OBJECTIVETo compare the immediate effect of moxibustion on Yanglingquan (GB 34) on body surface thermograph between the patients with myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) and healthy people.

METHODSThirty-five cases of MPS were selected in observation group and 15 cases of healthy people were in control group. ATIR-M301 medical infrared imaging device was used to observe the changes in body surface thermograph before and 15 min after moxibustion on Yanglingquan (GB 34) The qualitative analysis of picture pattern and the quantitative analysis of temperature were integrated to compare the differences between two groups.

RESULTSConcerning to the infrared thermograph expression on the back of MPS cases in observation group, the abnormal thermal zone presented in 88.6% of the cases, mostly distributed in the upper and secondly in the lower back. The spinal thermal line was broken or disappeared ine about 50% of cases. The location of pain complained by 71.4% of cases was coincident with the zone of infrared thermograph expression. There was statistical significant difference in the temperatures difference of the two sides in the upper abnormal thermal zone on the back in observation group as compared with control group (P < 0.001). Body surface thermograph on the back were impacted by moxibustion on Yanglingquan (GB 34) for either MPS patients or healthy people, especially in upper back and rhomboid fossa. Moxibustion on Yanglingquan (GB 34) increased much more apparently the temperature on the upper back in MPS patients as compared with healthy people (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONMoxibustion on Yanglingquan (GB34) brings the immediate improvements in the back thermograph for MPS patients.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Body Temperature ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Thermography ; Young Adult

·AIM: To evaluate the effects of two series of enantiomers [(R, R)-XY-1 through (R, R)-XY-12 and (S,S)-XY-1 through (S, S)-XY-12] on ocular blood flow in rabbits.·METHODS; Colored microsphere technique was used for in vivo experiments to determine the ocular blood flow in various tissues of ocular hypertensive (40mmHg) rabbit eyes.·RESULTS; Of the twelve compounds of ( R, R)-XY series examined, four increased choroidal blood flow at 10g/L, 50uL instilled into eyes. All compounds of (S, S)-XY series were not effective on ocular blood flow.·CONCLUSION; Some compounds of (R, R)-XY series increased the ocular blood flow, which might be useful for the prevention and treatment of ocular blood flow related eye diseases. Among all twenty-four compounds, (R, R)-XY-1and (R, R)-XY-9 seem to be the most potent ones.KEYWORDS; ocular blood flow; ischemia; enantiomer

AIM: The effects of ZX-5, as nitric oxide (NO) donor, on ocular blood flow has been investigated using colored microsphere technique in previous study. The relationship between the production of NO by ZX-5 and ocular blood flow has been evaluated. ZX-5 has been shown to have strong positive effect on increasing choroidal blood flow. However,the effect of ZX-5 on retinal function recovery, the effects of its optical isomers, (R, R)-ZX-5 and (S, S)-ZX-5, on choroidal blood flow and retinal function recovery have not been studied and merit investigation.METHODS: Colored microsphere technique was used for in vivo experiments to determine choroidal blood flow of ocular hypertension (40mmHg) in rabbit eyes. Electroretinography was used to measure the b-wave recovery as an indication of retinal function recovery.RESULTS: (R, R)-ZX-5 increased choroidal blood flow at 10g/L, 50μL instillation into eyes at all time points (P＜0.05).(S, S)-ZX-5 was not effective in increasing choroidal blood flow. ZX-5 and (R, R)-ZX-5 showed significant effects in retinal function recovery after ischemia of the retina at all time points (P＜0.05); whereas (S, S)-ZX-5 did not show significant effect on recovery of b-wave after ischemia at most time points except at 120 and 240 minutes.CONCLUSION: ZX-5 and (R, R)-ZX-5 have high potency in increasing the choroidal blood flow and improving the retinal function recovery. It is hoped that they could be used for the prevention/treatment of ocular blood flow related eye diseases.

OBJECTIVETo describe the mortality of colorectal and anal cancer in the Chinese population during 2004 - 2005.

METHODSMortality of colorectal and anal cancer from The 3rd National Death Retrospective Sampling Survey (2004 - 2005) were analyzed, with that the total population was 142 660 482 person-year and the number of death cases was 10 586. Crude death rate, age-standardized death rate by Chinese standard population (CASR) and world standard population (WASR), the constitute proportion to all cancer deaths and rank of cancer death were calculated and compared with The 1st (during 1973 - 1975) and The 2nd (during 1990 - 1992) National Death Retrospective Surveys.

