OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of short-latency somatosensory evoked potential (SSEP) in the diagnosis of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP).

METHODSA total of 48 children with a confirmed or suspected CIDP and 40 healthy children were enrolled. Nerve electrophysiological examination and/or SSEP examination was performed (the children in the healthy control group only underwent SSEP examination). Four-lead electromyography was used for nerve electrophysiological examination, including at least 4 motor nerves and 2 sensory nerves. N6 (elbow potential), N13 (cervical cord potential), and N20 (cortex potential) of the median nerve and N8 (popliteal fossa potential), N22 (lumbar cord potential), and P39 (cortex potential) of the tibial nerve were observed by SSEP examination.

RESULTSAmong the 48 children with CIDP, 35 had demyelination in both motor and sensory nerves, 8 had demyelination in sensory nerves, and 5 had axonal degeneration. SSEP examination showed that 7 had conduction abnormality in the trunk of the brachial plexus and/or the posterior root and 33 had damage in the lumbosacral plexus and/or the posterior root. The 40 children with abnormal findings of SSEP examination included 8 children with affected sensory nerves and 5 children with secondary axonal degeneration who did not meet the electrophysiological diagnostic criteria for CIDP. Compared with the healthy control group, the CIDP group had significantly prolonged latency periods of N13 and N22 (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSSEP can be used for the auxiliary diagnosis of CIDP, especially in CIDP children with affected sensory nerves or secondary axonal degeneration.

Axons ; physiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polyradiculoneuropathy, Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Reaction Time

Objective: To investigate the effect of ginsenoside-rg1 (G-Rg1) on rat’s cardiomyocytes H9c2 with its mechanism of signal pathwayin vitro.
Methods: H9c2 cells were cultured and treated in different conditions by following groups:①Blank control group,②Hypoxia alone group, the cells were treated for (2, 6, 12, 24, 48) hr respectively,③G-Rg1 group, the cells were treated by G-Rg1 at (5, 10, 50) μmol/L respectively,④YC-1 group, which is the speciifc inhibitor of hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α),⑤YC-1 + G-Rg1 group,⑥Wortmannin group, which is the speciifc inhibitor for protein kinase B (Akt) phosphorylation and⑦Wortmannin + G-Rg1 group. Each experiment was conducted with 5 replicates. The effects of G-Rg1, hypoxia and YC-1 on cell activity and injury were studied; intracellular mRNA expressions of HIF-1α, glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) were examined by RT-PCR; protein expressions of HIF-1α, GLUT-1, HO-1, activating transcription factor-6 (ATF-6), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) and Akt with its signal pathway factors were measured by Western blot analysis.
Results: The time of hypoxia was negatively related to cell activity (r=-0.8580,P<0.05) and positively related to LDH overlfow rate (r=0.9201,P<0.05). G-Rg1 (10μmol/L) group showed increased cell activity than Hypoxia alone (24 hr) group (87.8% vs 62.6 %,P<0.05), while decreased LDH overlfow (25.0% vs 74.8%,P<0.05), and up-regulated mRNA expressions of HIF-1α, GLUT-1 and HO-1, P<0.05. YC-1+ G-Rg1 group had decreased cell activity than G-Rg1 group (68.0% vs 87.8%,P<0.05), while increased LDH overlfow (56.4% vs 25.0%,P<0.05). Meanwhile, YC-1 clashed the effect of G-Rg1 on protein expressions of HIF-1α, GLUT-1, HO-1, ATF-6 and CHOP,P<0.05; wortmannin clashed the effect of G-Rg1 on protein expressions of HIF-1α, CHOP,P<0.05 and suppressed the two phosphorylation sites for Akt activation,P<0.05.
Conclusion: G-Rg1 may protect rat’s H9c2 cellsin vitro by activating expressions of HIF-1α with its downstream factors and inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress, which might be related to the effect of G-Rg1 on Akt activation.

