OBJECTIVETo observe cerebral protective effect of muscone (nasal administration) on traumatic brain injury model rats.

METHODSSD rats were divided into the sham-operation group, the model group, and the treatment groups according to random digit table, 50 in each group. Traumatic brain injury model was established by controlled cortical strike. Rats in the sham-operation group received surgery and anesthesia procedures only, with no strike. Muscone (1.8 mg/kg) was delivered to rats in the treatment group using in situ nasal perfusion, 30 min each time, twice daily for 7 successive days. Water content of brain tissue was detected in each group before intervention (T1), at day 3 of intervention (T2), day 5 of intervention (T3), and after intervention (T4), respectively. Expression levels of brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and nerve growth factor (NGF) were detected using immunohistochemical analysis.

RESULTSCompared with the sham-operated group, water content of brain tissue increased (P < 0.05), and expression levels of NGF and BDNF decreased in the model group at T1, T2, T3, and T4 (P <0. 01). Compared with the model group, water content of brain tissue decreased (P < 0.05), and expression levels of NGF and BDNF increased (P < 0.01) in the treatment group at T1, T2, and T3.

CONCLUSIONNasal administration of muscone could reduce water content of brain tissue, alleviate cerebral edema, promote secretion of BDNF and NGF by olfactory ensheathing cells in traumatic brain injury rats.

Animals ; Brain ; drug effects ; Brain Injuries ; drug therapy ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; metabolism ; Cycloparaffins ; pharmacology ; Nerve Growth Factor ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Andrographis paniculata from different parts and origins were analyzed by UPLC-PDA fingerprint to provide refererice for related preparation technology. Using the peak of andrographolide as reference, 27 common peaks were identified, and digitized UPLC-PDA fingerprints for 23 batches of andrographis paniculata were established in this research. Principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out after feature extraction. The contents of andrographolide, neoandrographolide, deoxyandrographolide, dehydroandrographolide were determined by external standard method. The Plackett-Burman design combined with pareto chart was used to analyze the factors influencing the robustness of the method. It was found that the medicinal part has a more remarkable influence on the quality of andrographis paniculata than the origin. The contents of the 4 lactones the differ greatly in the different parts of andrographis paniculata, and the pH of the mobile phase is an important factor that influenced the robustness of the method.
Andrographis ; chemistry ; Chromatography, Liquid ; methods ; Diterpenes ; analysis ; Drug Stability ; Glucosides ; analysis ; Principal Component Analysis ; Tetrahydronaphthalenes ; analysis

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and diagnostic criteria of migraine in children.Methods The migraine cli-nical characteristics of patients that consistent with the chronic headache diagnostic criteria, excluding other diseases,were analyzed.ICHD-Ⅱ childhood migraine diagnostic criteria was used as gold standard to explore the migraine diagnostic criteria in children.Results 1.In 346 patients, 157 fitted ICHD-Ⅱchildhood migraine diagnostic criteria.2.Type of migraine: probable migraine was the most common(68.8%), the most commonly unfulfilled criterion was associated gastroenteritis symptoms; migraine without aura was the second (19.7%).3.The migraine diagnostic criteria: the most important single-variable was headache associated symptoms,with sensitivity of 70.7%,specificity of 83.6%,the positive predictive value(PPV) was 78.2%,positive likelihood ratio (PLR) was 4.31 and area under curve(AUC) was 0.771.The most important three-variables was headache duration of 1-72 hours, moderate-severe headache and headache associated symptoms, with the sensitivity of 52.2%,specificity of 96.2%,the PPV was 90.1%, the PLR was 13.7 and the AUC was 0. 657.Conclusions The most important single-variable is headache associated symptoms,the most important three-variables are headache duration 1-72 hours, moderate-severe headache and headache associated symptoms.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of Wuling Capsule (WLC) in treating patients with poststroke depression.

METHODSOne hundred and eight patients with poststroke depression were randomly assigned to three groups, 36 in each. All were treated with routine medicine, but to the WLC group and the FLX group, additional WLC and fluoxetine was given respectively, while to the combined group, both of the two were given. Patients' neurological and cognitive function were estimated by HAMI) scale, MMSE scale, SSS scale and Barthel index (BI) before treatment and at 4 weeks and 12 weeks after treatment.

RESULTSHAMD score and SSS score significantly decreased (P < 0.01) while MMSE score and BI score significantly increased (P <0.05) in all the three groups, but the improvement in decrease of HAMD score and in increase of BI score in the combined group was more significant than those in the other two groups respectively (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWLC is effective in treating patients with poststroke depression and shows synergism with fluoxetine.

Aged ; Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation ; therapeutic use ; Capsules ; Depression ; drug therapy ; etiology ; psychology ; Drug Synergism ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluoxetine ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Stroke ; complications ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the prevalence and characteristics of chronic headache in children and adolescents in Shanghai and to collect messages concerning the impact and compliance of medication for migraine.

