Objective To investigate the sexual problems during early postpartum period and the awareness of postpartum sexual health. Methods A questionnaire survey was carried out in 109 women who received routine postpartum check-up in our outpatient department between October and November 2010 to identify postpartum sexual problems and the awareness of postpartum sexual health. Results The first postpartum check-up was received 6 to 12 weeks after the delivery. Of 109 participants,6 (5.5%), 17(15.6%) and 46 (42.2%) resumed sexual activity within 6,6 to 8,and 12 weeks after the delivery,respectively. Postpartum sexual problems included dyspareunia (35/46,76. 09% ), vaginal dryness (29/46,63.04% ), hypoactive sexual desire (25/46,54. 35% ) and lack of orgasm ( 11/46,23.91% ). 10. 87% (5/46)took contraceptive measures,21.10% (23/109) understood the appropriate time to resume sexual activity, 12. 84% (14/109) was aware of the possible postpartum sexual problems, 13.76% (15/109) knew how to avoid pregnant,6.42% (7/109) would visit a doctor in case of the sexual disorders,and 9. 17%(10/109) hoped that their husband know about sexual health. Conclusion Postpartum sexual problems may be common and maternal awareness of postpartum sexual health could be low.

Objective To explore the correlation between prostate neuroendocrine cells and chronic prostatitis via substance P (SP) detection.Methods Forty SPF-level SD male rats in two months old were randomized into two groups:the chronic prostatitis model group and the control group,20 in each.The model was induced by castration surgery under aseptic condition and post-castration injection of 17-β estrogen for 1 month duration.The control group was done by injection of 0.9％ NS without castration surgery.Making sure that the chronic prostatitis model was made successfully,then SP quantification in the 2 groups was analyzed via ELISA and immunohistochemical staining.Results The difference of SP in the 2 groups was significant (P =0.009) and SP was expressed highly in the model rats compared with controls.Conclusion The relationship between prostate neuroendocrine cells and chronic prostatitis is notable,maybe they participate in progress of chronic prostatitis.

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination therapy of Endostar and oxaliplatin plus S-1 ( SOX regimen) in patients with advanced Primary carcinoma of the liver. Methods 32 advanced primary liver cancer patients admitted from February 2012 to August 2014 were assigned to SOX regimen as systemic chemotherapy: oxaliplatin 130 mg/m2 iv d1; S-1 (80 ~ 120 mg, twice-daily) for 14 days; 150 mg Endostar which was dissolved in 210 mL normal saline for 120 h durative transfusion. Treatment was repeated every 21 days. Objective clinical efficacy and adverse effect was assessed every 2 cycles. Serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP) level was also monitored according to the schedule. Results All 32 patients were available to be assessed, the objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) ,the clinical benefit response rates (CBR), 1 year survival rate was 15.6%, 46.9%, 56.3%, 58.3% respectively. The serum AFP respond rate was 19.4%. Major adverse effects were myelosuppression and fatigue , mostly graded at 1 ~ 2. There were no treatment-related death. Conclusions These preliminary results suggest that continuous intravenous pumping of Endostar combined with SOX regimen could provide survival benefits with tolerable adverse effects.

Objective To investigate the clinical efficacy of warming and unblocking acupuncture in treating scapulocostal syndrome.Method Eighty patients with scapulocostal syndrome meeting the inclusion criteria were allocated by simple randomization to warming and unblocking acupuncture and conventional acupuncturegroups, 40 cases each.The warming and unblocking acupuncture group received warming and unblocking acupuncture at points Tianzong(SI11), Jianjing(GB21)and Dazhui(GV14)on the affected side and affected chest Huatuo jiaji(Ex-B2)points and uniform reinforcing-reducing acupuncture at points Quchi(LI11), Hegu(LI4)and Waiguan(TE5).The conventional acupuncture group received uniform reinforcing-reducing acupuncture at the same points as those in the warming and unblocking acupuncture group after arrival of qi.Both groupswere treated once every other day, 10 days as a course, for a total of one course.Pain severity was assessed using the Pain Visual Analogue Scale(VAS) in the two groups of patients before and after treatment.Theclinical therapeutic effects were evaluated by follow-up at one month after the completion of treatment.Result The total efficacy rate was 95.0% (38/40) in the warming andunblocking acupuncture group and 80.0% (32/40) in the conventional acupuncture group; there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05).The PainVisual Analogue Scale(VAS) score was significantly lower in the two groups of patients after treatment than before treatment; there was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05).The VAS score was decreased more in the warming and unblocking acupuncture group after treatment and at the follow-up one month after the completion of treatment (P<0.05).Conclusion Warming and unblocking acupuncture has clinically a better therapeutic effect onscapulocostal syndrome.

