OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of Yijing Huoxue Cuyun Decoction (YHCD) in adjusting hypoestrogenemic response induced by clomiphene.

METHODSInfertile patients caused by ovulation disturbance were randomly divided into 2 groups. The 60 patients in the observed group were treated with clomiphine plus YHCD, and the 58 patients in the control group were given clomiphine plus estradiol valerate.

RESULTSBy scoring on the cervical relaxation and improvement of cervical mucus, 38 patients (63.3%) in the observed group had Insler score of more than 8 points, while that in the control group was only 25 (43.1%), comparison between the two groups showed significant difference (P < 0.05). The endometrium thickening in the observed group was 0.98 +/- 0.19 cm, significantly different to that in the control group (0.85 +/- 0.21 cm, P < 0.01). Twenty-five patients in the observed group (41.7%), and fourteen patients in the control group (24.1%), respectively got pregnancy, the pregnant rate in the former was obviously higher than that in the latter (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONYHCD can ameliorate hypoestrinemia induced by clomiphene and increase the pregnant rate in patients.

Adult ; Clomiphene ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Estrogens ; blood ; deficiency ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility, Female ; drug therapy ; Ovulation ; drug effects ; Ovulation Induction ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo study on the mechanism of electroacupuncture for treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD).

METHODSSD rats were randomly divided into a normal group, a sham operation group, a model group and an electroacupuncture group, 12 rats in each group. The AD rat model was prepared by microinjection of amyloid-beta protein (Abeta1-40) into the Meynert nucleus. In the electroacupuncture group, electroacupuncture was given at "Baihui" (GV 20), "Taixi" (KI 3), "Zusanli" (ST 36). The learning and memory ability was assessed by Morris water maze and the glial cell activity in the hippocampus was determined by immunohistochemistry.

RESULTSCompared with the normal group, the glial cell in the hippocampus was activated with increase of the number, and the learning and memory ability reduced in the model group (P < 0.01). After treatment, as compared with the model group, the number of the activated glial cells was reduced and the learning and memory ability was improved in the electroacupuncture group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONElectroacupuncture treatment can decrease the number of activated glial cells so as to protect the neurons, improving the learning and memory ability in the AD rat.

Alzheimer Disease ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Learning ; Male ; Memory ; Neuroglia ; physiology ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVESTo analyze the differential expression genes (DEGs) among hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), para-cancerous tissue (PCT) and normal liver tissue (NLT) and explore the target genes related to the development and progression of HCC.

METHODSThe total RNAs of matched HCC, PCT and NLT of HCC patients were isolated using one step Trizol method. Matched RNAs were qualified using 10 g/L agarose gel electrophoresis and lab-on-chip. cRNAs were synthesized, fluorescence labeled and purified after total RNAs were purified. The RNAs of HCC and NLT, HCC and PCT were hybridized with Agilent oligo microarray (21,074 probes). The fluorescence intensity features were detected by Agilent scanner and quantified by feature extraction software. The selected candidate genes were confirmed by SYBR Green I stained real time RT-PCR.

RESULTS(1) The total RNA, reverse transcription product and fluorescence labeled cRNA were all of high quality; (2) There were 420 up-regulated genes and 552 down-regulated genes among 2-fold DEGs, including DKK1 (dickkopf homolog 1) which was 5-fold up-regulated; (3) The results of real time RT-PCR, using beta-actin as an internal control, showed that the 2-Delta Ct values of DKK1 in HCC, PCT and NLT were 0.089 504, 0.007,65 and 0.000,631 respectively.

CONCLUSION(1) The high throughput and effective Agilent oligo microarray can screen novel therapy targeted genes by analyzing the DEGs in development and progression of HCC; (2) The development and progression of HCC is a complicated process involving multigenes and multiprocedures; (3) DKK1, as a novel gene, is involved in the development and progression of HCC and may be a new therapy target.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; genetics ; pathology ; Gene Expression ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; RNA, Neoplasm ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of the disease on the basis of the clinical features and genetic characteristics of patients with Silver Russell syndrome (SRS).

METHODPatients diagnosed with SRS by Price criteria in 2006 to 2011 were reviewed for their clinical manifestations, physical signs, laboratory examinations and treatments.