METHODSA population-based questionnaire study was conducted among subjects 6 - 15 years of age sampled from primary and junior high schools in Shanghai and the subjects were followed up.

RESULTS(1) The prevalence: 8701 (88.6%) out of 9857 pupils responded to the questionnaire; 17% of the respondents had headache and in 86.4% of them the reason of headache was unknown. The prevalence of chronic headache in Shanghai children and adolescents was 7.8%, there was no significant difference between both genders (chi(2) = 0.010, P > 0.05). (2) The prevalence of chronic headache increased with age, the incidence was higher in boys before 12 years of age, while higher in girls after 12 years of age. (3) Characteristics of chronic headache: the proportion of unilateral, bilateral and headache of unknown site was similar; in most of the cases headache was localized in the temple (35.2%) and forehead region (25.6%), the duration of headache was short, always accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms. Half of the patients reported that the headache had affected their study and daily life. (4) The status of using health care facilities: 24% of the students sought medical assistance during their headache episodes and among them only 30.9% took medicine. (5) Over-fatigue (51.4%), followed by insufficient sleep (40.4%), emotional changes (38.5%) were the main aggravating factors. The headache was also associated with positive family history and stress in studying.

CONCLUSIONSHeadache is a common complaints of children, affecting the patients' study and daily life. But many patients with headache were not treated properly, therefore, the medical and educational sectors and the society should pay more attention to this problem.

Adolescent ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Headache Disorders ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and possibly prognositic factors of anterior approach on two-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy.

METHODSA retrospective review was performed on 44 cases of two-level cervical spondylotic mydopathy from Jun. 2007 to Sep. 2009. Among the patients, 24 cases were male and 20 cases female, with an average age of (60.072 +/- 10.77) years (ranged from 39 to 80 years). The affected segments ranged from C(3.4)-C(6.7). Improvements of cervical curvature and segmental height, preoperative sagittal diameter of the spinal cord at the site of maximal compression and signal intensity changes on T2WI were respectively measured. Function of nerves was assessed according to Japanese orthopaedic association system (JOA:17 score) before and after surgery. Operation by anterior approach including: anterior corpectomy and titanium cage fusion with internal fixation, anterior corpectomy body and auto iliac bone fusion with internal fixation. Statistical analysis was made on the correlation between JOA recovery rate and prognostic factors.

RESULTSImprovements of cervical curvature was -9.1 degrees to 16.6 degrees with the mean of (1.30 +/- 5.77) degrees and improvements of segmental height was -0.3 to 12.3 mm with the mean of (4.23 +/- 3.08) mm. Sagittal diameter of the spinal cord at the site of maximal compression was 1.6 to 7.2 mm with the mean of (4.01+/- 1.25) mm. T2WI with high signal changes was in 29 cases, no change in 15 cases. Bleeding amount was 50 to 700 ml with the mean of (242.05 +/- 148.22) ml. Operative time was 90 to 250 min with the mean of (153.75 +/- 34.54) min. All patients were followed up from 6 to 31 months with an average of (17.18 +/- 7.41) months. The mean JOA score preoperatively was (12.73 +/- 2.23); at the final follow-up, the JOA score was(15.09 +/- 1.91); and the recovery rate was (60.01 +/- 26.98)%. According to standard of JOA scoring, 16 cases obtained excellent result, 12 good, 15 fair and 1 poor. The effect of anterior approach had correlations with age, time of course, preoperative JOA score, sagittal diameter of the spinal cord at the site of maximal compression and signal intensity changes on T2WI, but had no correlations with operation time, bleeding amount and improvements of cervical curvature and segmental height.

CONCLUSIONTwo-level cervical spondylotic myelopathy can achieve good effect through anterior approach. The extent of the spinal cord compression may be a reliable and direct factor to judge effect.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Loss, Surgical ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Postoperative Complications ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; complications ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Spondylosis ; complications ; diagnosis ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Time Factors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of niacin on the serum adiponectin concentration in hypercholesterolemia rabbit and the adiponectin concentration secreted by adipocytes in normal rabbits. METHODS: Ten male New Zealand white rabbits fed with high cholesterol diet for 8 weeks were randomly divided into 2 groups: (1) The high cholesterol group maintained a high cholesterol diet for 8 weeks. (2) The same cholesterol diet plus niacin (0.4g/kg*d ) were administrated for 6 weeks in the niacin group. A control group was fed with normal diet for 14 weeks. Subcutaneous adipose from the control group was collected for adipocyte culture. Matured adipocytes were incubated with various concentrations of niacin (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0micromol/L). Adiponectin concentrations in the serum and adipocyte culture supernatant were measured by enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, rabbits in the high cholesterol group showed higher serum levels of total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), all of which were significantly reduced by niacin treatment (P<0.01),and serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) significantly increased (P<0.01). At 8th week, the mean adiponectin concentration of rabbits fed with high cholesterol diet was significantly lower than that of the control group[(1.268+/-0.039)mg/L vs.(1.449+/-0.107)mg/L,P<0.01]. Niacin treatment significantly elevated the serum adiponectin level which was positively related to HDL-C,and negatively related to TC and LDL-C. Cell experiment in vitro indicated that niacin could significantly induce the adiponectin secretion of adipocytes in a dose-dependent manner. CONCLUSION Niacin can significantly promote the adiponectin secretion of adipocytes, suggesting that niacin probably has an ability of elevating the serum adiponectin level in addition to lipid-lowering effect.
Adipocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Adiponectin ; blood ; metabolism ; Animals ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, Dietary ; administration & dosage ; toxicity ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Hypercholesterolemia ; blood ; etiology ; prevention & control ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Male ; Niacin ; pharmacology ; Rabbits ; Random Allocation

