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Gastrins*

OBJECTIVETo study the chemical constituents contained in Acorus calamus.

METHODThe chemical constituents were separated and purified by various chromatographic methods including silica gel, ODS, HPLC and Sephadex LH-20, and their structures were identified on the basis of analysis on spectroscopic data.

RESULTTen compounds were separated from A. calamus and identified as 1beta, 4beta, 7alpha-trihydroxyeudesmane (1), bullatantriol (2), teuclatriol (3), threo-1', 2'-dihydroxyasarone (4), erythro-1', 2'-dihydroxyasarone (5), (+)-de-4'-O-methyleudesmin (6), (+)-de-4'-0-methylmagnolin (7), (+)-eudesmin (8), (+)-magnolin (9) and beta-sitosterol (10), respectively.

CONCLUSIONCompounds 1-2,4-9 were separated from this plant for the first time. Specifically, compounds 1-2,6-9 were obtained from Acorus genus for the first time.

Acorus ; chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Molecular Structure ; Plant Roots ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization

OBJECTIVETo explore the relationship and interaction of elevated fasting glucose and hypertension on cardiocerebral vascular disease.

METHODS10 054 males and females were recruited for our cross-sectional study during May 2007 to August 2007. Unconditional logistic regression was used to analysis the relationship between fasting glucose and hypertension on cardiocerebral vascular disease. A product of fasting glucose and hypertension was added to the logistic regression model to evaluate the multiplicative interaction and relative excess risk of interaction (RERI), attributable proportion (AP) of interaction and synergy index (S) was applied to evaluate the additive interaction of the two factors. Bootstrap was used to calculate 95% confidence intervals (CI) of RERI, AP and S.

RESULTSAfter adjusting age, gender, smoking, drinking, body mass index (BMI) and region, the product of fasting glucose and hypertension was not statistically significant, which means there was no multiplicative interaction between the two. But the additive indexes RERI, AP and S with 95%CI of diabetes and hypertension were 0.64 (0.03, 1.25), 0.27 (0.01, 0.47) and 1.83 (1.02, 5.13) respectively, which means significant additive interaction was shown between the two on cardiovascular disease but not no stroke. And there were no additive interaction between impaired fasting glucose on cardiovascular disease or stroke.

CONCLUSIONSHypertension was independently related to cardiovascular disease and stroke in Beijing citizens, and diabetes were independently related to stroke. There was additive interaction between diabetes and hypertension on cardiovascular disease.

Adult ; Aged ; Blood Glucose ; metabolism ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; blood ; complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo observe the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rate of hypertension and to evaluate the 10-year absolute risk of coronary heart disease(CHD) and ischemic cardiovascular disease(ICVD) in Chinese cardiovascular physicians.

METHODSA total of 4032 cardiovascular physicians (28 to 79 years old) from 386 hospitals in 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities were randomly selected and received an epidemiologic survey of prevalence, awareness, and control of hypertension and evaluations of CHD and ICVD risk.

RESULTSThe prevalence of hypertension in Chinese cardiovascular physicians was 13.1%. The awareness rate of hypertension in Chinese cardiovascular physicians was 81.7%. Hypertension treatment rate was 69.6% and blood pressure control rate was 44.6%. The prevalence of hypertension was higher in male physicians than in female physicians before the age of 55 years old. Ten-year absolute risk of CHD and ICVD was 0.08 and 0.03 in hypertensive physicians compared to 0.03 and 0.01 in non-hypertensive physicians.

CONCLUSIONSThe results show suboptimal awareness, treatment and control rate in Chinese cardiovascular physicians for their own hypertension status.Physicians suffering from hypertension face higher risk for cardiovascular disease. It is therefore necessary to improve the self-monitoring of blood pressure in Chinese cardiovascular physicians.

Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; epidemiology ; Coronary Disease ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Ischemia ; epidemiology ; Physicians ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical and pathological characteristics of operable breast cancer in women over 65 years.

METHODSThe data of 95 patients treated from February 2003 to February 2005 were collected, and the clinicopathological characteristics were retrospectively analyzed.

