OBJECTIVETo explore the therapeutic mechanism of Tiaoxin Recipe (TXR) and Bushen Recipe (BSR) in treating Alzheimer's disease (AD).

METHODSSixty patients with AD were divided into 3 groups according to their MMSE and ADL scores before treatment, using randomized block design. They were treated separately with TXR, BSR and Donepezil (Dp) for 12 weeks. The changes of MMSE score, ADL score, neuro-psychology amount table score, including FOM, RVR, DS and BD, as well as the overall operational evaluation before and after treatment were analyzed.

RESULTSThe recognition and daily life capacity of patients in the 3 groups were improved after treatment. MMSE score in the TXR group increased from 16.10 +/- 1.94 scores before treatment to 17.90 +/- 2.59 scores after treatment, in the BSR group, from 16.15 +/- 2.16 to 17.50 +/- 2.59, and in the Dp group, from 17.35 +/- 1.90 to 19.60 +/- 3.39, all showed significant difference (all P < 0.01). Change of ADL score showed that in TXR from 43.10 +/- 3.86 to 41.50 +/- 4.40, in the BSR group from 43.30 +/- 4.53 to 41.60 +/- 4.12 and in the Dp group, from 42.95 +/- 3.58 to 40.60 +/- 5.23, which also showed significant difference (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Moreover, increase of FOM, RVR and DS score was shown in the TXR and the Dp group, and increase of RVR and BD score was shown in the BSR group with significant difference in comparison of corresponding score before and after treatment, inter-groups comparison showed significant difference of FOM score between the BSR and the Dp group (P < 0.01). Overall operational evaluation (total effective rate) in the TXR group was 70%, in the BSR group 65% and in Dp group 75%, with no significant difference among them.

CONCLUSIONTXR and BSR are effective TCM drugs in treating AD.

Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; drug therapy ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effect of Shenyin Oral Liquid (SOL) in relieving mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and decreasing the Alzheimer's disease (AD) transformation rate.

METHODSOne hundred and seventeen MCI patients were randomly assigned to the Chinese medicine group (42 cases), the vitamin E group (38 cases) and the placebo group (37 cases). The treatment course was 12 months and a 6-month follow-up was conducted after ending the treatment course.

RESULTSAfter treatment, the scores of clock drawing test (CDT), nonsensical figure recognition and mini-mental state examination (MMSE) raised significantly in the Chinese medicine group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), the activity of acetylcholine esterase in erythrocytic membrane was lower in the Chinese medicine group than that in the placebo group and the Vitamin E group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Six months after the treatment, there were 2 and 5 cases in the placebo group and the vitamin E group which were diagnosed as AD, respectively, and none in the Chinese medicine group.

CONCLUSIONSOL has an effect similar to cholinesterase inhibitor, it could improve cognitive function in MCI patients and reduce the AD transformation rate in them.

Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; prevention & control ; Cognition Disorders ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Memory ; drug effects ; Mental Status Schedule ; Middle Aged ; Nootropic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To investigate the effect of hand robot-assisted training based on motor imagery on upper limb function of stroke patients.Methods From November, 2016 to May, 2018, 55 hemiplegic patients with upper limb dysfunction were randomly assigned to control group (n = 25) and experimental group (n = 30). The control group received routine hand motor training, while the experimental group received hand robot-assisted training, for four weeks. They were assessed with simplified Fugl-Meyer Assessment-Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT) and Modified Barthel Index (MBI) before treatment (t0), one week of treatment (t1), immediately after treatment (t2) and 2 months after treatment (t3).Results The score of WMFT improved in the experimental group at t1 (P ＜ 0.05), with no significant difference between groups (Z =-0.901, P＞ 0.05). The scores of FMA, WMFT and MBI improved in both groups at t2 and t3 (P ＜ 0.05), and the scores of FMA and MBI improved more in the experimental group than in the control group (Z＞-2.073, t＞ 2.034, P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Hand robot-assisted training based on motor imagery can promote recovery of upper limb function in stroke patients more effective than routine hand function training.