RESULTSThe mortality of colorectal and anal cancer in China was 7.42/100 000 (10 586/142 660 482) during 2004 - 2005, accounting for 5.46% of total cancer deaths and ranked the 5th leading cause of death from cancer. CASR and WASR were 4.79/100 000 and 6.57/100 000, respectively. Gender specific mortality was higher for males with 8.38/100 000 (6114/72 970 241) than for females with 6.42/100 000 (4472/69 690 241). The crude death rates were 10.01/100 000 (4796/47 899 806) in urban areas and 6.11/100 000 (5790/94 760 676) in rural areas, moreover, the crude death rates in Eastern, Middle and Western part of China were 8.67/100 000 (4558/52 556 694), 7.19/100 000 (3580/49 781 225) and 6.07/100 000 (2448/40 322 563) respectively. Compared to the crude death rate 5.30/100 000 and CASR 4.54/100 000 during 1990 - 1992, the crude death rate and CASR from colorectal and anal cancer increased by 40.00% and 5.51%, whereas compared to the crude death rate 4.17/100 000 and CASR 4.27/100 000 during 1973 - 1975, the crude death rate and CASR had increased by 77.94% and 12.18% respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe mortality of colorectal and anal cancer has been increasing rapidly in China. The mortality is higher in males, and appears to be diverse in different areas.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anus Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

The purpose of the study is to investigate the effect of 8-hydroxy-dihydroberberine on insulin resistance induced by high free fatty acid (FFA) and high glucose in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and its possible molecular mechanism. Palmic acid or glucose in combination with insulin was used to induce insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes. 8-Hydroxy-dihydroberberine and berberine were added to the cultured medium separately, which were considered as treated group and positive control group. The rate of glucose uptake was determined by 2-deoxy-[3H]-D-glucose method. The amount of glucose consumption in the medium was measured by glucose oxidase method. Cell growth and proliferation of 3T3-L1 adipocytes were detected with Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. After incubated with palmic acid for 24 hours or glucose with insulin for 18 hours, the rate of glucose transport in 3T3-L1 adipocytes was inhibited by 67% and 58%, respectively. The amount of glucose consumption in 3T3-L1 adipose cells was decreased by 41% after cells were incubated with palmic acid for 24 h. However, the above changes were reversed by pretreatment with 8-hydroxy-dihydroberberine for 24 and 48 h. Significant difference existed between groups. Insulin resistance in 3T3-L1 adipocytes, which is induced by high FFA and high glucose, could be ameliorated by 8-hydroxy-dihydroberberine.
3T3-L1 Cells ; Adipocytes ; cytology ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Animals ; Berberine ; analogs & derivatives ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Cell Differentiation ; drug effects ; Glucose ; metabolism ; pharmacology ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; chemical synthesis ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Insulin ; pharmacology ; Insulin Resistance ; Mice ; Molecular Structure ; Palmitic Acid ; pharmacology

Objective To analyze the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD( intimin binding domain) and its ligand intimin or mutant intiminN916Y of EHEC O157 ∶H7.Methods The gene of TirIBD (tir-ibd) from EHEC O157 ∶H7 chromosome was cloned into pMD18-T vector.Thereafter,the amplified gene was cloned into prokaryotic expression plasmid pET-21 a (+).The recombinant pasmid pET-21 a( +)-tir-ibd was transformed into E.coli BL21 (DE3).After inducement,the protein Tir-IBD was successfully expressed and analyzed with SDS-PAGE and Western blot.It was purified by affinity chromatography and ionexchange chromatography and was coupled on the Ni-NTA chip of BIACore 3000.Then the ligand intimin and mutant intiminN916Y were flow through the chip and their combination characteristics were detected.Results In the present study,the gene of Tir-IBD(tir-ibd) was successfully cloned into pET-21a(+).The results of SDS-PAGE and Western blot assay showed that the protein was successfully expressed,which accounts for 15％ of total expression products,and its molecular weight was about 10×103.The purity was above 95％ after purification.After coupled on the Ni-NTA chip of BIACore 3000,their combination characteristics with ligand intimin and mutant intiminN916Y were successfully detected.The equilibrium binding constants Ka was obtained by fitting the data with the BIACore evaluation program ( Version 4.1 ).The result showed that the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and intimin have some difference compared with that of mutant intiminN916Y and the difference is temperature dependent.Conclusion Tir-IBD of EHEC O157 ∶H7 was successfully constructed and purified.The method to analyze the combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and its ligand intimin or mutant was established.The combination characteristics between Tir-IBD and intimin or mutant intiminN916Y have some temperature dependent difference and the mutated amino acids residue is crucial for their receptor-ligand binding.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the efficacy of porcine anti-human lymphocyte globulin (P-ALG) plus cyclosporine A (CsA) therapy for severe aplastic anemia (SAA).

METHODSForty-eight SAA patients (31 males, 17 females) including 17 very severe aplastic anemias (vSAA) were treated with ALG plus CsA between 1999 to 2009 in our hospital and the outcomes were analyzed retrospectively for early mortality, response rate and quality, survival rate, toxicity and complications.

