Objective To study the tolerance to 188Re-1-hydroxy-1 ,1-ethylidene disodium phosphonate(HEDP) in patients with bone pain caused by osseous metastases. Methods Thirty-one patients(10with prostate cancer, 9 with breast cancer, 3 with lung cancer, 5 with liver cancer, 2 with rectal cancer, 1with esophageal cancer and 1 with renal cancer) received a single injection dose of 188Re-HEDP. The patients were divided into four groups according to the injection dose: 20 MBq/kg (6 patients), 30 MBq/kg(6 patients), 40 MBq/kg (9 patients), and 50 MBq/kg (10 patients). Haematological toxicity (WHO grading) of grade Ⅲ- Ⅳ was considered unacceptable. Vital signs and adverse effects after injection were recorded for 8 weeks. Blood counts were measured weekly during a period of 8 weeks. Biochemical parameters and electrocardiogram were assayed at week 4 and 8. Statistical analysis was performed for per-protocol (pp) population (t-test). Results Twenty-seven patients belonged to PP population with 5 in the group of 20 MBq/kg, 5 in the group of 30 MBq/kg, 8 in the group of 40 MBq/kg and 9 in the group of 50 MBq/kg.No obvious adverse effects and no significant change of vital signs, electrocardiogram, liver and renal function were found after injection. Alkaline phosphatase was slightly higher than baseline at week 4 and 8 after therapy, but the difference was not statistically significant. In the 20 MBq/kg group, reversible grade Ⅰ leucopenia was noted in 1 patient. In the 30 MBq/kg group, 2 patients showed reversible grade Ⅰ leucopenia including 1 alone with reversible grade Ⅲ thrombopenia. In the 40 MBq/kg group, reversible grade Ⅰ leucopenia and thrombopenia was observed in 1 patient and reversible grade Ⅱ leucopenia and thrombopenia in another patient. In the .50 MBq/kg group, 3 patients showed reversible grade Ⅱ leucopenia. The lowest level of thrombopenia was at week 4(143.5 × 109/L), leucopenia at week 6 (5.4 × 109/L) and anaemia at week 8(t = 3.1325, 3.3156, 3.4917, all P ＜ 0. 05 compared with baseline). At week 8, the mean level of platelet and leucocyte recovered to baseline. "Bounce pain" was found in 2 of 27 patients (7.41%).Conclusions The dose of 20 MBq/kg, 30 MBq/kg, 40 MBq/kg or 50 MBq/kg of 188Re-HEDP do not cause significant side effects on cancer patients with bone metastases, though there is a tendency that the haematological toxicity may increase as the dose of 188Re-HEDP increases.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical significance of nitric oxide (NO) and 8-isoprostane (8-isoPG) changes in exhaled breath condensate ( EBC) of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients after treated by Qingfei Decoction (QD).

METHODSTotally 48 ARDS patients receiving mechanical ventilation were equally assigned to the QD treatment group and the control group by random digit table. EBC specimens were collected by modified Ecoscreen breath condensate collector (German JAEGER Company) on the first day and the fifth day after confirmed diagnosis of ARDS. Concentrations of NO and 8-isoPG in EBC were measured by ELISA. The oxygenation index and APACHE II scores were recorded at the same time.

RESULTS(1) The fatality rate in the QD treatment group was lower than that in the control group (8.3% vs 37.5%, P < 0.05). (2) After treatment NO and 8-isoPG concentrations in EBC were lower in the QD treatment group (34.49 ± 5.67 µmol/L, 30.09 ± 7.89 ng/L) than in the control group (39.78 ± 9.27 µmol/L, 35.65 ± 8.90 ng/L; P < 0.05). (3) After treatment improved oxygenation index value was higher in the QD treatment group than in the control group (120.88 ± 35.16 vs 101.50 ± 37.70, P < 0.05). After treatment APACHEII scores was lower in the QD treatment group than in the control group (6.21 ± 3.51 vs 10. 26 ± 4.33, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONTreatment of ARDS patients by QD was favorable in controlling inflammation, alleviating lung injury, and improving clinical efficacy.

