Hypertension is one of main risk factors for the occurrence and death of stroke and coronary heart disease. Its prevalence rate is rising year by year. It severely threatens the health of the human beings. The acupuncture method of "activating blood and dispersing wind, harmonizing Gan-Pi" for treating hypertension launched by Academician SHI Xue-min has aroused great attention due to good cur- ative effect and less adverse reactions. In this paper principles of the circular motion covered by the acupuncture method of "activating blood and dispersing wind, harmonizing Gan-Pi" were clarified.
Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Therapy ; methods ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Humans ; Hypertension ; therapy ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Wind

Adult ; China ; epidemiology ; Coal Mining ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Morbidity ; Pneumoconiosis ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical effect of intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy for far lateral lumbar disc herniation.

METHODSFrom February 2005 to February 2010, 73 patients with far lateral lumbar disc herniation were treated with intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy. Their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. There were 41 males and 32 females, aged from 19 to 80 years old with an average of 56.5 years; courses of disease ranged from 1 to 25 months with an average of 4.5 months. The main symptom was low back pain and sciatica, especially the sciatica was seriously. Herniation level was in L3,4 of 9 cases, L4,5 of 49 cases, L5S1 of 15 cases. Preoperative, 2 weeks after operation, final follow-up, conditions of pain relief were assessed by visual analogue scale (VAS); total life quality of patients were evaluated by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) before operation and last follow-up.

RESULTSAll operations were performed successfully, operative time was from 40 to 115 min (mean of 50 min); and blood loss was from 50 to 150 ml (mean of 110 ml). Incision infection had 1 case and incomplete nerve root injury had 1 case. All patients were followed up from 3 to 8 years with an average of 4.5 years. Postoperative VAS and ODI had obviously improved (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe technique of intertransverse approach microendoscopic discectomy is a feasible and effective method for far lateral lumbar disc herniation.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Diskectomy ; methods ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; surgery ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; surgery ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

Objective To observe the effects of trolamine cream(biafine) on preventing nasopharyngeal cancer patients' radioactive skin-reaction after radiotherapy.Methods 110 nasopharyngeal cancer patients who use the linear accelerator radiotherapy were divided into the treatment group and the control group stochastically,the treatment group after the first radiotherapy was given trolamine cream to paint the irradiated coverage of skin,the control group only was given conventional nursing without any medicine.Observes two groups when 20 Gy,50 Gy,the 70 Gy dose the skin-reaction degree,and carries on the contrastive analysis.Results Treatment group and control group when 20 Gy dose,the skin-reaction rate is not remarkable difference,there is no statistical significance( x2 =6.25,P ＞ 0.05 ) ; While 50 Gy dose,the treatment group skin-reaction responds with degree Ⅰ (67.27％),control group with degree Ⅱ (45.45％),besides,14 degree Ⅲ skin reactions were occurred,there is significantly different( x2 =16.37,P ＜0.01 ) ; When 70 Gy,treatment group still with Ⅰand Ⅱ degree (81.82％),control group 70.90％ with Ⅲ degree,and 4 examples are forced to stop treatment because of the most serious skin reaction.To compare with control group,the skin-reaction of treatment group is obviously eased and deferred ( x2 =20.57,P ＜ 0.01 ).Conclusions Biafine can prevent skin-reaction of nasopharyngeal cancer patients' radioactive skin-reaction after radiotherapy,ease the patient' s pain,and make sure radiotherapy go on.

