Objective To observe the impacts of Ruangan-Lidan Tang on immune function for liver cancer patients receiving TACE combined with 3D conformal radiotherapy, evaluation of short-term efficacy, survival, to explore the changes of cellular immune function in the treatment. Methods 86 cases of liver cancer patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group were taken in 3D conformal radiotherapy to 50-60GY/5-6 week for fourth weeks after TACE, the treatment group taking Ruangan-Lidan Tang intervention, control group without the use of traditional Chinese medicine intervention.Before the start, after 1 weeks of TACE, within 3 days before radiotherapy,end of radiotherapy, a total of 4 times for T cell differentiation antigen were measured, and between two groups were compared with t test, 2 months after radiotherapy CT or MRI evaluation of curative effect, survival. Results 5 cases of loss of cases, the total cases were 81 patients, including 40 cases of treatment group, 41 cases in After 1 weeks of TACE, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+of the treatment group were (55.15±4.76)%, (31.88±5.50)%, (22.00±3.18)% of the control group were (53.39±5.00)%, (30.49±5.94)%, (23.39±3.41)%. There was no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05); Before radiotherapy, CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ of the treatment group were (59.05±5.91)%, (40.55±6.17)%, (18.63±3.14)%, of the control group were 55.88±4.65%,33.88±4.41%,22.00±3.78%. There was significant difference between two groups(P<0.01);At the end of radiotherapy, CD3+,CD4+,CD8+ of the treatment group were (61.03±5.54)%, (42.65±4.57)%, (18.10±3.20)%, of the control group were (55.56±5.14)%, (32.95±4.01)%, (23.32±2.69)%. There was significant difference between two groups (P<0.01). Short-term efficacy(CR+PR)of the treatment group was higher compared with the control group(82.50%, 75.61%), but no significant difference (U=1.177, P>0.05). In the treatment group, the median survival time was 22 months,the average survival time was 21.7 months, the half year survival rate was (97.5± 2.5)%(39/40);In the control group, the median survival time was 20 months, the average survival time was 19.3 months, the half year survival rate was (94.9±3.5)% (37/41). Follow-up survival analysis, treatment group than in the control group increased, but there was no statistical difference (P=0.132, P>0.05). Conclusion Ruangan-Lidan Tang can improve the immune function of liver cancer patients receiving TACE combined with radiotherapy, but in the Short-term efficacy and survival did not reflect advantage.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; radiotherapy ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; radiotherapy ; Humans

Objective To compare the differences of five diagnostic criteria used for metabolic syndrome (MS),issued by International Diabetes Federation (IDF),the National Cholesterol Education Program (ATPIII),America-Heart-Associatien (AHA),Chinese Medical Association Diabetes Branch (CDS) and The Taiwan Health Bureau (TAIWAN),during a physical check-up program among population aged 35-74 years,in Taiwan.Methods A total number of 28 408 people who had received physical checkup program first time at the MJ centers,were recruited from 2005 to 2007.The prevalence of MS and the degree of agreement were both calculated according to the five definitions and the results of MS components.Distributions and risk factor aggregation of the results were also analyzed.Results According to the five definitions (1)The range of age-adjusted prevalence of MS appeared to be 10.6%(CDS)23.6%(AHA),and were 13.4%(CDS)-27.6%(AliA)and 8.0%(CDS)-20.5%(IDF) for men and women respectively.(2) The range of five MS components were 22.5%(low-HDL-C)-39.7%(high FPG),with 22.3%of the total subjects presented at least 3 risk factors.In addition,0%(AHA),6.7%(TAIWAN),6.9%(ATP III),8.9%(IDF) and 14.9%(CDS) of the subjects diagnosed as MS-free,by the five criterions,also appeared of having≥3 risk factors.(3) Among all the MS subjects,the proportions of clinical symptom complex,having 5,4 and 3 MS components were 8.0%,29.5%and 62.5%respectively.The most common clinical symptoms complex of MS were obesity,hypertension and high FPG.(4) The MS diagnostic criteria of ATPIII,AHA and TAIWAN were in good accordance with Kappa index,showing 0.81-0.98 for the three criteria.CDS and IDF were in relatively weak agreementwhen comparing with other definitions with Kappa index showed as 0.35 and 0.62.Conclusion Our findings revealed big differences in the prevalence and aggregation of risk components on MS,when using the five definitions.We suggested that prospective cohort studies be planned to investigate the impact on cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality so as to verify whies criterion might be suitable to the population in Taiwan,considering the possible bias.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of locally administered dexamethasone for prevention of low back pain after labor epidural analgesia.Methods Two hundred nulliparous parturients who required labor epidural analgesia,of ASA physical status Ⅰ or Ⅱ,were randomly divided into 2 groups (n =100 each) using a random number table:control group (group C) and dexamethasone group (group D)).In group D,lidocaine 4 ml and dexamethasone 1 ml (5 mg) were injected around the puncture site.In group C,lidocaine 4 ml and normal saline 1 ml were injected around the puncture site.Epidural puncture was performed after local administration.According to the results of epidural puncture,each group was further divided into two subgroups:single puncture group (Cs subgroup,Ds subgroup) and repetitive puncture group (Cr subgroup,Dr subgroup).The patients were followed up for 72 h,and the development of low back pain was recorded.Results Compared to group C,the incidence of low back pain was significantly decreased,and pain was reduced in group D.The incidence of low back pain was significantly lower in Ds group than in Cs group,and in Dr group than in Cr group.Conclusion Locally administered dexamethasone 5 mg is helpful in reducing low back pain after labor epidural anesthesia.

OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor on stress-induced myocardial injury.

METHODSHealthy male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 3 groups( n = 6), and the stress-induced myocardial injury model was established with chronic restraint stress method. The protective effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor on stress-induced myocardial injury were observed with Trichostatin A (TSA) intervention. Histone acetylation levels in myocardium of rats were detected by Western blot method, spectrophotometry method was used to dynamically determine the activity of rat serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), serum creatine kinase isoenzyme-MB (CK-MB) and Caspase 3, and nagar Olsen staining were used to observe the early myocardial damage.

RESULTSRestraint stress could significantly reduce the level of histone acetylation of myocardium in rats, and TSA intervention could inhibit the stress-induced reduction of myocardial levels of histone acetylation. Restraint stress could cause the significant increase of serum LDH activity ( P < 0.05), serum CK-MB activity ( P < 0.05), and the Caspase 3 activity of myocardial tissue (P < 0.05), and early myocardial damage also occurred during restraint stress. ISA intervention could significantly reduce the serum LDH activity (P < 0.05), the serum CK-MB activity (P < 0.05), the activity of myocardial tissue caspase 3 induced by restraint stress (P < 0.05), and the stress-induced myocardial injury was also attenuated by TSA intervention.

CONCLUSIONThe histone deacetylase inhibitor TSA can protect stress-induced myocardial injury.

Acetylation ; Animals ; Cardiotonic Agents ; pharmacology ; Caspase 3 ; blood ; Creatine Kinase, MB Form ; blood ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ; pharmacology ; Hydroxamic Acids ; pharmacology ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Male ; Myocardium ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Restraint, Physical ; Stress, Physiological

OBJECTIVETo investigate the feasibility of vascular graft material polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as gene carrier of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF).

METHODSThe PTFE strips were soaked in pCDI-hVEGF(121) solution,marked with EB solution, and then observed under ultraviolet light. The PTFE strips carrying pCDI-hVEGF(121) were soaked in normal saline and the value of optical density at 260 nm on different time was measured, then the controlled release curve was made. The PTFE strips carrying pCDI-hVEGF(121) were implanted into the left thigh muscles of rabbits and the PTFE strips without VEGF gene were implanted into the right. The expression of VEGF(121) mRNA versus beta-actin mRNA in muscles around vascular graft materials was evaluated by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). The expression of VEGF(121) protein in muscle was determined by Western blot method.

RESULTThe fluorescence on PTFE strips carrying pCDI-hVEGF(121) was observed under ultraviolet light. The controlled release curve demonstrated that the gene release was fast during 0.5 -4 h, then slowed down afterwards,and lasted for 72 h. RT-PCR and Western blot showed VEGF(121)/beta-actin mRNA ratios were 1.053+/-0.356,1. 718+/-0.404, 2.021+/-0.303, 1.872+/-0.231, 0.986+/-0.254, 0.340+/-0.116 and VEGF(121)protein expression levels were 0.328+/-0.088, 1.019+/-0.105, 2.249 +/-0.203, 2.036+/-0.079, 1.670+/-0.132, 0.636+/-0.107 at 1, 7, 14, 28, 42, and 56 days after implantation, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe PTFE graft can be used as carrier of VEGF gene and VEGF gene can be transferred to skeletal muscle by this method.

Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Feasibility Studies ; Gene Expression ; Implants, Experimental ; Plasmids ; chemistry ; genetics ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; chemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Rabbits ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Transfection ; methods ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; genetics ; metabolism

We predicted the anti-hepatitis B virus (HBV) active components and mechanism of Salvia miltiorrhiza based on network pharmacology. The active components of S. miltiorrhiza were obtained through TCMSP, PubChem database and literature research. The potential targets of the active components and HBV infection were predicted by SwissTargetPrediction and GeneCards databases, respectively. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by String database. Cytoscape software was adopted to construct a visual network of active component-disease target and perform topological analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed using DAVID platform. The molecular docking of key components and core targets was carried out by AutoDock Vina software. We screened out a total of 38 active components and 178 disease-component overlapping targets. Enrichment analyses obtained 405 related GO items and 68 signaling pathways, such as T/B cell receptor signaling pathways, PI3K/AKT signaling pathway, and mTOR signaling pathway. According to the results of molecular docking, most characteristic components of S. miltiorrhiza (miltionone Ⅱ, miltirone, protocatechuic acid, lithospermic acid, protocatechualdehyde) showed good affinity with the key targets (PIK3CA, APP, STAT3,AKT1 and mTOR). Furthermore, the anti-HBV activity of lithospermic acid, the representative active component of S. miltiorrhiza, and its regulation on PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling pathways were investigated in an HBV replicating mouse model. Animal welfare and experimental procedures follow the regulations of the Animal Ethics and Welfare Committee of Hubei University. The results showed that lithospermic acid significantly inhibited HBV DNA replication, reduced serum HBsAg and HBeAg levels, and decreased the phosphorylation protein expression levels of AKT and mTOR in liver, indicating that lithospermic acid might exert the anti-HBV activity by regulating PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling pathways.

Our previous results have demonstrated that insulin reduces myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury and increases the postischemic myocardial functions via activating the cellular survival signaling, i.e., phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-K)-Akt-endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS)-nitric oxide (NO) cascade. However, it remains largely controversial whether c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) is involved in the effects of insulin on MI/R injury. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to investigate the role of JNK, especially the cross-talk between JNK and previously expatiated Akt signaling, in the protective effect of insulin on I/R myocardium. Isolated hearts from adult Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 30 min of regional ischemia and followed by 2 or 4 h of reperfusion (n=6). The hearts were pretreated with PI3-K inhibitor LY294002, or phosphorylated-JNK inhibitor SP600125, respectively, then perfused retrogradely with insulin, and the mechanical functions of hearts, including the heart rate (HR), left ventricular developed pressure (LVDP) and instantaneous first derivation of left ventricular pressure (+/-LVdp/dt(max)) were measured. At the end of reperfusion, the infarct size (IS) and apoptotic index (AI) were examined. MI/R caused significant cardiac dysfunction and myocardial apoptosis (strong TUNEL-positive staining). Compared with the control group, insulin treatment in MI/R rats exerted protective effects as evidenced by reduced myocardial IS [(28.9 +/- 2.0)% vs (45.0 +/- 4.0) %, n=6, P<0.01], inhibited cardiomyocyte apoptosis [decreased AI: (16.0 +/- 0.7) % vs (27.6 +/- 1.3) %, n=6, P<0.01] and improved recovery of cardiac systolic/diastolic function (including LVDP and +/-LVdp/dt(max)) at the end of reperfusion. Moreover, insulin resulted in 1.7-fold and 1.5-fold increases in Akt and JNK phosphorylation in I/R myocardium, respectively (n=6, P<0.05). Inhibition of Akt activation with LY294002 abolished, and inhibition of JNK activation with SP600125 enhanced the cardioprotection by insulin, respectively. And the abolishment by LY294002 could be partly converted by SP600125 pretreatment. In addition, SP600125 also decreased the Akt phosphorylation (n=6, P<0.05). These results demonstrate that insulin simultaneously activates both Akt and JNK, and the latter further increases the phosphorylation of Akt which attenuates MI/R injury and improves heart function; this cross-talk between Akt and JNK in the insulin signaling is involved in insulin-induced cardioprotective effect.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Heart ; Insulin ; metabolism ; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; MAP Kinase Signaling System ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; Myocardium ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase ; metabolism ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; metabolism ; Phosphorylation ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion Injury ; Signal Transduction

