Adult ; Bone Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Female ; Giant Cell Tumor of Bone ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Patella

OBJECTIVE:To observe the curative efficacy of Ginseng and aconiti praeparatae injection in combination with prostaglandin E1 for diabetic feet.METHODS:A total of 40 patients with diabetic feet were randomized to receive Ginseng and aconiti praeparatae injection in combination with prostaglandin E1 plus basic therapy(treatment group)or to receive prostagla-ndin E1 plus basic therapy(control group).The cure rate of the ulcer of the diabetic feet,the vascular ultrasonography and blood coagulation indexes in two groups before and after treatment were evaluated.RESULTS:There were significant differences between the treatment group and the control group in total response rate(90.0% vs.60.0%)(P

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect and safety of L-carnitine in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia based on current clinical evidence.

METHODSWe searched the Cochrane Library, PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CNKI, VIP, CBM and Wanfang Database from the establishment to April 2014 for the published literature on the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia with L-carnitine. We conducted literature screening, data extraction, and assessment of the methodological quality of the included trials according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, followed by statistical analysis with the RevMan 5. 2 software.

RESULTSSeven randomized controlled trials involving 751 patients with idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia met the inclusion criteria, and 678 of them were included in the meta-analysis. L-carnitine treatment achieved a significantly increased rate of spontaneous pregnancy as compared with the control group (RR = 3.2, 95% CI 1.74 to 5.87, P = 0.0002). After 12-16 and 24-26 weeks of medication, total sperm motility (WMD = 5.21, 95% CI 2.78 to 7.64, P < 0.0001 and WMD = 9.29, 95% CI 1.28 to 17.29, P = 0.02) and the percentage of progressively motile sperm (WMD = 12.44, 95% CI 4.58 to 20.31, P = 0.002 and WMD = 9.76, 95% CI 3.56 to 15.97, P = 0.002) were remarkably higher than those in the control group, but no statistically significant differences were observed in sperm concentration between the two groups (WMD = 4.91, 95% CI -2.63 to 12.45, P = 0.2 and WMD = 0.93, 95% CI -3.48 to 5.34, P = 0.68). After 12-16 weeks of treatment, the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm was markedly decreased in the L-carnitine group as compared with the control (WMD = -2.48, 95% CI -4.35 to -0.61, P = 0.009), but showed no significant difference from the latter group after 24-26 weeks (WMD = -4.38, 95% CI -9.66 to 0.89, P = 0.1). No statistically significant difference was found in the semen volume between the two groups after 12-16 or 24-26 weeks of medication (WMD = -0.13, 95% CI -0.43 to 0.18, P = 0.42 and WMD = 0.28, 95% CI -0.02 to 0.58, P = 0.07). No serious L-carnitine-related adverse events were reported in 4 of the randomniized controlled trials.

CONCLUSIONThe current evidence indicates that L-carnitine can improve spontaneous pregnancy and semen parameters in the treatment of idiopathic oligoasthenozoospermia, with no serious adverse reactions.

Asthenozoospermia ; drug therapy ; Carnitine ; adverse effects ; pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Count ; Sperm Motility

Connexin43 has been shown to play a pivotal role in wound healing process. Wound repair is enhanced by acute downregulation of connexin43, by increasing proliferation and migration of keratinocyte and fibroblast. Angiogenesis is also a central feature of wound repair, but little is known about the effects of connexin43 modulation on functions of endothelial cells. We used connexin43 specific small interference RNA (siRNA) to reduce the expression of connexin43 in human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC), and investigated the effects of connexin43 downregulation on intercellular communication, viability, proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC. Treatment of siRNA markedly reduced the expression of connexin43 by -80% in HUVEC (P < 0.05), and decreased the intercellular communication by -65% (P < 0.05). The viability, proliferation, migration and angiogenic activity of HUVEC decreased significantly (P < 0.05), compared with that of the normal cells. The results suggest that temporally downregulation of connexin43 expression at early stage of wound to inhibit the abnormal angiogenesis characterized with leaky and inflamed blood vessels, maybe a prerequisite for coordinated normal healing process.
Cell Movement ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Connexin 43 ; metabolism ; Down-Regulation ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Humans ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology ; Wound Healing