Objective Intracoronary administration of Tirofiban or recombinant human pro-urokinase(rhPro-UK)during primary percutaneous coronary intervention(PPCI)has been shown to improve coronary artery microcirculation perfusion.This study aims to explore the efficacy and safety of intracoronary rhPro-UK or Tirofiban in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction(STEMI)undergoing PPCI.Methods The PubMed,Ovid-MEDLINE,Embase,Web of Science,Cochrane Library,clinical trials.gov,CNKI,WANFANG,VIP,SinoMed,databases were searched for randomized controlled trials(RCTs)or cohort researches of the Intracoronary injection of rhPro-UK or Tirofiban during PPCI in STEMI patients from inception to 27th November 2023.Two reviewers independently screened literature,extracted data and assessed the risk of bias of included studies.Meta-analysis of data was performed by RevMan 5.4.Results There were 12 studies involving 1 721 patients were included,with 864 in the rhPro-UK group(experimental group)and 857 in the Tirofiban group(control group).Meta-analysis showed that compared to the control group,intracoronary rhPro-UK significantly improved postoperative myocardial blood flow perfusion,including higher proportions of thrombolysis in myocardial infarction(TIMI)grade Ⅲ and TIMI myocardial perfusion grades(TMPG)grade Ⅲ(OR 1.83,95％CI 1.36-2.46,P＜0.0001;OR 2.38.95％CI 1.22-4.66,P=0.010);And significantly lower corrected T1M1 frame count(cTFC)(MD-2.43,95％CI-2.94--1.92,P＜0.00001);ST-segment resolution(STR)≥70％was higher than that of control group(OR 1.93,95％CI 1.01-3.68,P=0.050).There was a significant reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events(MACE)one month postoperatively(OR 0.54,95％CI 0.35-0.82,P=0.004).Improving cardiac function one month after surgery,higher left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF)(MD 1.71,95％CI 0.04-3.38,P=0.050).Reducing the size of the myocardial infarction,the postoperative peak value of CK-MB was lower than that of control group(MD-74.16,95％CI-83.59--64.74,P＜0.00001).The incidence of bleeding event was not significantly different between groups(OR 1.18,95％CI 0.64-2.16,P=0.600).Conclusions In STEMI patients undergoing PPCI,intracoronary rhPro-UK improves coronary artery microcirculation perfusion and cardiac function more effectively than Tirofiban,reducing the size of the myocardial infarction and the occurrence of MACE after PPCI 1 month,and there was no significant difference in bleeding events between the two groups.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; pathology ; Male ; Manipulation, Orthopedic ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Recovery of Function ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of manipulation and traction combined with Nimodipine on the blood flow velocity of vertebrobasilar artery (VBA) in cervical vertigo of high flow velocity,and to evaluate clinical therapeutic effects between two methods.

METHODSFrom March 2008 to Feburary 2009,70 patients who were diagnosed as high flow velocity of cervical vertigo were randomly divided into treatment group (35 cases) and control group (35 cases). Among 70 patients, 32 were male and 38 were female. The age ranged from 21 to 45 years with an average of 37.6 years. The disease course ranged from one day to two years with an average of 12.6 days. Patients of the treatment group were treated with manipulation for total three weeks, three times once week. The patients in the control group were treated with traction (weight ranged from 5 to 6 kg, 20 minutes each time, once every other day) and Nimodipine for total three weeks (three times each day, and with a dose of 40 mg each time). After three weeks, the changes of flow velacity of VBI and score before and after treatment were observed using transcranil Doppler (TCD) and Evaluation Scale for Cervical Vertigo. After six weeks, the therapeutic effects were assessed.

RESULTSThe mean velocity in left vertebral artery (LVA), right vertebral artery (RVA) and basilar artery (BA) were obviously lower than those before treatment in two groups (P < 0.01). The LVA, RVA and BA of the treatment group was lower than those of control group after 3 weeks (P < 0.01). There was significant difference in vertigo score after treatment between the two groups. The improvement rate of double-sides sign in X-ray image and the therapeutic effects of treatment group was superior to that of control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe effect of manipulation on flow velocity of VBA is superior to that of traction combined with Nimodipine, and there are better therapeutic effects in treating cervical vertigo of high flow velocity in comparison with traction combined with Nimodipine. But there are more higher demands for manipulation's application.

Adult ; Arteries ; physiopathology ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Cervical Vertebrae ; blood supply ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Musculoskeletal Manipulations ; Vertigo ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo study the clinical values of basic vital signs in early identification of critical hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD).

METHODSThe clinical data of 358 children with severe HFMD [212 cases in stage 2 (central nervous system involvement) and 146 cases in stage 3 (earlier stage of cardiopulmonary failure, critical type)] were reviewed. The diagnostic values of peak temperature and duration of fever, as well as the heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in different age groups, for critical HFMD (stage 3) were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