RESULTSThese 95 patients accounted for 26.1% of all female breast cancer patients registered in our hospital in the mean time. Local advanced breast cancer accounted for 74.5% of the patients. The median time from symptom presentation to treatment seeking was 1.2 years. Curative resection was performed in 96 breasts of 94 patients, 71 patients received chemotherapy and 67 received endocrine therapy. Sixty-four cases (67.3%) were confirmed invasive ductal carcinoma. Positive expression of estrogen or progesterone receptor was found in 65 cases (68.4%); overexpression of C-erbB-2 was found in 23.5% of the patients and low level expression of Ki-67 (<30%) was found in 54.1% of the cases, respectively. The 3-year overall survival rate and disease free survival rate was 87.4% and 71.4%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSOf the breast cancer in aged women, most are local advanced breast cancer. Breast cancer in the elderly women has distinctive clinicopathological characteristics. Less radical surgery combined with adjuvant chemotherapy and(or) endocrine therapy is feasible treatment.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; surgery ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: To study the value of fast spin-echo diffusion weighted imaging (TSE-DWI) apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) in children aged 2-12 years with intellectual disability (ID)/global developmental delay (GDD) who have normal conventional brain MRI findings. METHODS: A total of 578 children with normal conventional brain MRI findings who met the diagnostic criteria for ID/GDD and 375 normal children were enrolled. Their imaging and clinical data were collected. All children underwent scanning with brain TSE-DWI sequence and routine sequence. ADC values of each brain region were compared between normal children with different ages, as well as between children with different degrees of ID/GDD in each age group. The influence of Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II (ABAS-II) score on ADC values of each brain region was analyzed. RESULTS: For the normal children, the ADC values of the frontal and temporal white matter, the corpus callosum, the inner capsule, the centrum semiovale, the cerebellar dentate nucleus, the optic radiation, the thalamus, the lenticular nucleus, and the caudate nucleus gradually decreased with age (P<0.05). ADC values of the deep white matter, the shallow white matter, the deep gray matter nuclei, and the shallow gray matter increased with the increase in the degree of ID/GDD in the ID/GDD children aged 4-6 years (P<0.05). In the children with ID/GDD, the ADC values of the deep white matter, the shallow white matter, and the deep gray matter nuclei decreased with age (P<0.05). The ADC values of the children with ID/GDD decreased with the increase in ABAS-II score (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS ADC can reflect the subtle structural changes of brain regions in children with ID/GDD who have normal conventional brain MRI findings. It may be associated with social adaptation. It can provide an objective basis for the quantitative diagnosis of ID/GDD in children.
Brain ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; diagnostic imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; White Matter

Objective The active ingredient was used as index to optimize the extraction and enrichment process of anti-in-flammatory and analgesic active-fraction(ARF)of Dianbaizhu. Methods Methyl salicylate triglycoside-B was chosen as index com-ponent to extract and enrich methyl salicylate glycosides. Extraction and elution solvents were optimized. The HPLC fingerprint was ob-tained with Thermo Hypersil Gold C18(250 mm×4.6 mm,5μm)column and a gradient elution with the mobile phase consisting of ace-tonitrile(A)-0.2％acetic acid(B)at a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min. And the detection wavelength was set at 294 nm. Results The opti-mized extraction solvent of Dianbaizhu was the 30％ethanol and the optimized elution solvent of ARF enriched by AB-8 macroporous resins was the 35％ethanol. The methodological study on similarity and RSD in ARF HPLC fingerprint of three batches of samples cor-responded to related regulations. Conclusion The extraction and enrichment process of ARF is stable and repeatable.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship between marital status and prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) among Beijing residents.

