With more and more attention and investment on acupuncture scientific researches, considerable outcomes and achievements has been acquired, but the shortcoming of low transformation rate of acupuncture research achievements is gradually exposed. Nowadays there is no related report on this problem, so based on achievement translational research in other areas and practical situation of acupuncture, the existing problems and solutions are analyzed. As a result, the existing problems include (1) the research content is mainly basic research and clinical research but less acupuncture device research, leading to limited transformation efficiency; (2) the evaluation system and transformation pattern are still needed to be perfect. The solutions are (1) to properly evaluate the research achievements of acupuncture, (2) to advocate the concept and method of translational medicine, (3) to reform the policy and system, and (4) to establish valid platforms covering research, outcomes and transformation.
Acupuncture ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; manpower ; Biomedical Research ; Biotechnology ; economics ; legislation & jurisprudence ; manpower ; China ; Humans ; Technology Transfer

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the response rate and adverse reactions of exemestane (a new aromatase inactivator) in the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-three patients with advanced breast cancer entered this study with two patients excluded because of postmenopausal time being less than one year. Therefore, 173 patients could be evaluated for adverse events and 171 patients could be evaluated for efficacy. Exemestane, 25 mg orally daily for 4 weeks as one cycle was given.

RESULTSIn the 171 patients evaluated for efficacy, 4 (2.3%) experienced a complete response (CR) and 40 (23.4%) a partial response (PR), with the overall response rate of 25.7%. Ninety patients (52.6%) had stable disease (SD), with 25 having SD for at least 24 weeks. The clinical benefit (CR + PR + SD > or = 24 weeks) was shown in 69 (40.4%) patients. Progressive disease (PD) was shown in 37 (21.6%) patients. The untreated patients had a higher objective response rate (33.8%) than the retreated ones (18.1%) with significant difference (P = 0.019 7). The response rates for soft-tissue, bone involvement and visceral metastasis were 32.8%, 23.9%, and 12.4% (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in different ages, time of menopause, disease-free interval or receptor status (P > 0.05). Drug-related adverse events were gastric discomfort (17.9%), malaise (17.9%), nausea (13.9%), hot flushes (11.0%) and dysphoria (5.8%). Other side reactions and abnormal laboratory parameters were observed occasionally which were irrelevant.

CONCLUSIONExemestane can be used to treat postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer giving only mild adverse reactions which are well tolerated.

Adult ; Aged ; Androstadienes ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Aromatase Inhibitors ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Enzyme Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Postmenopause

BACKGROUNDThe prevalence of thrombocytopenia among Chinese antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve HIV-infected adults has not been well-described. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of thrombocytopenia among Chinese ART-naïve HIV-infected adults.

METHODSWe performed a cross-sectional study of Chinese adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients from September 2005 through August 2014. Socio-demographic variables and laboratory results including platelets, CD4+ cell count, and viral load were obtained from medical records. Factors and outcomes associated with thrombocytopenia were assessed using logistic regression.

RESULTSA total of 1730 adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients was included. The mean age was 38 years. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 4.5%. There were significant differences in the prevalence of thrombocytopenia between patients <30 years of age (2.8%) and 30-39 years (4.0%) compared with patients greater than 50 years (7.0%) (P = 0.006 and P = 0.044, respectively). The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was also significantly different between patients with CD4+ counts of 200-349 cells/mm 3 (3.3%) and >350 cells/mm 3 (2.8%) compared with patients with CD4+ counts of 50-199 cells/mm 3 (7.1%) (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005, respectively). The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was significantly different by hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV-Ab) seropositivity (10.2% for HCV-Ab positive vs. 3.9% for HCV-Ab negative, P = 0.001). We observed differences in prevalence of thrombocytopenia by mode of transmission of HIV infection: Blood transmission (10.7%) versus men who have sex with men (3.9%) (P = 0.002) and versus heterosexual transmission (3.9%) (P = 0.001). In binary logistic regression analyses, age ≥ 50 years, HCV-Ab positivity and having a CD4+ cell count of 50-199 cells/mm 3 were significantly associated with thrombocytopenia with adjusted odds ratio of 2.482 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.167, 5.281, P = 0.018), 2.091 (95% CI: 1.078, 4.055, P = 0.029) and 2.259 (95% CI: 1.028, 4.962, P = 0.042), respectively.

CONCLUSIONSThrombocytopenia is not common among adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients in China. Older age (age over 50 years), HCV-Ab positivity and lower CD4+ cell count are associated with an increased risk of thrombocytopenia. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of thrombocytopenia in these patients are necessary.

Adult ; CD4 Lymphocyte Count ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; HIV Infections ; blood ; epidemiology ; immunology ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; blood ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Thrombocytopenia ; blood ; epidemiology ; etiology

Bacillus megaterium ; pathogenicity ; Brain Abscess ; diagnosis ; microbiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of early enteral nutrition supplemented with immune nutrient on intestine immune function in mice with severe burn.