RESULTTwenty cases with SRS were 0.08-12.17 yr old. Fifteen were male and 5 were female. The clinical characteristics included more than 80% of cases had postnatal growth retardation 100% (20/20), craniofacial dysmorphism 100% (20/20), small for gestation age 95% (19/20), asymmetry and thinning of the face and/or limbs 90% (18/20), fifth finger clinodactyly 80% (16/20), BMI < -2 SDS 80% (16/20). Their height was obviously lagging behind in the bone age. HD SDS/average of bone retardation was 3.08. The two patients with the chief complaint of external genital abnormalities would have aggressive surgical treatment and they did not use the growth hormone (GH) treatment. Only six patients had used the GH treatment. GH treatment at a dose of 0.1 IU/(kg·d) used in 2 cases achieved a growth velocity (GV) 8 - 11 cm/yr but in another 2 cases < 5 cm/yr. In genetic study, 6 patients were found to have 11p15 low methylation, 1 had low and high methylation, 1 had duplication, no relation between clinical and methylation of 11p15 was found.

CONCLUSIONThere were great variations of clinical features in SRS characterized by small for gestation age and/or postnatal growth retardation, craniofacial dysmorphism, asymmetry of the face and/or limbs or ultrafine limbs, fifth finger clinodactyly. Severely low BMI was seen and height was obviously lagging behind in the bone age. The findings of laboratory tests and imaging of SRS were not specific. Some of SRS had 11p15 imprinting defects. The treatment of SRS is mainly symptomatic.

Abnormalities, Multiple ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Adolescent ; Body Height ; Bone Density ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11 ; genetics ; DNA Methylation ; Female ; Genetic Association Studies ; Genomic Imprinting ; Growth Disorders ; diagnosis ; genetics ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Retrospective Studies ; Silver-Russell Syndrome ; diagnosis ; genetics

Curcumin has a wide spectrum of pharmaceutical properties such as antitumor, antioxidant, antiamyloid, and anti-inflammatory activity. However, poor aqueous solubility and low bioavailability of curcumin are major challenge in its development as a useful drug. To overcome many of these problems, curcumin-loaded long-circulating liposomes (Cur-LCL) were prepared by the ethanol injection method. Morphology of Cur-LCL was observed by transmission electron microscope, mean particle size and Zeta potential were detected by laser particle size analyzer, entrapment efficiency and drug loading were evaluated by ultracentrifugation. The drug release behavior in vitro and pharmacokinetic behavior in rats of Cur-LCL were investigated with curcumin (Cur) and curcumin liposomes (Cur-Lips) as control. The results showed that the mean diameter of Cur-LCL was 110 nm, the Zeta potential was -5.8 mV. The entrapment efficiency and drug loading of Cur-LCL was 80.25%, 2.06%, respectively. The release behavior in vitro studied by dialysis in PBS buffer showed significant sustained release profile that 48.95% Cur were released from Cur-LCL in 7 h, 88.92% in 24 h. The pharmacokinetic parameters showed that compared with Cur and Cur-Lips, the t(1/2beta) of Cur-LCL was extended to 13 and 1.8-fold, respectively. Besides, the AUC values was significantly increased (P < 0.01), and the clearance was evidently decreased (P < 0.01). These results from in vitro and in vivo indicated that Cur-LCL were able to realize controlled drug release and increase circulation time.
Animals ; Curcumin ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Delayed-Action Preparations ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Drug Carriers ; chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Liposomes ; chemistry ; Male ; Particle Size ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solubility

OBJECTIVETo select a proper Ganoderma luciderm strain for the fruiting body production.

METHODThe strains were cultivated on the agar media and in the liquid media, respectively. Then the strains were inoculated onto the solid medium made from agricultural products (such as wheat bran, corn powder, wood meal, etc.) and cultured for a certain period.

RESULTStrains, which were easier to produce polyporic tissues at the vegetative growth stage, would be more quickly to form fruiting body with high quality and yield of the spores.

CONCLUSIONAppearance of the polyporic tissues at the mycelium vegetative growth stage could be used as a marker for the strain selection for the G. luciderm substituted cultivation.