OBJECTIVEIt has been proposed that genetic polymorphisms in apoptosis-related genes might be associated with sensitivity of cancer cells to platinum-based chemotherapy. This study examined the relationship between p53 and p73 genetic polymorphisms and the response to platinum-based chemotherapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

METHODSA total of 165 patients with advanced NSCLC treated with platinum-based chemotherapy were genotyped for the p53 codon 72 Pro-->Arg and p73 exon 2 G4C14-->A4T14 polymorphisms using PCR-RFLP and ARMS-PCR assays. Clinical response to the chemotherapy was obtained after 2 to 3 cycles. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression model. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTSThe p53 Pro allele carriers had higher response rate than non-carriers (OR = 2.46; 95% CI = 1.11 - 5.45). A higher response rate was also observed for the p73 G4C14/A4T14 or A4T14/A4T14 genotype, compared with the G4C14/G4C14 genotype (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.14 - 4.30). When these two polymorphisms were combined to be analyzed, it was found that the response rate in those carrying the wild-type genotypes at both genes was only 7.7%, whereas the response rates in patients carrying 1, 2, or more than 2 variant alleles of p53 and p73 were 34.8%, 42.2% and 40.7%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThose results suggest that p53 and p73 polymorphisms may be associated with clinical responsiveness to platinum-based chemotherapy in advanced NSCLC.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carboplatin ; administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Cisplatin ; administration & dosage ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; genetics ; Exons ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Nuclear Proteins ; genetics ; Paclitaxel ; administration & dosage ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Tumor Protein p73 ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; genetics ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins ; genetics

Objective To observe the anatomical structure via endonasal transsphenoidal approach with virtual endoscopy (VE) and explore the clinical applications of VE in endoscopic pituitary tumor resection through the endonasal transsphenoidal approach. Methods The VE was applied to the reconstruction of the pre-surgical 64-slice CT scanning of the 21 patients with pituitary adenoma received the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal surgery. A comparative study and a correlation analysis of cumulative scores of the anatomical structure were performed between the reconstructed VE images and the intraoperative endoscopic ones. Results Preoperative VE images and intraoperative endoscope images are very similar. The correlation of cumulative scores of the anatomical structure between the VE images of anatomical findings and the intraoperative images was positively noted (r=0.923, P=0.001),indicating that VE can be applied to simulately observe the anatomical structure before the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, and observe the anatomical structure through the endonasal transsphenoidal approach. Conclusion Being able to display the important anatomical structure and its varieties before the endoscopic endonasal transsphenoidal pituitary surgery, VE proves to be a valuable approach to the preoperative planning, increases the surgical efficiency and improves the safety of the surgery.

Objective To develop a simple, fast and accurate preoperative planning method for endoscopic surgery of patients with hypertensive intracerebral hemorrhage (HICH).Methods Eighteen patients with HICH, admitted to our hospital from June 2008 to August 2010, were performed endoscopic minimally invasive surgery; CT three-dimensional reconstruction was employed to locate the intracerebral hematoma and select the appropriate endoscopic approach before the endoscopic surgery.The clinical data and treatmem efficacy were analyzed.Results According to the results of CT three-dimensional reconstruction, our neurosurgeons could design the best endoscopic approach; the three-dimensional relationship between intracerebral hematoma and scalp markers was shown directly and accurate positioning of the location of drilling was achieved; therefore, the time for preoperative preparation, anesthesia and operation was shortened. The mean operating time of these 18 patients was about 1.5 h; the volume of blood loss was only 30-40 mL; and the evacuation ratio was about 89.2%.After the elimination of hematoma, the brain tissues were flabby, so decompressive craniectomy was not needed. Conclusion CT three-dimensional reconstruction is a simple, fast and accurate preoperative planning method for endoscopic surgery of patients with HICH.

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship between polymorphisms of FAS and FASL genes and genetic susceptibility of silicosis.

METHODSA case-control study was conducted. The case group was 183 male patients with silicosis and the control group was 111 male silica-exposed but without silicosis miners. Data on total dust concentrations was collected to estimate cumulative total dust exposure (CTE) of each subject and each person's characteristics and work history were obtained from questionnaire. Polymerase chain reaction re-strained fragment length polymorphism technique (PCR-RFLP) was applied to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of FAS-1377, FAS-670 and FASL-844. Associations between polymorphisms and risk of silicosis and stages, interactions between polymorphisms, between polymorphisms and CTE and smoking and haplotypes were analyzed.

RESULTSThere were no differences in the FAS-1377, FAS-670 and FASL-844 genotypes between the case group and the control group (P > 0.05). No association was observed between FAS-1377, FAS-670 and FASL-844 polymorphisms and silicosis and stages (P > 0.05). The frequencies of FAS-1377G/-670G haplotype in the cases (9.6%) were higher than those in the controls (3.6%) (P < 0.05). No interactions between the polymorphisms of different genes, the gene polymorphism and the total accumulative total dust, the gene polymorphism and smoking were observed (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONFAS-1377, FAS-670 and FASL-844 polymorphisms are not susceptible factors of silicosis. The FAS-1377G/-670G haplotype might be a susceptibility marker of silicosis.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Case-Control Studies ; Fas Ligand Protein ; genetics ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Silicosis ; genetics ; fas Receptor ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether ginsenoside-Rb1 (Gs-Rb1) inhibits the apoptosis of hypoxia cardiomyocytes by up-regulating apelin-APJ system and whether the system is affected by hypoxia-induced factor 1α (Hif-1α).