Breath Tests ; Dinoprost ; analogs & derivatives ; analysis ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Nitric Oxide ; analysis ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; drug therapy

The present study was undertaken to observe the effect of exogenously administered melatonin on the intensity of β-endorphin (β-Ep) immunoreactivity of the neuron in the arcuate nucleus of rat hypothalamus with an aim to explore the possible mechanisms of the analgesic effect of melatonin. The experimental rats were divided into two groups, one injected intraperitoneally with melatonin (110 mg/kg) and the other with only a vehicle. One hour after injection, the brain was processed for coronal sections, which were stained with immunohistochemical ABC technique. The integral optical density (IOD) and mean optical density (OD) of the stained sections were measured with a computer-assisted image-processing and analytical system. β-Ep immunoreactivity was much decreased in the sections treated with melatonin and the IOD and OD were also decreased significantly (P<0.01; P<0.05). The above results suggest that melatonin may result in a decrease of β-Ep content in the arcuate nucleus, as a result of increased β-Ep release induced by administration of melatonin. It is likely that the analgesic effect of melatonin may be in part mediated by the release of β-endorphin from the arcuate nucleus.

This study was undertaken to establish a murine model for unrelated allogeneic umbilical cord blood transplantation (UCBT). The characteristics and percentage of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells between near-term fetal and neonatal murine peripheral blood (FNPB) and bone marrow (BM) were evaluated by flow cytometry and semisolid methylcellulose culture. BABL/c (H-2(d)) recipient mice conditioned with high dose CTX were transplanted with FNPB form C57BL/6 (H-2(b)) mice and the survival rate, hematopoietic and immunological reconstruction, graft versus host disease (GVHD) and engraftment level were observed. The results showed that the numbers of day 14 CFU-GM and CFU-GEMM in FNPB (176.40 +/- 78.39)% and (141.40 +/- 56.57)%, respectively were much higher than those in BM (75.20 +/- 26.41)% and (68.80 +/- 23.95)%, respectively. Moreover the percentage of Sca-1(+) CD34(+) cell subsets in FNPB (3.63 +/- 1.13)% was also higher than that in BM (1.41 +/- 0.8 7)%. FNPB transplantation improved survival rate and reconstituted hematopoietic and immune function in recipients. There was no evidence of GVHD. Chimeric analysis showed that the proportion of donor cells in BM of recipients was 27.94% at 21 days after transplantation. It was concluded that FNPB contains more hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells with high expansion ability and weak allogeneic immunity, which was similar to human UCB. The murine model for allogeneic UCBT (C57BL/6-->BALB/c) was established successfully.
Animals ; Animals, Newborn ; Fetal Blood ; cytology ; Flow Cytometry ; Graft vs Host Disease ; etiology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Immunity ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Models, Animal ; Transplantation, Homologous

OBJECTIVETo explore mechanisms of acupuncture for reducing of body weight.

METHODSThe rat obesity model was developed by subcutaneous injection of sodium glutamate solution, and the experimental rats were divided into a blank control group, a model group, an electroacupuncture group and a sibutramine group; blood TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C contents and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, and serum leptin and insulin levels were determined.

RESULTSThe body weight and Lee's index, and TG, TC and LDL-C contents in the electroacupuncture group decreased significantly as compared with those in the model group (all P<0.01), the actions in the electroacupuncture group being superior to those in the sibutramine group; the HDL-C contents in both the electroacupuncture and the sibutramine groups were higher than that of the model group (P<0.01) with no significant difference between the electroacupuncture group and the sibutramine group; LPL activity in the electroacupuncture group increased significantly as compared with that in the model group (P<0.01); serum leptin and insulin levels in both the electroacupuncture group and the sibutramine group were lower than that in the model group (P<0.05, P<0.01), with no significant difference between the electroacupuncture group and the sibutramine group in the effect on insulin content, and the decrease of leptin level in the electroacupuncture group was more as compared with the sibutramine group (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture can improve the status of high blood lipids, increase lipoprotein lipase activity, and regulate serum leptin and insulin levels in the obestic rat.

Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Humans ; Lipids ; blood ; Obesity ; metabolism ; Rats ; Sodium Glutamate

OBJECTIVETo study the expression of NPAS2 in colorectal cancer (CRC) and analyze its relationship with the clinicopathological parameters and prognosis of the patients.

METHODSReal-time q-PCR was used to detect the expression of NPAS2 mRNA in 40 fresh CRC tissues and paired adjacent tissues; immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of NPAS2 protein in 120 paraffin-embedded tumor and adjacent tissues. The relationship between NPAS2 expression level and the 5-year survival rate of 78 CRC patients with follow-up data were analyzed with Kaplan-Meier survival analysis.

RESULTSCompared with the adjacent tissues, fresh CRC tissue expressed significantly lower NPAS2 mRNA levels (P<0.01). Among the paraffin-embedded CRC tissues, 19.2% were positive for NPAS2 expression, as compared to a much higher rate of 62.5% in the adjacent tissues (P<0.05). The expression of NPAS2 was correlated with the tumor size, lymph node metastasis and TNM stages (P<0.05) but not with the patients' gender, age, distant tumor metastasis, differentiation, or invasion. Patients with high NPAS2 expression levels had a significantly higher 5-year survival rate than those with low NPAS2 expressions (P=0.0001).

CONCLUSIONNPAS2 is down-regulated in CRC and closely correlated with the malignant biological behavior of the tumor and 5-year survival of the patients, suggesting its value in predicting the prognosis of the CRC patients.

Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; metabolism ; Prognosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVETo investigate the influence of the time interval from the end of semen processing to artificial intrauterine in semination with husband's sperm (AIH-IUI) on the rate of clinical pregnancy.

METHODSThis study involved 191 AIH-IUI cycles with the same ovulation induction protocol. After Percoll density gradient centrifugation, we divided the sperm into four groups based on the incubation time: 0-19, 20-39, 40-59, and 60-80 min, and again into another four groups according to the total progressively motile sperm count (TPMC): (0-9), (10-20), (21-30), and > 30 x 10(6). We analyzed the correlation of the clinical pregnancy rate with the time interval from the end of sperm processing to AIH-IUI and with other influencing factors, such as maternal age, infertility duration, and semen quality.

RESULTSThe rate of clinical pregnancy was significantly higher in the 20-39 min group (18.3%) than in the 0-19, 40-59, and 60-80 min groups (12.7, 11.4 and 9.1%) (all P < 0.05). The (10-20) x 10(6) group achieved a remarkably higher pregnancy rate (16.7%) than the (0-9), (21-30), and > 30 x 10(6) groups (0, 11.4, and 8.3%) (all P < 0.05). Logistic multivariate analysis showed that the rate of clinical pregnancy was decreased with the increased age of the women (OR 0.89, 95% CI 0.83-0.94) but significantly elevated in the 20-39 min group (OR 2.11, 95% CI 1.34-3.13) and of (10-20) x 10(6) group (OR 2.06, 95% CI 1.32-3.46).

CONCLUSIONThe time interval from the end of sperm processing to AIH-IUI is a most significant factor influencing the rate of clinical pregnancy of AIH-IUI.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; therapy ; Insemination, Artificial, Homologous ; statistics & numerical data ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Spermatozoa ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the serum levels of cholesterol, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in children aged 3-14 years and its influencing factors.

METHODSThe cross-sectional survey study population was a representative sample from Guangdong province obtained by multi-stage randomized cluster sampling. Serum lipids in 6188 children aged > or = 3 years were assayed using automatic biochemical instrument. The data of social and demographic status were collected by face-to-face interview, and height and weight were obtained by physical examination.