OBJECTIVETo compare the differences of two recommended diagnostic criteria for metabolic syndrome (MS) in a health check-up population aged 12-19 years in Taiwan province.

METHODThe study data were supplied by the MJ Health Screening Center, which is a private membership chain clinic with 4 health screening centers around the Taiwan Island and provides periodic health examination to its members. The database included a self-administered questionnaire for health history, asking about demographic, socioeconomic, medical, and lifestyle information, and clinical and laboratory measures for every member. A total of 1629 members (873 boys and 756 girls, respectively) received a health check-up first time at MJ centers were recruited from 2005 to 2006. MS detection rate and agreement rate was calculated according to two definitions, respectively. The distributions of MS components and the aggregation of risk factors were further analyzed.

RESULT(1) The range of age-adjusted detection rate of MS for two definitions were 4.05% (5.84% for boys, 1.98% for girls) and 8.35% (10.42% for boys, 5.95% for girls), respectively. It was 0.94% , 14.20% and 36.59% for criterion I among adolescents who were overweight (BMI over 95th percentile), at risk of overweight (BMI between 85th and 95th percentile) and normal weight (BMI below the 85th percentile), respectively; while 3.61%, 25.93% and 53.66% for criterion II. (2) The range of five MS components were 9.09% (low-HDL-C)-16.39% (high blood pressure) for definition I, while 0.98% (high FBG)-27.13% (high WC) for definition II. (3) Of the total subjects, 2.76%, 1.04% and 0.25% were presented with three, four and five MS risk factors for definition I; while 6.69%, 1.60% and 0.34% for definition II, separately. (4) The most common clinical symptom complex of MS was "obesity, hypertension and low-HDL-C" for criterion I, "high TG, obesity and low-HDL-C" for criterion II. (5) The MS diagnostic criterions of I and II were in moderate accordance with agreement rate of 94.35%, Kappa index was 0.518.

CONCLUSIONOur findings reveal that there were relatively large differences in detection and aggregation of risk components on MS when using two recommended definitions, the detection rate of MS in adolescents depends strongly on the parameters chosen and their respective cut-off points. In order to avoid possible relevant under- or over-estimation of the prevalence, it seems advisable that the use of unversally specific cut-off values seems to be more appropriate to give more reliable results.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures ; standards ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome ; diagnosis ; Reference Standards ; Taiwan

BACKGROUNDTo further probe into the role of CD178 in the pathogenesis of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

METHODSThe expression of CD178 and HLA-DR on T cell subsets in peripheral blood of patients with HFRS and their dynamic changes were detected by Flow cytometry.

RESULTSCD4+ CD178+ and CD8+ CD178+ T lymphocytes both in fever and polyuria phases were significantly higher than those in normal controls, while there was no significant difference between the both phases of HFRS (P > 0.05). CD178 expression on CD4+ HLA-DR+ and CD8+ HLA-DR+ T lymphocytes were significantly higher than those in normal controls (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, P < 0.001, P < 0.001), while there was no significant difference between CD4+ HLA-DR+ and CD8+ HLA-DR+ T lymphocytes (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONCD178 was expressed on both CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets, but mainly on CD8+ T cell subsets both in early stage and in later stage in the pathogenesis of HFRS. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) might kill target cells infected by hantavirus (HV) and eliminate HV via cell apoptosis mediated by CD178 in early stage of HFRS. In later stage of HFRS, CD178 might reduce antigen-specific T lymphocytes by activation induced cell death (AICD) and help to maintain the homeostasis of immune system.

Adolescent ; Adult ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; cytology ; immunology ; Fas Ligand Protein ; immunology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; blood ; immunology ; Hemorrhagic Fevers, Viral ; blood ; immunology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets ; cytology ; immunology ; Young Adult