METHODSTwenty-four BALB/c mice were inflicted with 20% TBSA full-thickness scald, then they were randomly divided into EN(with oral administration of common enteral nutrition after 2 hours) and EIN (with oral administration of common enteral nutrition and glutamine, arginine after 2 hours) groups. Another 10 mice were used as the normal control (NC) group. The supplied energy ratio( carbohydrate: fat: protein)in former 2 groups was 82:3:15, and the ratio of energy to nitrogen was 150: 1. The energy requirement of each mouse was calculated according to 732.2 kJ x kg(-1) x d(-1), one third of the requirement was administrated on 1st day, and one half of it on 2nd day, and full energy requirement was started on the 3rd day,and the requirement was divided into 4-6 portions every day. The feed was isocaloric, isonitrogenous, and isovolumic for the 2 experimental groups. All mice were sacrificed and entire small intestine was harvested for determination of intestinal IgA level by ELISA, total Peyer's patches (PP) lymphocytes and their apoptosis ratio, and changes in PP lymphocytes (CD3+, CD4+, CD19+) on 7th day of the experiment.

RESULTSCompared with those in NC group [(4.5 +/- 0.6) x 10(6), (42 +/- 7) microg/cm, respectively], total PP lymphocytes and intestinal IgA levels in EN and EIN groups obviously decreased [(2.3 +/- 0.4) x 10(6), (35 +/- 6) microg/cm, (3.8 +/- 0. 5) x 10(6), (38 +/- 6), microg/cm, respectively, P < 0.05] , among which the values in EIN group were higher than EN group (P < 0.05). The changes in PP lymphocytes were similar to that of total PP lymphocytes. Compared with that in NC group [(4.8 +/- 2.1)%], the apoptosis ratio of PP lymphocytes in EN and EIN groups significantly increased [(12.7 +/- 2.4)%, (8.0 +/- 1.7)%, respectively, P < 0.05], however the ratio in EIN group was lower than that of EN group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSEarly enteral nutrition supplemented with immune nutrient can improve intestinal immune function in mice with severe burn.

Animals ; Burns ; immunology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Enteral Nutrition ; Intestine, Small ; immunology ; Intestines ; immunology ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C

OBJECTIVETo investigate the efficacy and toxicity of nedaplatin combined with tegafur in the treatment for patients with advanced esophageal cancer.

METHODSAmong the 65 patients with advanced esophageal cancer, 27 had no history of prior chemotherapy and the other 38 had ever received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy before. The median age of those cases was 58.0 years. Nedaplatin was given daily by intravenous infusion at a dose of 20 mg/m(2) for 2 hours and tegafur at a dose of 500 mg/m(2) for 8 hours on D1 approximately D5, every 21 days as a cycle.

RESULTS193 cycles of chemotherapy were accomplished in the 65 patients, and 63 patients were evaluable for response evaluation. Of 27 patients with no prior history of chemotherapy, 6 achieved complete response and 16 partial response, with a response rate (CR + PR) of 81.5%. Among the 36 patients who had ever received postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, 6 obtained complete response and 10 partial response with a response rate (CR + PR) of 44.4%. The overall median time to tumor progression in this series was 5.6 months. The overall median actuarial survival was 9.3 months, and the one-year survival rate was 24.9%. Nausea and vomiting were the major toxicities, but were mild and well tolerable. Grade 3 to 4 neutropenia was only observed in two patients (3.2%).

CONCLUSIONThe regimen of nedaplatin combined with tegafur is effective and tolerable for the treatment of advanced esophageal cancer.

Adenocarcinoma ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; chemically induced ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neutropenia ; chemically induced ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Remission Induction ; Survival Rate ; Tegafur ; administration & dosage ; adverse effects ; Vomiting ; chemically induced

OBJECTIVETo develop a rapid and specific method for hepatitis C virus ( HCV) genotyping using reverse dot blot hybridization technique and investigate the distribution of HCV genotypes and subtypes in Guangdong.

METHODSThe primers and the probes targeting the 5'untranslated region (5'UTR) and core region of HCV genotypes 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b and 6a were designed, and the RT-PCR reverse dot blot hybridization (PCR-RDH) method for HCV genotyping was established. A total of 115 patients with hepatitis C were genotyped using this method, and 38 of them were also genotyped by sequencing and phylogenetic analysis to evaluate the accuracy and specificity of the method.

RESULTSOf the 115 patients, 111 were successfully genotyped to be 1b, 2a, 3a, 3b, 6a and mix-infection of 1b/2a at frequencies of 56.8%, 8.1 %, 3.6%, 5.4%, 25.2% and 0.9% respectively, and all the 15 healthy control samples showed negative results. The accuracy and reliability of the genotyping method of PCR-RDH was confirmed in 38 cases by amplification of HCV core and NS5B regions followed by DNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis.

CONCLUSIONThis method for HCV genotyping, with high reliability and specificity, is suitable for clinical and epidemiological investigations. The prevalence of HCV genotypes 1b and 2a decreases while 1b remains the dominant genotype in Guangdong, where the prevalence of 6a significantly increases as compared with that 10 years ago.