AIM:To explore the potentially beneficial clinical effects of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) combined with photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy(DR).METHODS:Chinese patients with DR were divided into two groups. A joint treatment group received both the TCM ziyinliangxuesanyutang and photocoagulation, while a control group received only photocoagulation laser treatment. Visual acuity tests, visual field retinal sensitivity tests, and fundus fluorescein angiography (to measure neovascular regression) were performed. Vision was compared between the two groups 1 month, 6, and 12 months after treatment.RESULTS:Twelve months after treatment, the recovery of visual acuity (62.3% vs 43.1%, P=0.037) and retinal sensitivity \[17.0±3.7 decibels (dB) vs 14.9±3.7dB, P=0.002\] as well as neovascular regression (67.2% vs 48.3%, P=0.036) in the joint treatment group were all significantly greater than that of the control group.CONCLUSION:Compared with laser treatment alone, the joint application of TCM and photocoagulation is shown to be more effective than DR treatment method.

OBJECTIVETo study the role of proximal nerve stimulation at Erb point in the early diagnosis of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) in children.

METHODSThirty-two children who were diagnosed with GBS between October 2013 and December 2014 received neurophysiological examination. Thirty healthy children were used as controls. Compound muscle action potentials and distal motor latency of the median and ulnar nerves were determined and analyzed after nerve stimulation at the wrist, elbow, and Erb point in the two groups. Moreover, F-wave latency of the median nerve and H-reflex latency of the tibial nerve were measured and analyzed in the two groups.

RESULTSThe F-wave and H-reflex latencies were significantly longer in the patient group than in the control group (P<0.05). In thirty-two patients, the numbers of patients with abnormal amplitude, abnormal latency, and conduction block at Erb's point were 24 (75%), 22 (69%), and 20 (62%), respectively. The patient group had significantly lower amplitudes but significantly longer latencies of the ulnar and median nerves at Erb point than the control group (P<0.05). There were no significant differences in the amplitudes and latencies at the wrist and elbow between the two groups (P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe nerve stimulation at Erb point holds promise as a routine examination for the early diagnosis of GBS.

Adolescent ; Child ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrodiagnosis ; methods ; Female ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; H-Reflex ; Humans ; Male ; Neural Conduction ; physiology ; Reaction Time

OBJECTIVE: To study the association of motor nerve conduction block (CB) with different subtypes of childhood Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical and nerve electrophysiological data of 50 children with GBS. According to the results of nerve electrophysiology, the children were divided into an acute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (AIDP) group with 29 children and an acute motor axonal neuropathy (AMAN) group with 21 children. According to the presence or absence of motor nerve CB, the children with AMAN or AIDP were further divided into subgroups: group AMAN with or without motor nerve CB (n=10 and 11 respectively) and group AIDP with or without motor nerve CB group (n=19 and 10 respectively). The subgroups were compared in terms of age of onset, sex, Hughes Functional Grading Scale (HFGS) at nadir for the most severe involvement of motor function, and short-term prognosis based on HFGS score at 1 month after disease onset. RESULTS: Motor nerve CB was reversible in children with AMAN. AMAN children with motor nerve CB had a significantly lower HFGS score than those without motor nerve CB at 1 month after onset (P<0.05). AIDP children with motor nerve CB had a significantly higher HFGS score than those with motor nerve CB at 1 month after onset (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS AMAN with reversible motor nerve CB suggests mild nerve fiber lesion and has better recovery than AMAN and AIDP without motor nerve CB in short term.
Child ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Humans ; Neural Conduction ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of self-prescribed Guchong Decoction combined with Ferroids for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia (IDA)patients with unconsolidation of thoroughfare and conception vessels. Methods A total of 70 IDA patients with unconsolidation of thoroughfare and conception vessels were randomized into treatment group and control group,35 cases in each group. The control group was given oral use of Ferroids, and the treatment group was treated with self-prescribed Guchong Decoction combined with Ferroids. One month constituted a treatment course,and both groups were treated for 2 courses. Before and after treatment,we compared the parameters of blood routine test for red blood cells(RBC),hemoglobin (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), MCH concentration (MCHC),white blood cells(WBC)and platelets,as well as reticulocytes(Ret)and iron metabolism indexes including serum iron(SI),serum ferritin(SF),and total iron-binding capacity(TIBC). The adverse reaction was monitored during the treatment. After treatment,both western medicine clinical efficacy and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)syndrome clinical efficacy of the two groups were evaluated. A 3-month follow-up was carried out after treatment to evaluate the recurrence rate. Results(1)Drop-out occurred in one case from the treatment group and in 2 cases from the control group because of short-term medication suspension.(2)After treatment for 2 months, western medicine clinical cure rate of the treatment group was 82.4％ and that of the control group was 60.6％, and TCM syndrome clinical cure rate of the treatment group was 94.1％ and that of the control group was 51.5％,the difference being significant(P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).(3)The levels of RBC,HGB,Ret, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and WBC of the two groups were obviously increased after treatment (P < 0.01), and PLT level was markedly decreased (P < 0.01)as compared with those before treatment,but the inter-group differences after treatment were insignificant (P > 0.05). (4)After treatment,iron metabolism indexes of SF and SI of the two groups were significantly increased (P < 0.01), and TIBC of the treatment group was significantly decreased (P < 0.01). The treatment group had stronger effect on increasing SF and SI and on decreasing TIBC than the control group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). (5)The incidence of adverse reaction and the recurrence rate in the treatment group were lower than those of the control group,the difference being significant (P< 0.01). Conclusion Guchong Decoction combined with Ferroids is effective for the treatment of IDA with unconsolidation of thoroughfare and conception vessels through relieving symptoms rapidly, reducing gastrointestinal adverse reaction,and decreasing recurrent rate.

