Rhynchosia volubilis Lour has been a major drug in a folk prescription for contraception in China, whereas its mechanism remains unknown. Its antifertility effects on male mice and antimicrobial activities on sexually transmitted infection (STI) pathogens were previously reported. This study was undertaken to develop the n-Butanol extract of Rhynchosia volubilis Lour (BERVL) as a spermicidal agent with STI prevention. The spermicidal activities of BERVL with different doses were assessed using selected high-motile sperms of normal human semen samples, and their inhibitory effects on Lactobacillus acidophilus were determined. The mechanism of the spermicidal activity was explored by aqueous Eosin Y and Hoechst 33342/PI staining. The results showed spermicidal activities and inhibitory effects of BERVL on Lactobacillus acidophilus were dose-dependent. Dose of 90 mg/mL BERVL terminated all progressive sperm motility within 2 min, and had slight inhibitory effect on Lactobacillus acidophilus, suggesting it was an effective and safe dose for contraception use. About 80% sperms exposed to BERVL displayed changes consistent with high permeability of head membrane. It is concluded that BERVL as spermicide has advantages over N-9 with strong ability to instantaneously kill human sperm and possesses light inhibitory effect on Lactobacillus acidophilus.

BACKGROUND: Removal of immunosuppressants in patients with recurrent tumor in long-term following organ transplantation is always a hot controversial point in academic circles. To further elevate clinical efficiency, people began to invent new immunosuppressant and studied immune efficiency of various immunosuppressant component. They tried to reduce the application of cyclosporin A (CsA).OBJECTIVE: To analyze the CsA safe withdrawal of a case of kidney recipients, at 18 years after renal transplantation, who developed bladder carcinoma and renal pelvic carcinoma at 11 years and 18 years after transplantation, respectively. METHODS: After identified diagnosis, we performed transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBt) and total nephroureterectomy merobladder excision. Pathologic examination revealed grade Ⅰ-Ⅱ of bladder and renal pelvic transitional cell carcinoma. After the operation, patient was treated with immune suppression program of CsA withdrawal gradually in 12 days.Within 12 days, 5 mg CsA was decreased every 3 days, and complete withdrawal was done at 12 days. The dosage of azathioprine tablets and prednisone acetate tablets was not changed. Serum creatinine levels were rechecked every 3 days during drug withdrawal, and blood pressure, urine volume, physical symptom of patients and ultrasound of transplanted kidney were observed.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: During the three months of CsA withdrawal, the blood creatinine levels were from 65 to indicated that the CsA gradually withdrawal of a case of kidney recipients after renal transplantation, who developed transitional cell carcinoma and was performed transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBt) and total nephro- ureterectomy merobladder excision, was safe. No tumor relapse or diversion was found.

Cancer, an abnormal cell proliferation resulted from multi-factors,has the highest morbidity and mortality among all the serious diseases. Considerable progress has been made in cancer biology in recent years. Tumor immunology, cancer stem cells (CSCs), autophagy, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have become hot topics of interests in this area. Detailed dissection of these biological processes will provide novel directions, targets, and strategies for the pharmacological evaluation, mechanism elucidation, and new drug development of traditional Chinese medicine.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; administration & dosage ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; immunology ; physiopathology

Objective To measure the present situation of medical students' learning adaptability and find the influencing factors in order to revise Learning Adaptability Scale for medical students.Methods A stratified sampling method was used to collect 1 180 medical students from Harbin Medical University.Using the internal consistency reliability test,the reliability of the revised student learning adaptability scale was verified.Five common factors were extracted by the exploratory factor analysis of the principal analysis method,and Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of medical student learning adaptability.Results The revised Student Learning Adaptability Scale (Cronbach's Alpha=0.914) consists of 27 measurement items.It includes five dimensions,namely self-directed learning,information utilization,environment choice,stresses response and goal orientation.The results showed that the adaptability of medical students was moderate (3.28 ± 0.52),and the influencing factors included job position (OR =1.496,95％ CI=1.114-2.009),academic achievement (OR =1.638,95 ％ CI=1.386-1.936),satisfaction with learning (OR=2.160,95％CI=1.745-2.673),professional satisfaction (OR=1.369,95％CI=1.092-1.718),professional interest (OR =1.426,95％ CI=1.186-1.715) and employment prospects (OR =1.526,95％ CI=1.251-1.862).Conclusion The reliability and validity of the Student Learning Adaptability Scale is appropriate.Medical students' learning adaptability is influenced by many factors.

