OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effects of pricking blood therapy by fire-needle with different bleeding amount on acute gouty arthritis of the foot.

METHODSSix hundred and thirty cases of acute gouty arthritis of the foot were randomly divided into group A, group B and group C according to the visiting sequence. They were treated by fire-needle respectively with 20 mL, 40 mL and 60 mL bleeding amount.

RESULTSThe effective rate in the group A, B and C was respectively 88.1%, 92.8% and 97.6%, the group C being the best, with a very significant difference between the group C and the group A (P < 0.01), and a significant difference between the group C and the group B (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPricking blood therapy is an effective method for acute gouty arthritis of the foot and the therapeutic effect is related with the bleeding amount, the more bleeding amount, the better the therapeutic effect.

Arthritis, Gouty ; therapy ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Needles

Acupuncture Therapy ; Altitude ; Animals ; Brain Edema ; prevention & control ; Female ; Hypoxia, Brain ; therapy ; Male ; Neurons ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, Adenosine A1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVESTo study the in vivo efficacy and the safety of cord blood derived CIK/NK cells stimulated by K562-dendritic cells (DC) fusion vaccines in NOD/SCID mice model for human erythroleukemia.

METHODSDC and CIK /NK cells were both derived from cord blood mononuclear cells. DC were fused with inactivated K562 leukemia cell by PEG to produce K562-DC fusion vaccines. K562-DC fusion vaccines were co-cultured with CIK/NK cells to prepare K562-DC fusion vaccine stimulated CIK/NK cells. NOD/SCID mice were inoculated with 1 x 10(6) K562 cells. 24 hours later, 1 x 10(7) vaccines stimulated CIK/ NK cells and 1 x 10(7) CIK/NK cells were transfused into the NOD/SCID mice. NOD/SCID mice without inoculation of K562 cells were used as control group. CD13 and CD56 positive cells were assayed by flow cytometry.

RESULTSAll the leukemia NOD/SCID mice without therapy died within 39 days, tumor was found in 5 of 8 mice. One of 8 leukemia mice treated with K562-DC fusion vaccines stimulated CIK/NK cells died at the 65th day, the anti-tumor response rate was 87.5%. Two of the leukemia mice treated with CIK/NK cells died at the 56th and 65th day respectively, the anti-tumor response rate was 75%. There was no significant difference in survival time between these two groups, and both survivals were longer than that of the control group. There was no significant difference in CD13 positive cells in the survival mice between these two groups, and both of that were less than that of the control mice. There was no significant difference in CD56 positive cells between the two treated groups and the control group.

CONCLUSIONSCord blood derived CIK/ NK cells stimulated by inactivated tumor cells retain the cytotoxicity and do not develop tumor in vivo.

Animals ; Cancer Vaccines ; immunology ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; immunology ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Dendritic Cells ; immunology ; Humans ; K562 Cells ; Killer Cells, Natural ; immunology ; Leukemia, Erythroblastic, Acute ; immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Mice, SCID

The study was aimed to explore the distribution and interaction mechanism of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and cord blood cytokine-induced killer (CIK)/natural killer (NK) cells infused via different ways at different times in NOD/SCID mice. 5 microl 1, 1'-dioctadecyl-3, 3, 3', 3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanine perchlorate (DiI) dye(red) was added in suspension of MSC per ml, and 1 microl carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester(CFDA SE) dye(green) was added in suspension of CIK/NK cells per ml. The amounts of MSC and CIK/NK cells infused in each 6 NOD/SCID mouse were 1 x 10(6) (0.1 ml) and 1 x 10(7) (0.1 ml) respectively. All mice were divided into 4 groups, each group consisted of 6 mice. Group A: MSC (intravenous infusion, iv) + CIK/NK cells (iv) at the same time, group B: MSC (iv) + CIK/NK cells (iv) at 48 hours after infusion of MSC; group C: MSC (intramedullary infusion, im) + CIK/NK cells (iv) at the same time; group D: MSC (im) + CIK/NK cells (iv) at 48 hours after infusion of MSC. 3 NOD/SCID mice were sacrificed per batch at 24 hours and 48 hours after infused CIK/NK cells. Frozen sections of liver, spleen, lung and kidney were prepared, and then followed by counting the amounts of red and green fluorescence cells under fluorescence microscope, and calculating the ratio of MSC to CIK/NK cells for reflecting the interaction of MSC and CIK/NK cells in mice, and for showing the suppressive intensity of MSCs on CIK/NK cells. The results showed that the sums of average ratios of MSC to CIK/NK cells in lung, liver and spleen of group A and B were higher than that in group C and D at 24 hours and 48 hours respectively after infusing CIK/NK cells. The sum of average ratios of MSC to CIK/NK cells in group A was slightly higher than that in group B at 24 hours and 48 hours after infusing CIK/NK cells, but there was no significant difference between them. The sum of average ratios of MSC to CIK/NK cells in lung, liver and spleen in group C was slightly lower than that in group D at 24 hours after infusing CIK/NK cells, but reversed at 48 hours later and there was no significant difference between them. The sums of average ratios of MSC to CIK/NK cells in lung, liver and spleen in group A, B, C and D were all higher than those in kidney at 24 and 48 hours respectively after infusing CIK/NK cells. It is concluded, the MSC and CIK/NK cells may interact if they are infused via the same way and at the same time, the location where the suppression of MSC on CIK/NK cells occur in vivo may be reticulo-endothelial systems in lungs and livers.
Animals ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cell Communication ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; transplantation ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural ; transplantation ; Liver ; cytology ; Lung ; cytology ; Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Mice, SCID ; Transplantation, Heterologous