Objective:To evaluate the effect of closed-loop therapy system in adult non-mechanical ventilation patients in order to provide evidence-based basis for promoting the safety of oxygen therapy.Methods:Randomized controlled trials of closed-oxygen therapy system on the percentage within SpO 2 target, the incidence of hypoxaemia or hyperoxia, oxygen consumption, the mean oxygen therapy days, as well as the length of hospital stay in adult non-mechanical ventilation patients were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP from inception to June 30, 2022. Data extraction, and literature quality evaluation were performed by two researchers independently, RevMan 5.3 was used for meta-analysis. Results:A total of 5 articles including 502 patients were included. The results showed that the closed oxygen therapy system could significantly improve the percentage of time within SpO 2 target of patients ( SMD=1.56, 95% CI 1.22-1.90, Z=9.04, P<0.001) and reduce the percentage of time with hypoxaemia ( SMD=-0.35, 95% CI-0.50--0.19, Z=4.37, P<0.001) or hyperoxia ( SMD=-0.91, 95% CI-1.07--0.75, Z=11.04, P<0.001) of patients. Moreover, the mean oxygen flow rate of closed oxygen therapy ( SMD=-0.64, 95% CI-1.25--0.03, Z=2.07, P<0.05), the mean oxygen therapy days ( SMD=-0.55, 95%, CI-1.06--0.03, Z=2.08, P<0.05), as well as the length of hospital stay ( SMD=-1.68, 95% CI-2.22--1.14, Z=6.11, P<0.001) were lower than those of patients with manual adjustment systems. Conclusion:The closed oxygen therapy system can promote the safety of oxygen use, but it needs clinical application to further explore.

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether 5alpha-reductase inhibitor and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) play a role in spermatogenesis in male rats.

METHODSThirty-two male rats were divided into 4 groups (Groups C, T, F and FT). Group C received plant oil injection and oral starch perfusion, Group T testosterone undecanoate (TU, 20 mg/kg) injection and oral starch perfusion, Group F plant oil injection and oral Finasteride perfusion, and Group FT TU (20 mg/kg) injection and oral Finasteride perfusion. Data on serum T and DHT, sperm count, sperm mobility and reproductive function were collected and analysed.

RESULTS(1) 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, Finasteride and TU reduced the weight of the testis and epididymis in the experiment groups compared with the negative control (Group C), but TU increased the weight of the prostate while Finasteride decreased it compared with the positive control (Group T). TU combined with Finasteride could counteract the effect of the weight increase of the prostate, but not that of the testis. (2) Finasteride, or Finasteride combined with TU, reduced the DHT but increased the testosterone level in comparison with the control group. (3) Both Finasteride and TU could inhibit epididymal sperm count and reproductive function compared with the control, but the effect was less significant in Group FT than in Group F.

CONCLUSIONHigh dosages of 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, Finasteride, can suppress male reproductive function, but the inhibiting effect could be counteracted by administration of 5alpha-reductase inhibitor along with TU.