Objective:To study the effect of Ginkgo biloba extract (EGb761) on metabolism of aflatoxin B_1(AFB_1) in Wistar rats. Methods:Seventy one Wistar rats were divided into three groups at random: group A (AFB_1 group), group B (AFB_1+EGb761 group), and group C (control group). The rats in groups A and B were given AFB_1(intraperitoneal injection, 100-200 μg/ kg body weight, 1-3 times/week). The rats in group B were fed the food containing EGb761 while the rats in groups A and C were given normal food. Blood samples were collected and liver biopsy was performed on the 14th, 28th and 42nd week. All the rats were sacrificed at the 64th week. The incidence of hepatoma was observed. The hepatic phase Ⅰ drug-metabolizing enzyme CYP450 and phase Ⅱ enzyme GST were detected by spectrometry. The serum AFB_1-lysine adduct was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The expression of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine(8-OHdG) was measured by immunohistochemistry. Results:The incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in group B was significantly lower than that in group A (26.92% vs 76.00%,P<0.001). No hepatocellular carcinoma developed in group C. EGb761 had no effects on the activities of CYP450 and GST in rat liver tissues. The level of AFB_1-lysine adduct reached the peak (4 356.01 pg/mg albumin) at the 14th week in group A. EGb761 significantly inhibited the formation of AFB_1-lysine adducts in serum by 13.07% at the 14th week (P＝0.033), and 73.63% at the 42nd week (P＝0.002). The expression of 8-OHdG protein in rat liver tissues in group B was significantly lower than that in group A at the 28th, 42nd, and 64th week (P<0.05). Conclusion:The main mechanism underlying the effect of EGb761 in blocking hepatogenesis induced by AFB_1 may not be fully related with its influence on the activity of liver phase Ⅰ and phase Ⅱ metabolizing enzymes. EGb761 inhibites the production of AFB_1-lysine addcuts, decreases the expression of 8-OHdG protein, and finally alleviates the DNA oxidative injury, which may be one of the mechanisms for the effects of EGb761 in inhibiting or delaying hepatogenesis induced by AFB_1.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the influence of sublingual immunotherapy on Th2 type immunoreaction in patients with allergic rhinitis within 12 months' treatment. METHOD: Forty three patients with allergic rhinitis were followed-up within 12 months after receiving sublingual immunotherapy. The changes of clinic symptoms and immunoreaction were analyzed. VAS score was applied to evaluate the efficacy of clinic treatment. TIgE and sIgE in serum were tested to evaluate the systemic immunoreaction. Eosinophil counting in nasal discharge was applied to evaluate the local nasal mucosa immunoreaction. RESULT: VAS scores were decreased significantly one month after the starting point of treatment, companied by the decrease of EOS count in nasal discharge (P < 0.05). The changes of TIgE and sIgE in serum within 12 months of sublingual immunotherapy were not significant (P < 0.05). The levels of IL-4 and IL-13 in nasal lavage were decreased significantly after 12 months' treatment. CONCLUSION The bias of Th2 type immunoreaction existed in nasal mucosa immune system in patients with allergic rhinitis could been rectified partially after receiving sublingual immunotherapy for 12 months, but the significant changes were not observed in systemic immune system.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Child ; Eosinophils ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; blood ; Interleukin-13 ; immunology ; Interleukin-4 ; immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mites ; immunology ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; immunology ; therapy ; Sublingual Immunotherapy ; Th2 Cells ; immunology ; Young Adult

It is important for cardiac therapy devices such as the automated external defibrillator to discriminate different cardiac disorders based on Electrocardiogram analysis. A phase space analysis based algorithm is proposed to detect cardiac arrhythmias effectively. Firstly, the phase space of the signal is reconstructed. Then from the viewpoint of geometry and information theory, the distribution entropy of the point density in the two-dimensional reconstructed phase space is calculated as the features in the further classification. Finally the nearest-neighbour method based on Mahalanobis distance is used to classify the sinus rhythm (SR), supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVTA), atrial flutter (AFL) and atrial fibrillation (AF). To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of this proposed method in the cardiac arrhythmias classification, the MIT-BIH arrhythmias database and the canine endocardial database are studied respectively. Experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method can detect SR, SVTA, AFL and AF signals rapidly and accurately with the simple computation. It promises to find application in automated devices for cardiac arrhythmias therapy.
Algorithms ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; diagnosis ; Dogs ; Electrocardiography ; methods ; Entropy ; Humans ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

