Female ; Humans ; Obesity ; complications ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome ; complications ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) with branch-foundation acupoint combination on the indices regarding pituitary-target gland axis in aging rats with yang deficiency, so as to explore its regulating mechanism on aging rats with yang deficiency.

METHODSForty healthy Sprague-Dawley female rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a model group, an EA group and an EA control group, 10 rats in each group. Except the normal control group, the rats in the rest 3 groups were all treated with subcutaneous injection of D-galactose for 40 d, followed by intramuscular injection of hydrocortisone for 7 d to establish aging model with yang deficiency. After the successful establishment of model, the EA group was treated with EA at "Guanyuan" (CV 4), "Housanli" (ST 36) and "Baihui "(GV 20) while the EA control group was treated with EA at "Zhongji" (CV 3) "Yinlingquan" (SP 9) and "Yintang" (GV 29); the rats in the normal control group and model group were immobilized and fixed during the same time period. The treatments were given 6 times per week totally for 4 weeks. With radiation immunity analysis method, the 8 biological indices of pituitary-target gland axis, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), tetraiodothyronine-4 (T4), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), corticosterone (CORT), estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were detected to observe the changes of their content.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, the serum level of TSH, T3, T4 and E2 were reduced in the model group (P<0.05, P< 0.01) while those of ACTH, CORT, FSH and LH were increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the serum level of TSH, T3, T4 and E2 were increased in the EA group (P<0.05, P<0.01) while those of ACTH, CORT, FSH and LH were significantly reduced (P<0.05, P<0.01). Compared with the EA control group, the content of TSH was increased in the EA group without statistical significance (P>0.05), that of T3, T4 and E2 was increased (all P<0.05) and that of ACTH, CORT, FSH and LH was significantly reduced (all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe electroacupuncture with branch-foundation acupoint combination has benign regulating effects on the key hormones of pituitary-target gland axis, which could effectively improve the dysfunction of pituitary-target gland axis that is caused by aging with yang deficiency; the efficacy of electroacupuncture with branch-foundation acupoint combination is superior to that of adjacent control acupoint combination.

Acupuncture Points ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; blood ; secretion ; Aging ; blood ; metabolism ; Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Electroacupuncture ; Estradiol ; blood ; secretion ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; blood ; secretion ; Humans ; Pituitary Gland ; secretion ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Thyroid Hormones ; blood ; secretion ; Yang Deficiency ; blood ; metabolism ; therapy

Breast cancer is called "Ruyan" in literature of traditional Chinese medicine. We synthesized the ancient and contemporary discussions and raised the theory that "Duxie" (poisonous pathogenic factor) is the etiological factor and pathologic product through the whole course of breast cancer. "Liuyin Fudu" (latent poison of six exogenous pathogenic factors) and "Qiqing Yudu" (stagnant poison of seven emotions) are the main etiological factors affecting the breast cancer occurrence. "Aidu Neisheng" (internal product of cancer poison) is the essential change in breast cancer occurrence. "Tandu Yujie" (stagnation of phlegm, poison and blood stasis) is the essential pathogenesis of the breast cancer's development. "Yudu Weiqing" (vestigial poison) is the main pathogenesis of breast cancer after operation. "Yudu Pangcuan" (vestigial poison invasion elsewhere) is the key pathogenesis of recurrence and metastasis after operation. "Sanjie Jiedu" (dispersing accumulation and detoxification) is an important therapeutic principle in breast cancer's treatment after operation. The "Tandu Yujie" pathogenesis theory and "Sanjie Jiedu" therapeutic principle developed the theory about breast cancer in traditional Chinese medicine, and have some clinical application value.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Ruyiping, a traditional Chinese compound herbal medicine composed of 5 Chinese herbs for removing toxic materials and dissipating nodules from Runing II, another traditional Chinese compound herbal medicine for treating breast cancer, in preventing recidivation and metastasis in breast cancer patients after operation. METHODS: Eighty patients with breast cancer after operation were randomly divided into Ruyiping group and Runing II group, and prescribed Ruyiping and Runing II on the basis of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and endocrine therapy respectively for two years. RESULTS: There were two patients with metastasis and three patients lost to follow-up in Ruyiping group and three and two in Runing II group. The recidivation and metastasis rates were 5.41% and 7.89% respectively. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). The difference of disease-free survival time between the two groups was also not statistically significant. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of Ruyiping in preventing recidivation and metastasis is similar to that of Runing II. Ruyiping is the essential component of Runing II for preventing recidivation and metastasis. The result provides some clinical evidences for the theory that "Yudu Pangcuan" (vestigial poison invasion elsewhere) is the essential pathogenesis of breast cancer's recidivation and metastasis and the utilization of "Sanjie Jiedu" (dispersing accumulation and detoxification) is the therapeutic principle in preventing recidivation and metastasis after operation.