Animals ; Cholestenone 5 alpha-Reductase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Dihydrotestosterone ; pharmacology ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Finasteride ; pharmacology ; Male ; Organ Size ; Prostate ; drug effects ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatogenesis ; drug effects ; Testis ; drug effects ; pathology ; Testosterone ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacology

OBJECTIVETo explore the role of matrine (MAT) alleviating all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) resistance in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and its mechanism.

METHODSATRA sensitive strain of APL (NB4) and resistant strain (NB4-R1, NB4-R2) were used in this study. The low toxic dosage of MAT was established by MTT test, and ATRA IC(50) of the cell strains (cultured with or without 0.1 mmol/L MAT) were obtained to confirm the reversal index (RI); the influence of MAT (10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 1, 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 mmol/L) combine with 1 µmol/L ATRA on the differentiation of the three cell strains were observed by nitro blue tetrazolium chloride (NBT) test and morphologic changes. The apoptosis rate of cells treated with different concentration of MAT combined with 1 µmol/L ATRA was tested by flow cytometry with Annexin V/PI staining.

RESULTS(1) The toxicity of MAT to NB4, NB4-R1, and NB4-R2 cells was increased with the concentration, IC(50) value was (0.661 ± 0.035) mmol/L, (0.673 ± 0.132) mmol/L and (0.329 ± 0.020) mmol/L, respectively; (2) After treated with 0.1 mmol/L MAT, the ATRA resistance factor of NB4-R1 decreased markedly (RI = 4.96 ± 1.15), but did not of NB4-R2(RI = 0.66 ± 0.17); (3) The differentiation capacity of NB4 and NB4-R1 was enhanced with increase of MAT, and peaked at 0.1 mmol/L (P < 0.05), but did not of NB4-R2; (4) After treated with MAT, the ATRA (1 µmol/L) induced apoptosis rate in NB4 and NB4-R1 increased significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONMAT can reverse the ATRA resistance of NB4-R1, which may relate to the effect of MAT on differentiation and apoptosis. Treatment with MAT plus ATRA may exaggerate the cells resistance potency.

Alkaloids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; Humans ; Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute ; drug therapy ; Quinolizines ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Tretinoin ; pharmacology ; Tumor Cells, Cultured

BACKGROUNDAtopic dermatitis (AD) is characterized by defective skin barrier and imbalance in T helper 1/T helper 2 (Th1/Th2) cytokine expression. Filaggrin (FLG) is the key protein to maintaining skin barrier function. Recent studies indicated that Th1/Th2 cytokines influence FLG expression in keratinocytes. However, the role of Th1/Th2 cytokines on FLG processing is not substantially documented. Our aim was to investigate the impact of Th1/Th2 cytokines on FLG processing.

METHODSHaCaT cells and normal human keratinocytes were cultured in low and high calcium media and stimulated by either interleukin (IL)-4, 13 or interferon-γ (IFN-γ). FLG, its major processing proteases and key protease inhibitor lymphoepithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor (LEKTI) were measured by both real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting. Their expression was also evaluated in acute and chronic AD lesions by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSIL-4/13 significantly reduced, while IFN-γ significantly up-regulated FLG expression. IL-4/13 significantly increased, whereas IFN-γ significantly decreased the expression of kallikreins 5 and 7, matriptase and channel-activating serine protease 1. On the contrary, IL-4/13 significantly decreased, while IFN-γ increased the expression of LEKTI and caspase-14. Similar trends were observed in AD lesions.

CONCLUSIONSOur results suggested that Th1/Th2 cytokines differentially regulated the expression of major FLG processing enzymes. The imbalance between Th1 and Th2 polarized immune response seems to extend to FLG homeostasis, through the network of FLG processing enzymes.

Caspase 14 ; metabolism ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cells, Cultured ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-13 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-4 ; metabolism ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; metabolism ; Keratinocytes ; enzymology ; metabolism ; Proteinase Inhibitory Proteins, Secretory ; metabolism ; Serine Peptidase Inhibitor Kazal-Type 5 ; Th1 Cells ; metabolism ; Th2 Cells ; metabolism