OBJECTIVETo analyze a Duchenne muscular dystrophy(DMD) patient's muscular regeneration, dystrophin expression and locomotive variation before and after he underwent umbilical cord blood stem cell transplantation in order to assess the therapeutic effect.

METHODSA 12-year-old DMD boy who could not walk for 3 years was confirmed by gene analysis and dystrophin protein immune test on his muscle. He had no other chronic disease. By HLA matching, a piece of umbilical cord blood stem cell with 6 HLA sites matching to the boy was found in Guangdong Umbilical Cord Blood Bank. The number of the nucleated cells of the umbilical cord blood stem cell was 24.08x 10(8). After pretreatment for the DMD boy with busulfan, cyclophosphamide and rabbit anti-human thymocyte globulin, the allergenic cord blood stem cells were transplanted into him by intravenous injection. Cyclosporin A, methylprednisolone, MMF, prostaglandin E1 and ganciclovir were given after the transplantation. At the same time, Gran, the granulocytic cell stimulating factor, and gamma globulin were administered. The biochemistry profile including serum creatine kinase (CK), the reconstruction of blood making, the deletion exon of DMD gene, the regenerating muscles, the dystrophin protein expression, and the locomotive function of the DMD boy were tested regularly.

RESULTS(1) The white blood cells (WBC) of peripheral blood decreased gradually to zero after pretreatment. In a period of 15 days after transplantation, the neutrophil increased to 0.5x 10(9)/L; at 25 days, WBC increased to normal level. Blood platelet was more than 20x 10(9)/L at 22 days. The hemoglobin rose to 85-100 g/L. At 140 days, sternal puncture revealed the rapid growth of neutrophil, blood platelet and hemoglobin. (2)At 140 days, the blood type of the DMD boy transformed from type O to type AB (the donor's blood type being AB). There was no grafe versus host reaction. (3) At 18, 30, 43, 55, 74 and 233 days after transplantation, the PCR-short tandem repeat test of the boy's peripheral blood DNA showed that his genotype was completely the same as the donor's. The results of PCR-short tandem repeat tests of the bone marrow cells DNA by sternal puncture at 140, 183 and 235 days were the same as those of the blood DNA. (4) At 60 days, DMD gene analysis by PCR showed that the defected DMD gene (exon 19 deletion) had been corrected by the umbilical cord stem cells transplantation. (5) At 75 days, the biopsy of calf muscle showed there were myoblast cells and muscular tubes growing. The dystrophin expressions were weak, but a few of them were strong. DNA analysis showed that the donor's gene DNA accounted for 1%-13%. At 126 days, obviously increased dystrophin positive muscular fibers of the boy were found. The donor's fibers rose to 2.5%-25%. (6) The serum CK of the boy declined from 5735 U/L to 274 U/L. (7) At 100 days, physical examination revealed improvement in his arms and legs.

CONCLUSIONThe therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy with allogeneic umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may reset up the blood-making function, decrease the serum CK level, restore the dystrophin in muscles, and improve the locomotive function of the DMD boy. These data suggest that the allogeneic umbilical cord blood hematopoietic stem cell transplantation may benefit the DMD boys.

Alprostadil ; therapeutic use ; Busulfan ; therapeutic use ; Child ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Cord Blood Stem Cell Transplantation ; methods ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; Dystrophin ; genetics ; Ganciclovir ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; therapeutic use ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne ; genetics ; therapy ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Treatment Outcome