Anti-cancer drug bleomycin (BLM) can cause acute lung injury (ALI) which often results in pulmonary fibrosis due to a failure of resolving acute inflammatory response. The aim of this study is to investigate whether toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 mediates BLM-induced ALI, inflammation and fibrosis. BLM-induced dendritic cells (DCs) maturation was analyzed by flow cytometry and cytokine secretion was detected by the ELISA method. The expression and activity of p38 and ERK MAPK were determined with Western blotting. The roles of TLR2 in ALI, inflammation and fibrosis were investigated in C57BL/6 mice administered intratracheally with BLM. The results demonstrated that BLM-administered mice had higher expression of TLR2 (P<0.001) and its signaling molecules. Blocking TLR2 significantly inhibited the maturation of DCs and reversed BLM-stimulated secretion of cytokines in DCs, such as IL-6 (P<0.001), IL-17 (P<0.05) and IL-23 (P<0.05). TLR2 inhibition attenuated BLM-induced increase of inflammatory cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), and reversed the immunosuppressive microenvironment by enhancing TH1 response (P<0.05) and inhibiting TH2 (P<0.001), Treg (P<0.01) and TH17 (P<0.01) responses. Importantly, blocking TLR2 in vivo significantly protected BLM-administered mice from pulmonary injury, inflammation and fibrosis and subsequently increased BLM-induced animal survival (from 50% to 92%). Therefore, TLR2 is a novel potential target for ALI and pulmonary fibrosis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of CD147 in the proliferation, activation and chemotaxis of Jurkat cell induced by cyclophilin A (CyPA).

METHODSCD147 mRNA and protein level siRNA transfected Jurkat cells were identified by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Jurkat cell, Jurkat-vector cell and Jurkat-CD147 siRNA cells were treated with different concentrations of CyPA (0.01 nmol/L, 0.1 nmol/L, 1 nmol/L, 10 nmol/L) or PBS for 24 h and 48 h. Proliferation level was detected by MTT assay. CD25 was measured by flow cytometry. Transwell chamber was used to detect the chemotaxis. The effect of CyPA on the adhesive potential of Jurkat cell was studied by cell-matrix adhesion assay.

RESULTSCD147 mRNA and protein level siRNA transfected cells were decreased significantly than that of control cells. CyPA stimulated the proliferation of Jurkat cell in a dose-dependent manner, its effect peaked at 10 nmol/L CyPA. Blockage of CD147 expression decreased the proliferation level of Jurkat cell induced by CyPA. CyPA increased the activation rate of Jurkat cell, and blockage CD147 expression decreased the activation rate of the cell induced by CypA. CyPA showed a chemotactic activity on Jurkat cell, the chemotaxis index being 2.32, and the chemotactic ability was decreased after inhibition of CD147 expression. CyPA had no effect on adhesion of Jurkat cell to extracellular matrix.

CONCLUSIONCD147 plays a role in the proliferation, activation and chemotaxis of Jurkat cell induced by CyPA.

Basigin ; genetics ; Cell Adhesion ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Chemotaxis ; drug effects ; Cyclophilin A ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; metabolism ; Jurkat Cells ; RNA, Small Interfering ; genetics ; Transfection

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of extracts from ginseng, notoginseng and chuanxiong (Ext) on the angiotensin II induced aging of human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro.

METHODSCultured HUVECs were divided into 5 groups, the blank control group (A), the model group (B), and the three intervening groups (C, D and E). Except those in Group A, all cells were induced into aging model cells by Ang II in a final concentration of 10(-6) mol/L, and to the three intervening groups, corresponding treatments with low dose Ext (C), high dose Ext (D) and valsartan (E) were accessed. Changes of aging in HUVECs were observed by SA-beta-gal staining; cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry; contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in cells was measured by laser confocal microscopy; levels of nitric oxide (NO) and anti-superoxide anion in culture medium were examined by nitrate reductase method; and the protein expression of NAD (P) H oxidase p47phox, as well as the angiotensin type 1 and 2 receptor (AT1 R, AT2R) were detected by Western blot.

RESULTSCompared with Group A, in Group B, the positive beta-gal stained HUVECs increased and stagnated at G0-G1 phase, with the fluorescence intensity of ROS evidently enhanced; in the culture medium content of NO and anti-superoxide anion were lowered, and protein expression of p47phox and AT1 R up-regulated. While these aging figures were improved in Group C and D. After intervention with high or low dose of Ext, beta-gal stained HUVECs decreased showing less cells in G0-G1 phase and more cells in G2-M phase, the fluorescence intensity of ROS reduced, contents of NO and anti-superoxide anion increased, and the protein expression of p47phox and AT1 R down-regulated.

CONCLUSIONExt could delay the aging of HUVECs induced by angiotensin II, it is possibly by way of down-regulating the expression of NAD (P) H oxidase subunit-p47phox through AT1 R, and further reducing the superoxide anion production.

Angiotensin II ; antagonists & inhibitors ; Cells, Cultured ; Cellular Senescence ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Umbilical Veins ; cytology