RESULTSThe age-standardized and region-weighted means of serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) were 0.80 mmol/L, 3.50 mmol/L and 1.28 mmol/L, respectively. For the mean of TG, there was no difference between metropolitan and middle city, nor between rich county and poor county. For TC, it was the highest in metropolitan, and there was no difference between rich and poor county. For HDL-C, the difference existed between every two regions. The age-standardized and region-weighted prevalence of high TG, high TC and low HDL-C were 2.2%, 2.1% and 8.0%, respectively. Metropolitan, rich county, low weight and age between 7.0-9.9 years are protecting factors for high TG, and the number of family between 3-4, age between 7.0-9.9, metropolitan, middle city and poor county are risk factors for high TC. Male, family income per year between 800-9999 RMB, middle city, rich county are protecting factors for low HDL-C.

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence of abnormal serum lipid was still low compared with other regions in China. The region, number of family member, age and sex may be the important factors influencing on serum lipid levels.

Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dyslipidemias ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides ; blood

OBJECTIVETo determine whether patients infected with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) show a differential distribution profile of IL-28B polymorphisms according to the presence of concomitant cryoglobulinemia.

METHODSSixty-two consecutive CHC patients were enrolled in the study between December 2008 and December 2010. All patients received combination therapy of pegylated interferon alpha-2a (weekly, 180 g, subcutaneous injection) plus ribavirin (daily, 10to15 mg/kg body weight, oral) for 48 weeks, with individualized dosage adjustments according to the patient's clinical situation. Cryoglobulins were detected visibly by separation of cryoprecipitates in patient serum samples. Three IL-28B SNPs (rs8099917, rs12979860, and rs12980275) were detected by sequencing. Response to treatment was assessed by measuring serum levels of HCV RNA by quantitative PCR at baseline (prior to treatment initiation), during treatment (4 and 12 weeks after treatment initiation), end of therapy (48 weeks after treatment initiation), and post-treatment (24 weeks after end of therapy). The significance of between-group differences were assessed by the Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.

RESULTSCryoglobulinemia was detected in 43.5% (27/62) of the CHC patients and showed a female bias (59.3% vs. males: 34.3%, P = 0.05). Compared to CHC patients without cryoglobulinemia, the CHC patients with cryoglobulinemia showed significantly higher levels of HCV RNA at baseline (5.64+/-1.20 vs. 6.37+/-0.67, P less than 0.05) but lower frequencies of the IL28B rs8099917 TT genotype (94.3% vs. 63.0%, P = 0.002), rs8099917 T allele (97.1% vs. 81.5%, P = 0.003), and rs12979860 C allele (94.3% vs. 83.3%, P = 0.048). CHC patients with cryoglobulinemia and having the rs8099917 TT, rs12979860 CC, or rs12980275 AA genotype achieved a higher rate of sustained virological response.

CONCLUSIONCryoglobulinemia in CHC patients is associated with a differential distribution of IL-28B polymorphisms, and certain polymorphisms may be related to anti-viral treatment response.

Adult ; Alleles ; Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Cryoglobulinemia ; blood ; complications ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; blood ; complications ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Humans ; Interleukins ; genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; RNA, Viral ; blood

OBJECTIVETo determine whether tanycytes be able to support the regeneration of completely transected spinal cord in adult rats.

METHODSSubcultured tanycytes was transplanted into completely T8 transected spinal cord using the untranslated completely transected rats as control. After transplantation the rubrospinal motor evoked potentials were recorded below the injury level at the end of 12th week, assistant by Basso-Beatie-Bresnahan locomotor rating scale and histology method.

RESULTSAt the end of 12th week the total peak amplitude of rubrospinal motor evoked potentials (MD = 133.2 microV, P < 0.01) and BBB locomotor rating scale (MD = 5.0000, P < 0.01) were both significantly improved in cell transplanted group compared with that in the untranslated control group, while the latency of the first peak was shortened (MD = 0.061 ms, P = 0.040). HE staining showed more integrity in transected spinal cords in cells transplanted groups.

CONCLUSIONTransplanted tanycytes can support the regeneration of transected spinal cords in rats.

Animals ; Cell Transplantation ; Cells, Cultured ; Evoked Potentials, Motor ; Male ; Neuroglia ; cytology ; transplantation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Recovery of Function ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; physiopathology ; surgery