Bioreactors ; Culture Media ; Fruiting Bodies, Fungal ; growth & development ; Ganoderma ; growth & development ; Mycelium ; growth & development ; Triticum ; Zea mays

Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tissue Array Analysis ; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the immediate and cumulative effects of early acupuncture therapy on cerebral hemodynamics in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Methods Totally 60 patients with acute ischemic stroke were selected and randomly divided into treatment group and control group, with 30 patients in each group. The two groups were treated with routine Western treatment. On the basis of above, the treatment group was given acupuncture treatment (acupuncture for the first time before the use of circulating medication), 30 minutes for each needle, 1 needle every 10 minutes, once per day. The treatment for both groups lasted for 14 d. The changes of systolic peak velocity (Vs), diastolic peak velocity (Vd), pulsatility index (PI) and resistance index (RI) of middle cerebral artery (MCA) in the two groups were observed. Results Compared with before treatment, both Vs and Vd increased and both PI and RI decreased in the treament group (P＜0.05); Compared with the treatment for 1 d, both Vs and Vd increased and both PI and RI decreased in the treament group after treatment (P＜0.05). Compared with before treatment, Vs, Vd, PI, RI in the treatment group and Vs and PI in the control group were significantly improved after treatment (P＜0.05). After treatment, the improvement of Vs, Vd, PI and RI in the treatment group was better than that in the control group (P＜0.05). Conclusion Early acupuncture has immediate and cumulative effects on cerebral blood flow in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Many times of acupuncture may strengthen the effects of acupuncture.

Objective To investigate the added diagnostic value of SPECT/CT imaging over routine planar whole-body bone scintigraphy (WBBS) for bone metastases from lung cancer. Methods One hundred and forty-six patients with lung cancer, confirmed by pathological examination, underwent routine 99Tcm-MDP (1110 MBq) WBBS, followed by SPECT/CT over the regions with indeterminate findings on WBBS. Both WBBS and bone SPECT/CT images were interpreted by two experienced nuclear medicine physicians in consensus as the positive, negative or uncertain bone metastases. The final diagnosis was comfirmed by pathology or clinical follow-up. x2 test was used to compare the differences between the two imaging methods. Results Finally, 45 patients were diagnosed as positive bone metastases and the other 101 as negative. The diagnostic sensitivity of bone SPECT/CT for bone metastases from lung cancer was 93.3%(42/45), singnificantly higher than that of WBBS (64.4%, 29/45) (x2 = 19.944, P＜0.05). The diagnostic accuracy of bone SPECT/CT was 89.7% ( 131/146), much higher than that of WBBS (44.5%,65/146) ( x2 = 69. 598,P ＜ 0.05). The uncertain and incorrect diagnostic rates of bone SPECT/CT and WBBS were 10.3% ( 15/146, raging from 5.3% to 15.2% with 95% confidence interval (CI) ) and 55.5% (81/146, raging from 47. 4% to 63.5% with95% CI), respectively. Conclusion BoneSPECT/CT provides incremental diagnostic value over routine WBBS for bone metastases from lung cancer.

Objective To investigate the additional diagnostic value of 99Tcm-MDP SPECT/CT over conventional SPECT scan in patients with spinal bone malignancy. Methods Fifty-two patients (mean age (56±14) years) with suspicious spinal bone diseases underwent both bone SPECT and SPECT/CT imaging right after 99Tcm-MDP whole-body planar bone scintigraphy. All patients were pathologically diagnosed by either spine operation or trans-spinal biopsy. The images were evaluated by two independent reviewers; inter-reviewer agreement was evaluated using a weighted Kappa score. Each focus of abnormality was recorded using a 4-point diagnostic confidence scale: benign (B), possibly benign (PB), possibly malignant (PM) or malignant (M). Results Accord to the pathological results, 36 patients had bone malignancy (19 with metastatic tumors and 17 with non-metastatic tumors) and 16 had benign lesions. Over SPECT images, two reviewers rated 73.1% (38/52) and 67.3% (35/52) the lesions as the equivocal (PB or PM) respectively. Over SPECT/CT images, they rated only 25.0% (13/52) and 13.5% (7/52) lesions as the equivocal. Inter-reviewer agreement was 63.5% (weighted Kappa score=0.62) for SPECT and 78.9% (weighted Kappa score=0.81) for SPECT/CT. Conclusions Compared with99Tcm-MDP SPECT, 99Tcm-MDP SPECT/CT results in a significant reduction of equivocal diagnoses for the spinal bone malignancy.