METHODSFrom May to August 2007, 10 054 residents were interviewed to collect demographic and biochemistry information. Generalized linear mixed model was used to determine the relationship between marital status and prevalence of PAD in terms of OR and corresponding 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTSAfter adjusting the traditional risk factors including age, area, lipid, serum glucose, blood pressure, central obesity, smoking, drinking and physical activities for PAD, relationship between marital status and prevalence of PAD was found both at the female and male groups of those with 45 years or older. Compared with married men, OR and 95% confidence interval of PAD for unmarried men were 1.56 (0.39 - 6.35) and 1.61 (0.77 - 3.35) for those with 45 years younger and older respectively, while compared with married women, OR and 95% confidence interval of PAD for unmarried women were 0.75 (0.22 - 2.57) and 1.78 (1.23 - 2.58) for those with 45 years younger and older respectively. Significant differences (all P < 0.01) were found between married and unmarried women of 45 years or older in terms of age, waist circumstances, systolic blood pressure, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein and smoking.

CONCLUSIONSPeripheral arterial disease was related to marital status for women of 45 years or older among Beijing residents. Estrogen level and the distribution of other PAD risk factors might contribute to the observed finding.

Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; epidemiology ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; Male ; Marital Status ; Middle Aged ; Peripheral Arterial Disease ; epidemiology ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoking ; epidemiology

BACKGROUNDTechniques for the fast and accurate detection of bacterial infection are critical for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of bacterial translocation in clinical severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). In this study, the availability of a real-time PCR method in detection of bacterial colonization in SAP rat models was investigated.

METHODSSamples of blood, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN), pancreas and liver from 24 specific pathogen-free rats (8 in a control group, 16 in a SAP group) were detected for bacterial infection rates both by agar plate culture and a real-time PCR method, and the results were made contrast.

RESULTSBacterial infection rates of the blood, MLN, pancreas and liver in the SAP group and the control group by the two different methods were almost the same, which were 5/16, 12/16, 15/16, 12/16 in the SAP group compared with 0/8, 1/8, 0/8, 0/8 in the control group by agar plate culture, while 5/16, 10/16, 13/16, 12/16 and 0/8, 1/8, 0/8, 0/8 respectively by a real-time PCR method. Bacterial number was estimated by real-time PCR, which showed that in the same mass of tissues, the pancreas contained more bacteria than the other three kinds of organs in SAP rats (P < 0.01), that may be due to the edema, necrosis and hemorrhage existing in the pancreas, making it easier for bacteria to invade and breed.

CONCLUSIONFast and accurate detection of bacterial translocation in SAP rat models could be carried out by a real-time PCR procedure.

Acute Disease ; Animals ; Bacterial Translocation ; genetics ; DNA, Ribosomal ; genetics ; Female ; Male ; Pancreatitis ; microbiology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Rats

OBJECTIVEThis study was designed to compare clinical efficacy of segmental pulmonary vein ablation (SPVI), amiodarone or amiodarone plus losartan on sinus rhythm maintenance in patients with lone paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF).

METHODSPatients with lone PAF were treated with amiodarone alone (A, n = 52), segmental pulmonary vein isolation (SPVI, n = 51), or amiodarone plus losartan (AL, n = 51). The primary endpoint of this study was the incidence of symptomatic atrial tachyarrhythmia (> 30 s) documented by 12 lead ECG or Holter during 12 months follow-up period.

RESULTSDuring follow-up, AF was documented in 24 patients (46.2%) in A group, 11 patients (21.6%) in SPVI group and 12 (23.5%) in AL group (P < 0.05 vs. A group). The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis demonstrated a significant equally reduction in AF recurrence in SPVI and AL groups (P = 0.009, log-rank test and P = 0.018, log-rank test, respectively) compared with A group. The hazard ratio for AF recurrence in patients treated with SPVI and amiodarone plus losartan was 0.41 (95% CI 0.200 to 0.848, P = 0.016) and 0.46 (95% CI 0.225 to 0.953, P = 0.036), respectively. Incidences of major adverse cardiac events were similar among the groups (9.6% in A, 3.9% in SPVI and 7.8% in AL group, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe results of this study suggest that the segmental pulmonary vein isolation and amiodarone plus losartan are superior to amiodarone alone for preventing AF recurrence in patients with lone PAF.

Aged ; Amiodarone ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; therapeutic use ; Atrial Fibrillation ; prevention & control ; therapy ; Catheter Ablation ; methods ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Losartan ; therapeutic use ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome