Serum cytokine concentrations were determined in patients with Graves'disease(GD)before and after treatment of thiamazole.Serum soluble interleukin-2 receptor(sIL-2R)level was markedly raised before treatment as compared with normal subjects and returned to normal after 3 month therapy.Serum IL-8 level was lowered in GD patients and showed no change after 3 month therapy.No relationship between IL-8 and other markers was found.Serum IL-1?,IL-6 and TNF-?levels in GD patients showed no difference with those in normal controls.

The aim of this Post-Marketing Surveillance study was to assess efficacy,safety and acceptance of acarbose treatment in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients under day-to-day practice conditions.A total of 2 480 patients were enrolled by 231 physicians throughout China into an open,prospective,uncontrolled,non- randomised,multi-centre study.Main efficacy parameters were the changes in fasting and postprandial blood glucose concentrations as well as in HbA-(1C) levels after acarbose treatment.The majority of patients had been previously treated with other oral anti-diabetic medication or insulin and received concomitant anti-diabetics during the mean observation period of 13.5 weeks.Most patients started on a daily acarbose dose of 50 mg t.i.d. Acarbose treatment reduced fasting blood glucose concentrations by 56.1 mg/dl ( 18 mg/dl glucose = 1 mmol/L glucose) and 2h-postprandial values by 111.3 mg/dl over the study period.HbA-(1C) decreased by 1.9% and body weight by 0.9 kg.76 acarbose-relatod adverse events occurred;two patients experienced serious adverse events. The attending physicians assessed treatment efficacy as“very good”or“good”for 90.1% of the patients, tolcrability for 89.1% and acarbose acceptance for 87.1% of the patients.Acarbose is efficacious,safe and well accepted by Chinese type 2 diabetic patients under day-to-day routine conditions,both as anti-diabetic mono- therapy and in combination with other anti-dlabetic drugs.

Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Genes, Viral ; Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus ; genetics ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; virology

To investigate the optimum harvesting time and utilization of mulberry leaves during different growth periods based on the content of alkaloids and flavonoids, 88 samples of 11 species of mulberry leaves were collected and analyzed. UPLC-TQ/MS method was applied and the results showed that the ingredients of alkaloids and flavonoids in mulberry leaves are quite different in different growth periods and different species. There was a sharp decline of the average content of alkaloids in all samples from October, while the content of flavonoids dropped either from October but with less volatile. The content of flavonoids in M. atropurpurea was much higher than alkaloids, while M. australis was opposite completely. There was a sharp decline of alkaloids in M. cathayana and M. mongolica from Tuly to August, however, the content of alkaloids and flavonoids in M. alba is neither too high nor too low. In summary, it is more suitable to harvest tender mulberry leaves harvested from the end of September to beginning of October that provide a scientific evidence for rational harvest and comprehensive utilization of mulberry leaves.
Alkaloids ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Flavonoids ; analysis ; isolation & purification ; Mass Spectrometry ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Morus ; chemistry ; Plant Leaves ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; Reproducibility of Results ; Seasons

To develop a reverse transcription-loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) assay for rapid and sensitive detection of Norwalk GII. 4 primers which recognized 6 distinct regions on the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene of Norwalk GII were designed and used for LAMP assay. Norwalk GII RNA was amplified under isothermal conditions (65 degrees C) for 120 min, and LAMP results were then judged with naked eye, SYBR Green I staining, electrophoretic analysis and restriction digestion. To evaluate the specificity of the RT-LAMP, 48 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII and 12 fecal specimens of group A rotaviruses were tested. To compare the sensitivity of the RT-LAMP with that of conventional RT-PCR, Norwalk GII RNA was serially diluted and amplified by RT-LAMP and RT-PCR, respectively. With 46 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII, observation with naked eyes, SYBR Green I staining and electrophoretic analysis were able to detect the PCR products in the RT-LAMP assay. The specificity of RT-LAMP products was also confirmed by digestion of the RT-LAMP products with restriction enzymes. No RNA amplification was observed in 2 fecal specimens of Norwalk GII and 12 fecal specimens of group A rotaviruses. The specificity of the RT-LAMP assay with regard to RT-PCR were 100% for Norwalk GII. The detection limits of RT-LAMP was 15.6 pg/tube for Norwalk GII and similar to that of a RT-PCR assay. Compared to RT-PCR, the RT-LAMP assay has been proven to be a rapid, sensitive, specific and accurate method for detection of the Norwalk GII in fecal specimens, and that RT-LAMP assay is potentially useful for the rapid detection of Norwalk GII from fecal specimens in outbreaks of infectious diarrhea.
Caliciviridae Infections ; virology ; Feces ; virology ; Humans ; Norwalk virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; RNA Replicase ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Viral Proteins ; genetics

Subclinical hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disease, and the clinical incidence rate has increased gradually in recent years. This disease has impacted on cardiovascular function, lipid metabolism, etc, which can leads diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease. The screening and treatment for patients with subclinical hypothyroidism and the follow-up study have become a research hotspot in the field of endocrine at home and abroad in recent years. The consensus has not been reached about the outcome and prognosis of subclinical hypothyroidism. This article will conduct a literature review on the effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on the body, the intervention mode, the research progress and clinical follow-up to cause attention from endocrine professional medical staffs in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism, strengthening the management and follow-up of this group and improving the level of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism health and life quality, prolonging their life expectancy.

Objective To explore the effects of telephone follow-up on patients with sub-clinical hypothyroidism. Methods Of 120 patients who were diagnosed as sub-clinical hypothyroidism between January, 2014 and June,2014, 60 were included in control group and 60 were assigned in observation group by a random number table. Patients in control group received routine check-up and treatment protocols according to their condition, in contrast, patients in observation group had extra telephone follow-up. Patients′symptoms, the degree of goiter, thyroid ultrasound examination, thyroid function and thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), and other indicators were compared in the two groups after 12 weeks intervention. Results After the intervention, both groups had an improvement in slow reactions, chills, skin changes, body mass increase, etc. After invention, thyroid stimulating hormone and TPOAb in observation group were statistically different from those in control group [(1. 955 ± 1. 633) vs (2. 875 ± 3. 025) mIU/L, (204. 500 ± 825. 500) vs (438. 500 ± 1065. 250) IU/ml] (Z=2. 539,1. 451;P<0. 05). Patients with thyroid enlargementⅢdegrees reduced from 29 cases to 14 cases in observation group, which was better than that in control group (χ2 =2. 199, P<0. 05). Thyroid ultrasound results were similar between the two groups (χ2 =0. 043, P >0. 05). Conclusions Telephone follow-up intervention is helpful to improve the symptoms of patients with sub-clinical hypothyroidism, alleviate goiter and promote thyroid function back to normal.

The present study investigated the contribution of endogenous heme oxygenase (HO)/carbon monoxide (CO) system to hypertension pathogenesis of rats. Zinc deuteroporphyrin 2,4-bisglycol (ZnDPBG),an inhibitor of heme oxygenase (HO), was used to inhibit HO activity in vivo. It was found that the blood pressure of rats with HO inhibition was significantly elevated, and plasma levels of adrenaline, noradrenaline,endothelin, nitrate and nitrite were significantly increased. HO activity and HbCO formation within vascular smooth muscle tissues were significantly inhibited after administration of ZnDPBG. Furthermore, administration of exogenous CO into HO inhibiting rats led to MABP decrease, but injection of HO substrate, heme-Llysinate, had no effect on HO inhibition-induced hypertension. In spontaneously hypertensive rats, injection of exogenous CO resulted in a significant decrease of MABP, and heme-L-lystnate had a similar effect with exogenous CO. These data show that HO/CO system has an anti-hypertension biological action, suggesting that endogenous CO plays an important role in hypertension pathogenesis.

A sepsis model induced by cecal ligation and puncture was used to study the role of endogenous carbon monoxide in hypotension pathogenesis of rats during septic shock. After administration of zinc deuteroporphyrin 2,4-bisglycol (ZnDPBG),an inhibitor of heme oxygenase (HO),blood pressure (BP),HO activity and carbon monoxide (CO) release from vascular muscle tissue were measured. The results showed that BP of sepsis rats,including systolic and diastolic arterial BP,decreased significantly while HO activity and CO content were significantly increased. In contrast,after administration of ZnDPBG,BP of sepsis rats was significantly increased while the HO activity and CO production were significantly decreased. These findings suggest that HO activity and CO release within vascular musculature are increased during septic shock;inhibition of HO may elevate BP of rats during septic shock through a decrease of endogenous CO production. It is concluded that endogenous CO derived from vascular muscle cells plays an important role in regulating vascular tone,and the up-regulation of HO activity followed by subsequent CO production contributes to hypotension pathogenesis during septic shock.

AIMTo investigate the induction of endothelial cell apoptosis and the suppression of VEGF expression in cancer cells by sodium caffeate (SCA).

METHODSApoptosis of transformed human umbilical vein endothelial cells (ECV304 cell line) was detected by flow cytometry, DNA electrophoresis assay and morphological assessment. Western blotting analysis was applied for determination of VEGF expression in cancer cells. Substrate degradation by type IV collagenase was measured by zymography. ELISA was used to detect the binding of type IV collagenase with relevant monoclonal antibody.

RESULTSSCA induced ECV304 cell apoptosis in a time- and dose-dependent manner. After treatment with 100 and 250 microg X mL(-1) of SCA for 48 h, DNA laddering appeared. SCA treated cells showed strong blue fluorescence and distinct changes of nuclear morphology, such as pyknosis and the occurrence of apoptotic bodies. VEGF expression in hepatoma HepG-2 cells and prostate carcinoma DU145 cells was reduced after SCA treatment. The degradation activity of type IV collagenase including MMP-2 and MMP-9 secreted by giant cell pulmonary carcinoma PG cells was inhibited by SCA in a dose-dependent manner. SCA also reduced the binding of mAb 3D6, a relevant monoclonal antibody, to type IV collagenase.

CONCLUSIONSCA can induce endothelial cell apoptosis and inhibit VEGF expression as well as type IV collagenase activity in cancer cells. SCA might be active in modulating tumor angiogenesis and the microenvironment.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Caffeic Acids ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 2 ; metabolism ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; metabolism