Objective To investigate the biological effect of 50 Hz sinusoidal electromagnetic fields at 1 mT on the proliferation of the human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63.Methods Osteosarcrma MG-63 cells were divided into control and experimental groups.The control group was incubated without an electromagnetic field; the experimental group was incubated in a 50 Hz,1.0 mT sinusoidal electromagnetic field.On the 2nd,4th and 6th day,their proliferation was determined using a cell counting kit-8(CCK-8)assay.Variations in the cell cycle were detected with flow cytometry(FCM).Semi-quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR)was used to measure cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 mRNA.Results Compared with the control group,proliferation of the experimental group cells was reduced significantly.The percentage of cells at G0-G1 phase increased,and the mRNA expression of cyclin B1 and cyclin D1 was significantly reduced.Conclusions A 50 Hz sinusoidal electromagnetic field at 1.0 mT can inhibit the proliferation of osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 significantly.

Objective To examine the serum homocysteine,folic acid and Vitamin B12 levels in macrocytic anemia patients and observe their dynamic changes following therapy. Methods Homocysteine,folic acid and Vita-min B12 were analyzed by electro-chemiluminescence immunoassay. Complete blood cell count was analyzed by opti-cal method and resistance method. Results The homocysteine is significantly higher in nutritional megaloblastic a-nemia[ (71.26±27.84)μmoL/L ] than in drug-induced megaloblastic anemia[(11.44±5.06)μmol/L],in myel-odysplastic syndrome[ (9.51±4.13)μmol/L] and in the normal control group[(8.74±5.42)μmoL/L] (P<0.01). After treated with low-dosage folic acid and Vitamin B12,the patients with megaloblastic anemia presented slow declining but eventually normal homocysteine levels,compared with those received high-dosages. Conclusion Homocysteine can be used for differential diagnosis of macrocytic anemia. The duration of remaining of abnormal ho-mecysteine levels is related to the dosage of folic acid and Vitamin B12.

Background Although great advances have been made in prevention and treatment of CVD through drug therapies and other procedures,diet and lifestyle modification remain the foundamental aspects in clinical inter vention for prevention and treatment of hypertension.Objective The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of variour dietary patterns on traditional cardiovascular risk factors in essential hypertensives in Beijing area. Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) survey was carried out in a cohort of 424 patients of hypertension.Methods All participants completed an FFQ.Baseline clinical data (height,weight,waist circumference and biochemical da- ta) were collected by physical examination and biochemical assay.According to their dietary patterns,three dietary pattern were delineated:vegetarian diet(n=95),meat dominant diet(n=133) and balanced diet(n=196).Clinical and biochemical data were compared between them,and analyzed by multivariate logistic regression models.Results 1)The morbidity of obesity in meat dominant people was significant higher than vegetarians (46.6% vs 21.7%,P

Biomass is a renewable resource, which can be transformed into useful chemical products. The effects of dilute hydrochloric acid on the hydrolysis of steam explosion pretreatment of corn straw were studied. This article developed the application research of ergosterol using corn straw hydrolysates as fer- mentation substrates. The results showed that when corn straw was hydrolyzed with 1.5% hydrochloric acid, temperature at 90?C, hydrolysis for 3 h and the corresponding solid to liquid ratio at 10%, the reducing sugar content can reached up to 53.3% and cellulose conversion efficiency was 79%. The optimal fermental pa- rameters were as follows: 6.0 oBx of corn straw hydrolysates, corn concentration steep water at 4%, pH 7.5, 10% of inoculation, 28?C cultivated for 32 h. Under these conditions, the yeast biomass up to 8.5 g/L and the ergosterol content up to 2.35%. The infrared spectrometer and the X-ray diffract meter used to characterize of crystallite structure.

Objective To investigate the expression of type Ⅲ collagen in abdominal aortic aneurysm tissues and normal aortic tissues. Methods RT PCR and immunohistochemistry were applied to detect the expression of type Ⅲ collagen in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) tissues( n =5) and normal aortic (NA) tissues( n =3) . Results Expression of type Ⅲ collagen was increased in AAA group compared with normal group with AAA/NA= 7 251( P

Objective:To develop an experimental three-dimensional model by ECV304 cells(human umbilical vein endothelial cell line) for investigating the mechanisms of angiogenesis in vitro.Methods:ECV304 cells were seeded onto three-dimensional collagen gels made of rat-tail collagen.When the endothelial cells were cultured and grown to near confluence,treated with bFGF for 3 to 12 days,and then assessed with inverted phase contrast microscope.Results:The endothelial cells migrated into the gels,formed complex networks by cell cords at different levels through the bottom view,and sprouted capillary-like structures through the side view.Conclusion:ECV304 cells are capable of expressing some early events of angiogenesis in the three-dimensional collagen gels:proliferating,migrating and sprouting and so on.It should be useful for studying angiogenesis in vitro.