RESULTSThe median age was 28 (13 - 64) years. The interval from diagnosis to treatment was 45 days. The median neutrophil count at diagnosis was 0.178 × 10(9)/L. Overall response was 83.3% (54.2% complete, 29.2% partial) with a median time of 90 (23 - 380) days. 10.4% died of infection within 30 days mainly of fungi infection. Only 1 patient relapsed 2 years after treatment. No clonal disease was found. The 1.5-year survival rate was 87.5%. vSAAs had less response, higher early mortality and less survival (64.7%, 29.4% and 51.8%, respectively) compared to that of SAA (93.5%, 0, 100%, respectively, P < 0.05). Grouped patients with different age, gender, intervals between diagnosis and treatment and pre-existing infections had similar response. The main side effects were fever and skin rash (52.1%), serum sickness (16.7%), impaired liver function (60.4%) and hemorrhage (2.1%). No treatment-related mortality was found.

CONCLUSIONP-ALG plus CsA is an ideal and well tolerated treatment for SAA but not for vSAA.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Anemia, Aplastic ; drug therapy ; Animals ; Antilymphocyte Serum ; therapeutic use ; Cyclosporine ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; therapeutic use ; Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Swine ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Aim To prepare hyaluronic acid nanoparti-cles(Ade/GA-HA) using glycyrrhetinic acid modified hyaluronic acid as the carrier and adenine as a model drug, and analyze their physicochemical property and proliferation effect on Bel-7402 cells. Methods Gly-cyrrhetinic acid and hyaluronic acid were combined by chemical cross-linking method, dialysis and freeze-dr-ying,based on which Ade/GA-HA was prepared using ultrasonic method, and the particle size and Zeta po-tential were determined by Malvern laser particle analy-zer,and the morphology was observed by transmission electron microscopy, and the absorbance was deter-mined by ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer, high performance liquid chromatograph and microplate read-er to caculate drug load, encapsulation efficiency and in vitro release. MTT assays were utilized to determine the proliferation of nanoparticles treated Bel-7402 cells. Results GA-HA nanoparticles had spherical shape with a good dispersion, at diameters of 398.1 nm, of which Zeta potential was - 34.2 mV, and presented good short term stability. The drug load and encapsulation efficiency of Ade/GA-HA nanoparticles were (22.5 ± 5.8)% and (87.27 ± 0.33) %, re-spectively. Burst release was observed in Ade/GA-HA nanoparticles within 4 h, while controlled release 4 h later. Compared with free adenine,Ade/GA-HA nano-particles had a stronger inhibitory effect on cell prolif-eration with statistically significant difference. Conclu-sion GA-HA nanoparticles has excellent physico-chemical properties and meet the design requirement.

The prognosis for pancreatic cancer is extremely poor. To improve the prognosis of pancreatic cancer, it is urgently needed to improve early detection to advance treatment. And basically, it is also necessary to emphasise basic research to find novel therapies. By promoting the disease-centered multidisciplinary team model, researchers should achieve high-quality closed-loop process management of the entire life cycle which consists of prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation,and follow-up, with the objective of establishing a standard clinical process to improve the outcome in essence. This article summarized the progress of pancreatic cancer at different stages of the whole cycle management recently and shared the experience of pancreatic cancer treatment from the author's team in the past ten years.
Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms/therapy* ; Pancreas ; Prognosis

Pathological scar is a kind of skin fibrotic disease caused by abnormal wound healing, including hypertrophic scar and keloid. Pathological scar may lead to aesthetic flaws, limb dysfunction and local discomfort in patients. Due to the complexity of the wound healing process, the formation of scar is affected by many factors. In addition to traditional surgical, laser, cryostatic and hormone injection methods for the treatment of pathological scar, there are new therapies, such as mesenchymal stem cell therapy, fat transplantation, interferon, and botulinum toxin. They are widely used in clinical practice, but with such problems as high prices and many side effect. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has a long history in treating pathological scar. In recent years, in vivo and in vitro studies have shown that TCM has effect IN reducing inflammation, inhibiting fibroblast proliferation, regulating fibroblast activation and migration, inducing fibroblast apoptosis and autophagy, promoting the degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) and reducing angiogenesis in general. Besides, TCM has also a certain regulatory role in the signaling pathways, such as transforming growth factor-β₁ (TGF-β₁)/Smads, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin (PI3K/Akt/mTOR) and sonic hedgehog (Shh). There are still some contradictions in relevant studies, and specific mechanisms remain to be further improved. This paper summarizes the study content, findings and relevant mechanisms of different TCM based on in vivo and in vitro experiments, analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of TCM in the prevention and treatment of pathological scar, and its prospects in clinical application, so as to provide basis and ideas for future scar studies.