RESULTSHFMD might progress to critical type in case of HR≥148.5 beats/minutes, RR≥36.5 times/minutes, SBP≥95 mm Hg, and DBP≥59 mm Hg among children aged 0-1 year. HR≥142.5 times/minutes, RR≥31.5 times/mintes, SBP≥103 mm Hg, and DBP≥60.5 mm Hg in children aged 1-2 years had a certain diagnostic value for critical HFMD. HFMD might progress to critical type in case of HR≥139.5 times/minutes, RR≥29.5 times/minutes, and SBP≥103 mm Hg among children≥3 years of age. The sensitivity and specificity of every indicator were higher than 0.517 and 0.769, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) for peak temperature was 0.507 (P=0.816, compared with AUC=0.5). When the duration of fever was ≥5.5 days, the sensitivity and specificity were 0.589 and 0.571, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSHR, RR, and BP are good indicators to identify critical HFMD (stage 3) early. The optimal cut-off points conform to the age characteristics of children. DBP in children≥3 years of age, peak temperature, and duration of fever have a low value in early identification of critical HFMD.

Blood Pressure ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; ROC Curve ; Respiration

BACKGROUNDThe production of neural stem cells (NSCs) derived from embryonic stem (ES) cells was usually very low according to previous studies, which was a major obstacle for meeting the needs of clinical application. This study aimed at investigating whether astrocytes could promote production of NSCs derived from ES cells in vitro.

METHODSMouse ES cells line-D3 was used to differentiate into NSCs with astrocytes as inducing stromal cells by means of three-stage differentiation procedure. Another group without astrocytes served as control. The totipotency of ES cells was identified by observation of cells' morphology and formation of teratoma in severe combined immunodeficiency disease (SCID) mice. The quantity and purity of NSCs derived from ES cells were analyzed using clonogenic assay, immunohistochemical staining and flow cytometry assay. The plasticity of NSCs was detected by differentiating test. Octamer-binding transcription factor 4 (Oct-4) and nestin, the specific marker genes of ES cells and NSCs respectively, were detected continuously using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method to monitor the process of cell differentiation.

RESULTSThe ES cells of D3 line could maintain the ability of differentiating into cellular derivations of all three primary germ layers after continuous passage culture. At the end of two-stage of inducing process, 23.2 +/- 3.5 neurospheres per plate formed in astrocyte-induced group and only 0.8 +/- 0.3 per plate in the control group (clonogenic assay, P < 0.01), and the ratio of nestin positive cells was (50.2 +/- 2.8)% in astrocyte-induced group and only (1.4 +/- 0.5)% in the control group (flow cytometry, P < 0.01). With the induction undergoing, the expression of Oct-4 gradually decreased and then disappeared, while the expression of nestin was increased step by step, and the ratio of nestin positive cells was up to 91.4% by the three-stage differentiation. The nestin positive cells could be further induced into neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes in differentiating medium supplemented with fetal calf serum. The results of differentiating test showed that the ratio of NF-200 and NSE positive cells was (42.7 +/- 2.6)% in astrocyte-induced group and only (11.2 +/- 1.8)% in the control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSAstrocytes can not only increase the production of NSCs derived from ES cells but also promote the differentiation of NSCs toward neuronal lineage.

Animals ; Astrocytes ; physiology ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Lineage ; Cells, Cultured ; Embryo, Mammalian ; cytology ; Mice ; Neurons ; cytology ; Stem Cells ; cytology

OBJECTIVETo study the gene expressions in the stromal cells of the human prostate peripheral zone (PZ) in men of different ages.

METHODSWe primarily cultured stromal cells from the normal prostate PZ of men aged 23 -32 (young group) and 56 -75 years (old group), profiled the gene signature of the PZ cells by cDNA microarray, and defined the differential gene expression patterns by hierarchical cluster analysis. Among the differential genes, we selected and confirmed up-regulated genes by quantitative real time PCR (Q-PCR), and identified their protein coding by Western blotting.

RESULTSThere were significant differences in the gene expressions of the PZ cells between the old and young groups. Based on the fold change ratio of > or = 2 or < or = 0.5, 509 up-regulated and 188 down-regulated genes were selected in the PZ cells. A subset of significantly differential genes influencing the growth of adjacent epithelial cells were identified, including HGF, IGF2, IGFBP5 and MMP1 in the old males.

CONCLUSIONStromal cells in the prostate PZ were more active in older males in promoting the malignant progression of adjacent prostate epithelial cells, which might be due to the increased expression of extracellular paracrining mediators.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Cell Proliferation ; Cells, Cultured ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Stromal Cells ; metabolism ; Young Adult