METHODSNeonatal rat cardiomyocytes were randomly divided into 6 groups: a control group, a simple CoCl group, a simple Gs-Rb1 group, a CoCl and Gs-Rb1 hypoxia group, a CoCl and 3-(5'-hydroxymethyl-2'-furyl)-1-benzylindazole (YC-1) group, a CoCl and YC-1 group and a Gs-Rb1 group, in which YC-1 inhibits the synthesis and accelerates the degradation of Hif-1a. The concentration of CoCl, Gs-Rb1 and YC-1 was 500 μmol/L, 200 μmol/L and 5 μmol/L, respectively; the apoptosis ratio was analyzed with a flow cytometer; and apelin, APJ and Hif-1α were assayed with immunocytochemistry, Western blot assays and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

RESULTS(1) The anti-apoptosis effect of Gs-Rb1 on hypoxia cardiomyocytes was significantly inhibited by YC-1; (2) Hypoxia significantly up-graded the expression of mRNA and protein of apelin; this effect was further reinforced by Gs-Rb1 and significantly inhibited by YC-1; (3) Gs-Rb1 further strengthened the expression of APJ mRNA and APJ proteins once hypoxia occurred, which was significantly inhibited by YC-1; (4) Gs-Rb1 significantly increased the expression of Hif-1α, which was completely abolished by YC-1; (5) There was a negative relationship between AR and apelin (or APJ, including mRNA and protein), a positive correlation between apelin (or APJ) protein and Hif-1a protein, in hypoxia cardiomyocytes.

CONCLUSIONThe apelin-APJ system plays an important role in the anti-apoptosis effect of Gs-Rb1 on hypoxia neonatal cardiomyocytes, which was partly adjusted by Hif-1α.

Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Apelin ; Apelin Receptors ; Cell Hypoxia ; drug effects ; Ginsenosides ; pharmacology ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the detection rate of the inferior pyloric artery (IPA) in patients with gastric cancer by computed tomography arteriography (CTA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-four patients (48 males and 6 females; mean age, 59.0 ± 1.5 years) who had undergone radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer from September 2016 to July 2017 at our institution were recruited prospectively. Patients underwent abdominal contrast-enhanced CT scans and CTA imaging reconstruction before the operation. The origin of the IPA in all cases was determined by a radiologist based on CTA images and verified by the surgeon. The accuracy of CTA in diagnosing the origin of the IPA was calculated. Dominant vessels of the origin were analyzed. RESULTS: IPAs were detected by CTA in 51 patients (94.4%). Among these, IPAs originated from the right gastroepiploic artery (RGEA) (24 cases), the gastroduodenal artery (GDA) (4 cases), and the anterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery (ASPDA) (20 cases). In the remaining 3 cases, the IPAs contained two branches originating from the RGEA and ASPDA, respectively. During surgery, in 2 (3.7%) of the 54 cases of gastric cancer, IPAs could not be detected; the IPAs originated from the RGEA (22 cases), GDA (5 cases), and ASPDA (24 cases). One case had an IPA originating from both the RGEA and the GDA. Finally, the accuracy of CTA in diagnosing the origin artery of the IPA was 85.2% (46/54). CONCLUSION: CTA can detect the origin of the IPA accurately, which can aid surgeons while performing pylorus-preserving operations.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroepiploic Artery ; Humans ; Male ; Prospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Surgeons ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

RNA helicases, the largest family of proteins that participate in RNA metabolism, stabilize the intracellular environment through various processes, such as translation and pre-RNA splicing. These proteins are also involved in some diseases, such as cancers and viral diseases. Autophagy, a self-digestive and cytoprotective trafficking process in which superfluous organelles and cellular garbage are degraded to stabilize the internal environment or maintain basic cellular survival, is associated with human diseases. Interestingly, similar to autophagy, RNA helicases play important roles in maintaining cellular homeostasis and are related to many types of diseases. According to recent studies, RNA helicases are closely related to autophagy, participate in regulating autophagy, or serve as a bridge between autophagy and other cellular activities that widely regulate some pathophysiological processes or the development and progression of diseases. Here, we summarize the most recent studies to understand how RNA helicases function as regulatory proteins and determine their association with autophagy in various diseases.
Animals ; Antiviral Agents/pharmacology* ; Autophagy ; Beclin-1/metabolism* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Survival ; DEAD Box Protein 58/metabolism* ; Disease Progression ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Immune System/physiology* ; Neoplasms/metabolism* ; RNA Helicases/metabolism* ; RNA Splicing ; Receptors, Immunologic/metabolism*