To investigate the freshness, high molecular weight substances, the determination of polypeptide, haemolysis and agglomeration, biological activity of Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection; to provide the direction for improving the quality of products for enterprises; furthermore, to provide reference for the revision of the quality standards of Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection. Firstly, we investigated the factors affecting the freshness of the injection, including biogenic amines, aflatoxins, the acid value and peroxide value of the melon seeds. The method of dansyl chloride pre-column derivatization-HPLC was used to determine the content of 8 biogenic amines in Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection. The method validation results showed good specificity, precision, linearity and recovery rates, which was suitable for the determination of biogenic amines in Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection. The results of sample determination showed that relatively higher concentrations of cadaverine were detected in the products from company B. The results of aflatoxins, acid value and peroxide value showed that the melon seeds from some companies had rancidity, mildew and other problems, indicating that the quality standards of multi-component biochemical drugs containing animal- and plant-derived components should be controlled in terms of freshness. Secondly, the methods for the determination of high molecular weight substances and polypeptides in the quality standard were improved. Tricine-SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was used instead of gel chromatography to determine the high molecular weight substances, which improved the accuracy of determination. The kits were used instead of folin-phenol for the determination of peptide content, which is easy to operate, specific and suitable for high-throughput sample determination. Finally, the haemolysis, agglomeration, and biological activity of Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection were studied. The results showed that no haemolysis and agglomeration were found in all samples, and the inhibitory effect of samples on THP-1 proliferation in vitro from different companies was different to some extent. In conclusion, the optimized quality standard is more suitable for the detection of Cervus and Cucumis polypeptide injection, and can lay the foundation for improving the safety of multi-component biochemical drugs.

OBJECTIVETo explore the feasibility of the treatment of hypospadias with penile and scrotal skin flaps.

METHODSTwenty-three hypospadias patients aged 3.5-19 (mean 6. 8) years underwent urethroplasty with penile and scrotal skin flaps. All were followed up for 6 years and analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTSOf the total number of patients, 21 (91.3%) succeeded in one operation and the other 2 developed complications, including urethral fistula and urethral structure.

CONCLUSIONPenile and scrotal skin, advantageous for its adequacy, rich blood supply and contribution to high success rate of surgery, is believed to be the first choice for urethroplasty in the treatment of hypospadias.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Humans ; Hypospadias ; surgery ; Male ; Penis ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Scrotum ; surgery ; Skin Transplantation ; Surgical Flaps

OBJECTIVETo compare multiple organ dysfunction score (MODS), the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) and the logistic organ dysfunction score (LODS) in predicting hospital mortality in severe sepsis.

METHODSFour hundred and three patients admitted to the ICU from December 2004 to November 2007 with a diagnosis of severe sepsis were enrolled in this study. Their MODS, SOFA, LODS and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) II at admission and the highest score during hospitalization were respectively recorded and collected in regard to mortality. The discrimination of three multiple organ dysfunction score systems were assessed by the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC).

RESULTSThe AUC of admission scores was 0.811 for LODS, 0.787 for SOFA, 0.725 for MODS, and 0.770 for APACHE II in predicting hospital mortality. All maximum scores had better power of discrimination than the admission scores (P < 0.01). The power of discrimination of LODS and SOFA were better than the MODS, either the admission or the highest, respectively (P < 0.01). However, no significant difference was observed between the LODS and the SOFA regarding mortality prediction (P > 0.05). The AUC value for the APACHE II score was much lower compared to LODS (P < 0.01). However, there was no difference in AUC value among APACHE II, SOFA and MODS (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLODS, SOFA and MODS show a good discrimination power, while maximum LODS is of the highest discrimination power to predict the outcome of patient with severe sepsis.

APACHE ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Organ Failure ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Sepsis ; mortality ; Severity of Illness Index