damaged with the increase in the hypoxia time. The acetazolamide group and the PESI high does group were damaged in a much lower degree. According to the gene expression and the Western blot assay, high dose of PESI could inhibit HIF-1alpha expression. According to the pure gene expression test, high dose of PESI could increase EPO and HO-1 mRNA expressions, but inhibit Caspase-3 mRNA expression.

CONCLUSIONPESI's protective mechanism for brain tissues of hypoxia rats under constant pressure and closed conditions may be related to its effects in inhibiting HIF-1alpha expression, increasing EPO expression and resisting cell apoptosis.

Alkanes ; chemistry ; Animals ; Brain ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Caspase 3 ; genetics ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; Cytoprotection ; drug effects ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Erythropoietin ; genetics ; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic ; drug effects ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; genetics ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Saussurea ; chemistry

In 2013, the World Health Organization reported the first case of human infection with a new influenza A (H7N9) virus in China. This has caused damage and panic within certain areas in China. Therefore, analysis of this virus with bioinformatics technology is very necessary. Neuraminidase (NA) is one of the most important antigens of the influenza virus and an important target for anti-flu drugs. In this study, the nucleotide and protein sequences of NA gene of A/H7N9 influenza viruses were retrieved from the NCBI database, and MEGA 5.0 software was employed to construct a phylogenetic tree based on the nucleotide coding sequence; BioEdit software was used to align the nucleotide and protein sequences of NA and calculate the homologies of nucleotides and amino acids and then to analyze the important mutation sites of NA gene. The results demonstrated that the spread of influenza virus H7N9 showed certain geographical and temporal relations. The H7N9 virus isolated from China in 2013 belonged to Euroasiatic serotype, and its NA stalk region hadobvious variation, which may be one of the reasons that this virus infects human. These analyses may be very helpful for understanding the evolutionary relationship and mutation trend of A/H7N9 influenza viruses.
Databases, Genetic ; Evolution, Molecular ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype ; enzymology ; genetics ; Mutation ; Neuraminidase ; chemistry ; genetics ; Phylogeny ; Sequence Analysis

Objective To investigate the survival and recurrence data after treatment in neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix(NECUC)with stageⅠb-Ⅱa, and to analyse its prognostic factors. Methods Thirty-two cases of primary NECUC in early-stage disease treated from Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2013 at Cancer Hospital,Peking Union Medical College,Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences were reviewed, and their data of clinicopathologic characteristics were collected and analysed. The median age was 37 years (range, 23-57 years). The distribution by International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) clinical stage:19 cases stageⅠb1, 10 cases stageⅠb2, 1 case stageⅡa1, 2 cases stageⅡa2. Pathologic types: 22 cases of small cell carcinoma, 1 case of atypical carcinoid, 9 cases of mixed carcinoma. The diameter of cervical tumor:12 cases≥4 cm, 20 cases<4 cm. All patients underwent radical hysterectomy and pelvic ± para-aortic lymphadenectomy, and 15 cases of them were preserved unilateral or bilateral ovaries. Pathologic examination showed that 25 cases with cervical deep stromal invasion thickness ≥1/2, 21 cases with lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI), and 18 cases with pelvic and (or) para-aortic lymph nodes involvement. Ten cases were performed neoadjuvant chemotherapy (range,1-3 cycles), all patients received postoperative chemotherapy (range,3-6 cycles), and 15 patients were treated with radiotherapy after surgery. The follow-up data were updated on Jul. 2014. The median follow-up time was 18 months (range, 7-71 months). A retrospective analysis was conducted to analyse the survival and recurrence data,and to explore the prognostic factors of NECUC. Results Thirteen patients died during the follow-up period. The cumulative progression-free survival (PFS) of 2 and 5 years were respectively 54.2%and 38.1%, and the estimated median PFS was 29 months. The cumulative overall survival (OS) of 2 and 5 years were respectively 56.1%and 44.9%, and the estimated median OS was 31 months. Fourteen cases had recurrence, and the median recurrence time was 9 months (range, 3-30 months). Recurrent or metastatic sites:2 cases in pelvis, 4 cases in liver, 3 cases in lung, 3 cases in adrenal glands, 3 cases in bones, 2 cases in brain, 1 case in pancreas, 1 case in lymph nodes of para-aorta and neck, and 3 cases had metastasis in two or more organs. Thirteen cases with recurrence died of disease, and another one is alive with disease. The univariate analysis showed that lesion size of the cervix and FIGO stage were significant prognostic factors (P<0.01), while age, tumor components, deep invasion in cervical stromal, LVSI, pelvic and (or) para-aortic lymph nodes involvement, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, adjuvant radiotherapy and preserving ovaries were not significantly associated with prognosis(all P>0.05). Conclusion The prognosis of NECUC in early-stage is poor and the lesion size of the cervix and FIGO stage are prognostic factors.

Objective To investigate clinical manifestation of unspecified functional bowel disorder (UFBD), the features of coexistence with functional gastrointestinal disorder (FGID) and its relationship with psychological factors and sleep disturbance in the Chinese Army servicemen.Methodsc FGIDs were diagnosed based on the RomeⅢ Modular Questionnaire. The subjects were 189 servicemen with UFBD (UFBD group) and 372 without FGID (control group). All subjects completed symptom checklist 90 (SCL-90) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire.Results'Have to rush to the toilet when having a desire to defecate' was the most frequent symptom of UFBD (93.7%). More than one half of UFBD patients had the symptom 'a feeling of incomplete emptying as bowel movements' or 'straining during bowel movements'. Twenty-eight percent of UFBD subjects had combined FGID (namely cFGID). Among them, the most frequent was proctalgia fugax (7.9%), followed by cyclic vomiting syndrome (6.3%), functional fecal incontinence (6.3%), functional dyspepsia (4.8%) and belching (4.8%). The UFBD group scored significantly higher than the control group in the global severity index (GSI) and in all SCL-90 subscales (P<0.05). The scores of the four domains (sleep quality, sleep latency , sleep disturbance and daytime function disorder), total PSQI score and proportion of poor sleeping quality were significantly higher in the UFBD group than in the control group (P<0.05). The subjects scored significantly higher in combined FGID group than in UFBD group in GSI and in all of SCL-90 subscales, except for phobic anxiety subscales (P<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in each domain, total PSQI and proportion of poor sleeping quality between the cFGID group and UFBD group (P>0.05).ConclusionPathogenesis of UFBD may be closely correlated with psychiatric and psychological factors and sleep disturbance. cFGID are associated with an increased severity of psychopathological features.

Objective To investigate the incidence of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm in patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms after embolization and its correlative factors. Methods The clinical data of 78 patients with ruptured intracranial aneurysms after embolization, admitted to our hospital from May 2008 to January 2010, were retrospectively analyzed. The occurrence of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm was assessed and its influencing factors were analyzed. Results The embolization of these 78 patients was successful. Postoperative symptomatic cerebral vasospasm occurred in 20patients (25.6％). Significant differences in the incidence of cerebral vasospasm among patients of different Hunt-Hess grades, Fisher grades were noted (P＜0.05). Fourteen patients were back to normal and 3 had moderate disability after proper treatment,while the other 3 gave up treatment. Conclusion The occurrence of symptomatic cerebral vasospasm of patients with ruptured aneurysm atter embolization may be associated with the neurological damage degree and amount of bleeding. Lumbar drainage can positively reduce the incidence of cerebral vasospasm.