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of perioperative application of Sijunzi Decoction and enteral nutrition on T-cell subsets and nutritional status in patients with gastric cancer after operation. METHODS: In this prospective, single-blinded, controlled clinical trial, fifty-nine patients with gastric cancer were randomly divided into three groups: control group (n=20) and two study groups (group A, n=21; group B, n=18). Sjunzi Decoction (100 ml) was administered via nasogastric tube to the patients in the study group B from the second postoperation day to the 9th postoperation day. Patients in the two study groups were given an isocaloric and isonitrogonous enteral diet, which was started on the second day after operation, and continued for eight days. Patients in the control group were given an isocaloric and isonitrogonous parenteral diet for 9 days. All variables of nutritional status such as serum albumin (ALB), prealbumin (PA), transferrin (TRF) and T-cell subsets were measured one day before operation, and one day and 10 days after operation. RESULTS: All the nutritional variables and the levels of CD3(+), CD4(+), CD4(+)/CD8(+) were decreased significantly after operation. Ten days after operation, T-cell subsets and nutritional variables in the two study groups were increased as compare with the control group. The levels of ALB, TRF and T-cell subsets in the study group B were increased significantly as compared with the study group A (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Enteral nutrition assisted with Sijunzi Decoction can positively improve and optimize cellular immune function and nutritional status in the patients with gastric cancer after operation.

Objective To investigate the state of endemic fluorosis, running status of water improvement project to reduce fluoride in Jiangsu province, and to provide a scientific basis for prevention and control of endemic fluorosis. Methods In 2008, in the ten key counties of endemic fluorosis (zone), in Xuzhou,Lianyungang and Suqian, a stratified sampling method was employed to select 40 diseased villages according to their past water fluoride survey data. All children aged 8 to 12 were examined dental fluorosis, and all adults over 16 years were examined clinical skeletal fluorosis. Thirty per cent of the 40 diseased villages were selected, and 20 adults over the age of 16 in each selected village were examined by X-ray, respectively;50% of the 40 diseased villages were selected, and 30 any time urine samples of children aged 8 to 12 in each diseased village were tested urine fluoride. In each city, select a county, the status of water improvement project to reduce fluoride, water supply capacity and coverage in the county were investigated. Results A total of 3560 children aged 8 to 12 were examined, the detection rate of dental fluorosis was 38.51% (1371/3560), tooth defect rate was 5.34% (190/3560), and dental fluorosis index was 0.8. Seven hundred and eight urine samples were tested, the median urinary fluoride was 1.47 mg/L and the range was 0.08 ~ 10.08 mg/L. Clinical detection of skeletal fluorosis was 21.3% among adults over the age of 16, and X-ray detection rate of skeletal fluorosis was 39.2% (123/314).Investigated a total of 248 facilities of centralized water improvement projects, no funds to run or damaged 49, the water fluoride > 1.0 mg/L was 18. Conclusions Endemic fluorosis in Northern Jiangsu province has not been controlled completely, but has a rising trend, we should further strengthen the supervision of water fluoride reduction.

BACKGROUND:Hyperglycemia has been detected in many critically ill patients in the department of emergency medicine. But its mechanism and prognosis have not been well elucidated. In this study, we measured the serum level of glycated hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) in critically ill patients to evaluate the effects of hyperglycemia on the prognosis of the patients.METHODS:A total of 826 critically ill patients, who had been treated at the Department of Emergency Medicine of Chaoyang Hospital during October 2006 and November 2007, were divided into a diabetes mellitus group (n=184) and a non-diabetes mellitus group (642) according to whether they had diabetes mellitus. Fasting glucose and HbA1c were measured in all patients. Those in the diabetes mellitus group were further assigned to a drug therapy subgroup and a non-drug therapy subgroup; the serum level of HbA1c and its relationship with short-term outcome were evaluated.RESULTS:Fasting glucose increased in 78.8％ of the patients (88.6％ in the diabetes mellitus group, and 75.9％ in the non-diabetes mellitus group,P<0.05), and HbA1c was elevated in 45.5％ of the patients (78.3％ in the diabetes mellitus group, and 36.1％ in the non-diabetes mellitus group, P<0.01). Fasting glucose, HbA1c and 28-day mortality were improved more significantly (P<0.01) in the drug therapy subgroup than in the non-drug therapy subgroup. The 28-day mortality was more significantly different in patients with fasting blood glucose >8.33 mmol/L than in those with fasting blood glucose <8.33 mmol/L.CONCLUSIONS:Hyperglycemia of critically ill patients could not totally attribute to stress response, especially in those who have no history of diabetes mellitus. Prognosis of hyperglycemia may vary among critically ill patients.

GJ-4 is crocin enrichments extracted from Gardenia jasminoides J. Ellis, and our previous studies have shown that GJ-4 significantly improved learning and memory impairment induced by Aβ in mice. Herein, a memory deficit model was developed by injecting okadaic acid (OA) into the lateral ventricle of mice, and the neuroprotection and underlying mechanism of GJ-4 on neuronal injury caused by Tau hyperphosphorylation were investigated. The Animal Care & Welfare Committee, Institute of Materia Medica, CAMS & PUMC has approved all procedures (No.00000318). GJ-4 at different doses was intragastric administration to mice for 16 days. Step-down test and Morris water maze test showed that GJ-4 could significantly improve OA-induced memory impairment in mice, and reduced the loss of Nissl bodies in the hippocampus of mice. GJ-4 could also decrease the phosphorylation level of Tau protein at Ser396, Thr231 and Ser404 via increasing protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activity and inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) activity. Besides, further researches indicated that GJ-4 could inhibit the level of oxidative stress in the brain of OA mice, reduce neuronal apoptosis and inhibit the neuroinflammation mediated by activation of astrocytes in the hippocampus of mice, and eventually achieve its effects in improving learning and memory impairment in mice. According to these findings, we anticipated that GJ-4 might be a potential therapeutic drug for Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effects of combined type external fixator in treating complex tibial metaphyseal fractures.

METHODSFrom January 2007 to July 2012, 34 patients with complex tibial metaphyseal fractures were treated with combined type external fixator in different stagings. There were 23 males and 11 females, with a mean age of 41.3 years (ranged, 16 to 63), and the course of disease were from 1 h to 8 d. In the patients, 31 cases were open fractures, 11 cases with type II, 13 cases with type III A, 7 cases with type III B according with Gustilo classification; 19 cases were tibia plateau fractures, 6 cases with type II, 1 case with type IV, 5 cases with type V, 7 cases with type VI according to Schatzker classification; 15 cases were distal tibial fractures (one were bilateral fractures), 2 fractures with type A2, 1 fracture with type A3, 1 fracture with type C1, 5 fractures with type C2, 7 fractures with type C3 according to AO classification. Rasmussensn scoring system and AOFAS Ankle Hind-foot Scale were respectively used to assess the joint function of knee and hip.

RESULTSWound surface of 19 patients obtained at phase I healing and 15 patients obtained at phase III healing. Superficial wound infections occurred in 2 cases and bone non-union necessitated reoperation occurred in 2 cases (final fractures obtained bone healing after the second operation). All patients were followed up from 6 to 38 months with a mean of 14.3 months. At the final follow-up,according to Rasmussensn scoring system, 5 fractures got excellent results, 11 good, 3 fair, the mean Rasmussen score was 23.58 +/- 3.98; according to AOFAS Ankle Hind-foot Scale, 5 fractures got excellent results, 8 good, 3 fair, the mean AOFAS Ankle Hind -foot Scale was 80.75 +/- 14.21.

CONCLUSIONCombined type external fixator can well maintain the stability of the fractures, had advantages of low incidences of soft tissue complications and less influence to joint motion in treatment of complicated tibial metaphyseal fractures. However there were some limitations in long-term use.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fracture Fixation ; instrumentation ; methods ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiography ; Recovery of Function ; Tibial Fractures ; diagnostic imaging ; physiopathology ; surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the analgesic mechanism of pricking blood therapy at Ashi points in the acute gouty arthritis rat.

METHODSForty rats were randomly divided into a blank group, a model group, an indomethacin group and a pricking blood group. Except the blank group, other groups were injected with sodium urate liquor into the ankle cavity to develop the acute gouty arthritis rat model, and the indomethacin group received gastric perfusion of indomethacin, and the pricking blood group were treated with pricking blood therapy at Ashi points. The peripheral pain mediums K+, NE, DA, (5-HT contents were determined.

RESULTSThe K+, DA, 5-HT contents in the pricking blood group decreased significantly as compared with the model group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05); there was no significant difference in the content of NE between the pricking blood group and the model group.

CONCLUSIONPricking blood at Ashi points can effectively inhibit release of the peripheral pain mediums K+, DA and 5-HT.

Animals ; Arthritis, Gouty ; therapy ; Pain ; Rats ; Stomach