This paper introduced the latest healthcare management and the service delivery system including health resources in Macao,highlighting the developed legal system,government financing policies for health sector,the well-developed medical service referral system,favorable development supports for private medical institutions,and remuneration incentive policies for health workers in Macao.These may serve as the useful implications and recommendations for health reform and development in mainland of China.

Aim To study the effect of Baoxinbao film on endothelin(ET) and nitric oxide(NO) secretion in patients with stable angina pectoris(SAP).Methods 76 patients with SAP were randomly divided into two groups, with 40 cases in the baoxinbao group plastered with baoxinbao film and 36 cases in the isosorbide dinitrate group receiving isosorbide dinitrate. The levels of plasma ET and NO before and after treatment were observed. Results The concentrations of plasma ET were increased and plasma NO reduced significantly in the SAP patients respectively, as compared with those in the control group(all P

The PET tracer 5-([11C]methyloxy)-L-tryptophan (5-(11)CMTP) was prepared by nucleophilic fluorination and alkylation reaction via a two-step procedure in order to develop specific tumor probe. The biodistribution and microPET imaging of 5-(11)CMTP were executed. The results unveiled that the overall radiochemical yield with no decay correction was (14.6 ±7.2) %, the radiochemical purity was more than 95% and high uptake and long retention time of 5-(11)CMTP in liver, kidney and blood were observed but low uptake in brain and muscle were found, furthermore, high uptake of 5-(11)CMTP in tumor tissue was observed. It seems that 5-(11)CMTP will be a potential amino acid tracer for tumors imaging with PET.
Amino Acids ; Animals ; Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Radioactive Tracers ; Tissue Distribution ; Tryptophan ; analogs & derivatives

In order to determine the suitable harvest time of Dendrobium officinale from different regions in Yunnan province, the drying rate, mannose and glucose peak area ratio, extract, contents of polysaccharide and mannose of D. officinale samples collected from six producing areas in Ynnnan province were determined. The results indicate that drying rate and the contents of polysaccharide and mannose arrived the peak from January to April, extract reached a higher content from September to December, and mannose and glucose peak area ratio from October to February of the coming met the requirment of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Hence, the suitable harvesting time of D. officinale in Yunnan province is from December to February of the coming year,according to the experimental results and the request of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.
China ; Dendrobium ; chemistry ; growth & development ; metabolism ; Glucose ; analysis ; metabolism ; Mannose ; analysis ; metabolism ; Time Factors

To investigate the effect of Tanreqing injection on immune activity of peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with lung cancer. The peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with lung cancer and healthy persons were separated by the density gradient centrifugation method for subsequent experiments, with those from healthy persons as the positive control. The effect of Tanreqing injection on stimulating the proliferation of lymphocytes with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was determined by MTT method. The effect of Tanreqing injection on the lymphocyte secretions of IFN-γ and TNF-α and the subset ratio of lymphocytes cultured separately or with Tanreqing injection of different concentrations were examined by ELISA and flow cytometry (FCM) respectively. In addition, the LDH release assay was used to detect the cytotoxicity of cytotoxic T cells (CTL) and natural killer cells (NK). According to the findings, all of immunological indexes of lymphocytes from patients with lung cancer were weaker than that of healthy persons, but with the obvious increases in proliferation activity and IFN-γ and TNF-α secretions of lymphocytes co-cultured with Tanreqing Injection (P < 0.05). Among lymphocyte subsets co-cultured with Tanreqing Injection, CD3+, CD3+ CD4+ and CD3- CD16 + 56+ cell ratios notably increased, whereas CD4+ CD25+ Treg cell ratio obviously decreased (P < 0.05). In the meantime, Tanreqing injection can markedly promote the cytotoxicities of CTL and NK (P < 0.05). In conclusion, Tanreqing injection shows a significant effect in promoting the immune activity of lymphocytes from patients with lung cancer and their anti-tumor immunity.
Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; genetics ; immunology ; Killer Cells, Natural ; drug effects ; immunology ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; immunology ; physiopathology ; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic ; drug effects ; immunology ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; genetics ; immunology

Human leukocyte elastase is an important selection target of inflammation and cancer. In this paper, a high throughput screening model was established for screening human leukocyte elastase inhibitors from thousands of strains of actinomycetes. As a result, a strain, N01WA-735 with potent suppression activity was isolated. Firstly, the strain N01WA-735 was identified as Streptomyces according to morphology and biochemical analysis. The Streptomyces N01WA-735 was processed by solvent extraction, silica column chromatography, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and crystallization to get a pure active compound named N01WA-735E. Its chemical structure was elucidated as the same as that of the compound named BE-52440A by physicochemical properties and spectral data of UV, MS, 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR respectively. The compound showed a strong inhibitory activity against human leukocyte elastase with IC50 of 3.02 micromol/L. The compound is reported as a human leukocyte elastase inhibitor for the first time.
Humans ; Leukocyte Elastase ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Protease Inhibitors ; isolation & purification ; metabolism ; Streptomyces ; isolation & purification ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDInflammatory mechanisms had played an important role in the occurrence and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction, inflammatory mediators was associated with adverse outcomes of acute myocardial infarction. This study tested the hypothesis that in the acute phase of myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, neutrophil count and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein are predictive of angiographic morphologic features that indicate thrombus formation in the infarct-related artery.

METHODSThis retrospective study included 182 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction and ST-segment elevation. Patients were assigned to a thrombus-formation group (n = 77) and a non-thrombus-formation group (n = 106). All patients had a Killip's classification

RESULTSThe levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, total leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratios were substantially higher in the thrombus-formation group than in the non-thrombus-formation group patients (for each, P < 0.05). Stepwise Logistic regression analyses identified high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, neutrophil count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as independent predictors of thrombus formation in the infarct-related artery (for each, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn patients with acute myocardial infarction, higher neutrophil counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein are predictors to indicate thrombus formation.

Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; immunology ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; immunology ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between respiratory diseases onset and the meteorological factors in the same period and in a specific environment. METHODS METHODS: By using the data of daily incidence of respiratory diseases obtained from Dongzhimen Hospital Affiliated to Beijing University of Chinese Medicine from January 1, 1998 to December 31, 2007, and the data of 16 items of meteorological factors (such as the average, maximum, and minimum temperatures, etc., including meteorological factors derived) obtained from the Beijing Municipal Meteorological Observatory, mathematical statistical methods were applied to achieve the non-linear correlation analysis, or the correlation test, between the incidence of respiratory diseases and the time-related meteorological factors.

RESULTSThe simple correlation coefficients of the relationship between the incidence of respiratory diseases and 9 meteorological elements, including the average values of temperature, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, degree of comfort, precipitation, vapor pressure, low cloud cover, change of vapor pressure, and change of wind speed, were all greater than 0.8286, in which one of the relationship between the incidence of respiratory diseases and the maximum temperature is as high as 0.9670. Statistical tests showed R>Rα=0.05 and F>Fα=0.05.

CONCLUSIONSThe incidence of respiratory diseases was closely correlated to meteorological factors, such as air temperature, vapor pressure, precipitation, wind speed, etc. To a certain extent, this conclusion confirmed the scientificity and objectivity of the theory of five evolutive phases and six climatic factors (Wu Yun Liu Qi ) in Huang Di Nei Jing (The Yellow Emperor's Canon of Internal Medicine).

Air ; China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Humidity ; Incidence ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meteorological Concepts ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Statistics as Topic ; Steam ; Time Factors ; Wind

AIM:To observe whether selective inhibition of endothelin receptor A(ETRA)improves white matter lesions(WMLs),and explore the mechanism.METHODS:Sprague-Dawley rats(n=33)were randomly divided into sham operation group(n=9),treatment group[stroke-prone renovascular hypertensive rats-modified 2 vessel occlu-sion(RHRSP-modified 2VO)+ambrisentan(n=12)]and placebo group[RHRSP-modified 2VO +vehicle(n =12)].Drug and vehicle administration was performed from 17th to 20th week and monitoring of systolic arterial pressure was performed weekly.Morris water maze test was conducted to evaluate the function of cognition.The protein levels of en-dothelin-1(ET-1)in the cortex,corpus callosum and caudate putamen were quantitatively analyzed respectively.The se-verity of WMLs and the relationship between ET-1 and vessels were observed by the method of histopathology.RESULTS:The difference of systolic arterial pressure between treatment group and placebo group was not significant.The animals in treatment group exhibited shorter escape latency(P<0.05),more times of crossing platform(P<0.05), lower level of ET-1 in corpus callosum and caudate putamen(P<0.05),respectively,improved WMLs severity(P<0.05)and lower binding level of ET-1 to vessels compared with the placebo group.CONCLUSION: Selective inhibition of endothelin receptor A improves the severity of WMLs and ameliorates the cognitive function.

OBJECTIVETo assess the efficiency and safety of radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of recurrent hepatocellular carcinoma (RHCC) after hepatectomy and to investigate efficacy of RFA for patients with early and late phase recurrence, separately, setting 1 year as the cut-off between the early and late phases.

METHODSA total of 42 patients with 77 RHCC and a history of hepatic resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) underwent ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation in our department and entered this study (RHCC group). The average diameter of RHCC was (3.8 +/- 1.4) cm (range, 1.5-6.6 cm). 21 of the 42 RHCC patients had Child-Pugh class A cirrhosis 19, class B and two, class C cirrhosis. The average interval between initial surgery and the diagnosis of recurrence was 22.8 months (range, 1-96 month). 42 RHCC patients were divided into two groups as early recurrence group including 20 patients with 40 RHCC, and late recurrence group including the other 22 patients with 37 RHCC according to the recurrence interval. During the same period 148 patients with 217 primary HCC were also treated by RF ablation and regarded as primary HCC group. The average diameter of primary HCC was (4.0 +/- 1.4) cm (range, 1.2-7.0 cm). Regular follow-up with enhanced CT was performed to evaluate the treatment results. Ablation was considered a success if no contrast enhancement was detected in the treated area on 1 month CT scans.

RESULTSThe ablation success rate, local recurrence rate, new tumor incidence and mean survival in RHCC group were 90.5%, 14.3%, 38.1% and (28.0 +/- 3.5) months, respectively, which were similar to the corresponding results of 87.2%, 16.2%, 37.8% and (39.0 +/- 2.1) month in primary HCC group. However, when further comparison was performed between early recurrence group, late recurrence group and primary HCC group, there were some significant differences. The incidence of new tumors in early recurrence group was significantly higher than that in late recurrent group (60.0% vs. 18.2%, P = 0.005); early recurrence group survived shorter than primary HCC group [(15.4 +/- 2.3) vs. (39.0 +/- 2.1) months, P < 0.005]. The survival time was similar between late recurrence group and primary HCC group. One case was found haemorrhage after RFA and recovered with conservative treatment. No major complications occurred in the remaining 41 patients.

CONCLUSIONSRF ablation is generally effective and safe in treating RHCC. And it's more effective in late recurrence than in early recurrence.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Catheter Ablation ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Time Factors ; Treatment Outcome ; Ultrasonography, Interventional