Genes, Viral ; Genotype ; Genotyping Techniques ; methods ; Hepacivirus ; classification ; genetics ; Hepatitis C ; virology ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVE Only limited number of drugs are currently available for treating ischemic stroke. Therapeu?tic angiogenesis has recently emerged as one of the most promising therapies for cerebral ischemic injury. Isopropyl-β-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-α-hydroxypropanoate (IDHP) is a metabolite derived from the botanical formulation for Dantonic?. Here, we investigated the angiogenic efficacy of IDHP in cerebral ischemia. METHODS The in vivo effects of IDHP were evaluated in the C57BL/6 mouse Matrigel plug and rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) models. Primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC) were used to explore the effects of IDHP on stimulating proliferation, migration and tube formation in vitro. ELISA and Western blotting were used to quantitate the release and expression of relevant target molecules and signaling path?ways. RESULTS IDHP reduced infarct volume and improved sensorimotor function in rats subjected to tMCAO by pro?moting angiogenesis, and promoted Matrigel neovascularization in mice. Moreover, IDHP produced a biphasic modula?tion on proliferation and migration both in HUVEC and HBMEC. It also induced tube formation in a 12-day HUVEC-HDF co-culture model and in Matrigel assays. IDHP-induced angiogenesis was accompanied by increased levels of p-AMPKα (Thr172) and p-eNOS (Ser1177) both in vitro and in vivo, and the decreased level of VEGF in rat brains on day 1 whereas enhanced level of VEGF on day 3 and 7 after tMCAO. Mechanistically, AMPK knockdown or pharmacologi?cally inhibiting AMPK and its upstream kinases (CaMKKβ) inhibited the eNOS phosphorylation induced by IDHP in HUVEC. Furthermore, selective eNOS inhibitor (L-NIO), selective CaMKKβ inhibitor (STO) and AMPKa inhibitor (Com?pound C) blocked the capillary-like tube formation in the co-culture model induced by IDHP (10 nmol · L-1). CONCLU?SION Collectively, these findings showed that IDHP protected rats from cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by promot?ing angiogenesis via activating CaMKKβ/AMPK(Thr172)/eNOS(Ser1177) signaling, and suggest it to be a promising new drug candidate for the prevention and/or treatment of cerebral ischemia and other vascular occlusive diseases.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of gene Af116609 on gastric cancer multi-drug resistance (MDR) by introducing it into gastric cancer multi-drug resistant (MDR) cell line SGC7901/VCR.

METHODSGene Af116609 was cloned from SGC7901/VCR by RT-PCR and its differential expression between gastric cancer MDR cells and its parental cells was displayed by Northern blot. The gene was introduced to gastric cancer cells by transfection of recombinant eukaryotic expression vector by electroporation. MTT assay in vitro was applied to investigate its effect on multi-drug resistance phenotype of gastric cancer cells.

RESULTSThe full length CDS of gene Af116609, as long as 327 bp, was cloned from gastric cancer MDR cell line SGC7901/VCR and its sequence was coincident with the hypothetical gene Af116609 in GenBank. It was overexpressed in MDR cells than its parental cells at mRNA level. In the MTT assay in vitro, the drug sensitive cells transfected with sense eukaryotic expression vector showed upregulated targeted gene, with increased resistance to vincristine, 5-fliorouracil and arabinoside, and decreased resistance to adriamycin, but no influence on resistance to methotrexate. However, the drug resistant cells transfected with anti-sense eukaryotic expression vector, showed down regulated targeted gene, with less resistance to all the five anticancer drugs to different degrees.

CONCLUSIONGene Af116609 is related to MDR phenotype of gastric cancer cells and may become a candidate molecular target to reverse the MDR of gastric cancer.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Autoantigens ; genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Humans ; RNA, Small Cytoplasmic ; genetics ; Ribonucleoproteins ; genetics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; biosynthesis ; Vincristine ; pharmacology

INTRODUCTIONTraditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used as an alternative in treating children with atopic dermatitis (AD) but its efficacy and potential side effects are debatable. We recently used a TCM capsule (PentaHerbs) on 9 children and observed significant reductions in clinical scores of disease severity. However, there have been concerns that the therapeutic effects of many forms of TCM are due to the presence of corticosteroids. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if common corticosteroids are present in PentaHerbs capsules.

MATERIALS AND METHODSPentaHerbs powder was analysed with thin-layer chromatography, infra-red spectrophotometry and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry.

RESULTSHydrocortisone, prednisolone, fludrocortisone and dexamethasone were not detected in the PentaHerbs capsules.

CONCLUSIONCorticosteroids are not present in the 5 familiar herbs that were earlier shown to have efficacy on AD.

Child ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; drug therapy ; Drug Combinations ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; therapeutic use ; Glucocorticoids ; analysis ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Mass Spectrometry ; Pilot Projects ; Spectrophotometry, Infrared