Objective:To summarize our experience in perioperative anesthetic management for fulminant hepatic failure (FHF)patients receiving liver transplantation.Methods:The clinical anesthetic data of 48 FHF patients receiving orthotopic liver transplantations(OLT)from January 2006 to January 2007 were retrospectively analyzed,and the anesthetic management expe- rience was summarized.General anesthesia was applied;the hemodynamics was monitored during the operation and doses of adrenaline and phenylephrine were adjusted according to the monitoring results.Blood samples were obtained before operation, before anheptic,30 min after anhepatic phase,5 min before neohepatic phase,and 5 min,30 min and 60 min after neohepatic phase for blood gas and electrolyte analysis and for determination of coagulation function;the drugs were subsequently adjusted according to analysis results.Results:All the 48 patient underwent successful anesthetic management and there was no death dur- ing opearation.The average blood loss during operation was(5 219?478)ml.Mild alkalosis,hypokalemia,hyponatrium,and hy- pocalcemia were present before operations,pH,BE and HCO_3~- were obviously reduced 30 min after anhepatic phase and in- creased 60 min after neohepatic phase.Kalemia was obviously increased 30 min following anhepatic phase and began to increase 60 min following neohepatic phase.Calium concentration was decreased at the end of preanhepatic phase(P

Objective To assess the changes on the whole night polysomnography (PSG) in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome(CFS). Methods The whole night PSGs were recorded from 24 patients with CFS and 33 normal subjects. Results Compared with normal subjects, patients with CFS showed significantly reduced total sleep duration ([488.7?21.7]min vs [515.9?31.7]min, P

Objective:To explore the putative role of CD40 and COX-2 expression in human esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(ESCC)and to analyze their possible relationship with angiogenesis in ESCC.Methods:The expression of CD40 and COX-2 was detected in 79 ESCC and 28 normal esophageal epithelial tissue samples with immunohistochemical staining.The microvessel density by CD34 was determined and the clinicopathological significance of CD40 and COX-2 expression in ESCC was analyzed.In addition,the expression of CD40 and COX-2 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell line Eca109 and primary cultured normal esophageal epithelial cells in vivo was comparatively studied with immunocytochemical staining andWestern blot.Results:Compared with that in normal epithelial tissues,the expression of CD40 and COX-2 in ESCC was significantly higher(54.43%vs 10.71%:69.62%vs 17.86%:respectively,P<0.05).The positive expression rate of CD40 in ESCC cases with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in those without lymph node metastasis(70.37%vs 46.1 5%.P<0.05).No correlation was found between CD40 expression and patient age,sex,tumor location,size and differentiation of tumors.No clinicopathological significanca of COX-2 expression in ESCC was found.There was a positive correlation between CD40 expression and COX-2 expression in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma(P<0.05,φ=0.446).The mean MVD value in ESCC was significantly higher than that in normal esophageal tissue(25.02±5.52 vs 12.09±4.55,P<0.05).MVD value in ESCC was closely correlated with lymph node metastasis.The mean MVD value in ESCC cases with positive CD40 and COX-2 expression was higher than that in those with negative CD40 and COX-2expression(26.37±6.02 vs 22.58±5.25.P<0.05).Western blot results showed that CD40 and COX-2 expression in Eca109 was higher than that in cultured normal esophageal epithelial cells (P<0.05).Conclusion:The expression of CD40 is involved in the carcinogenesis and progression of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.CD40 may play an important role in the angiogenesis of ESCC through promoting COX-2 expression.

BACKGROUNDFanconi anemia is a severe congenital disorder associated with mutations in a cluster of genes responsible for DNA repair. Arriving at an accurate and timely diagnosis can be difficult in cases of Fanconi anemia with atypical clinical features. It is very important to increase the rate of accurate diagnosis for such cases in a clinical setting. The purpose of this study is to explore the clinical diagnosis of Fanconi anemia in children with atypical clinical features.

METHODSSix cases of Fanconi anemia with atypical clinical features were enrolled in the study, and their clinical features were recorded, their FANCA gene transcription was assessed by RT-PCR, and FANCA mutations and the ubiquitination of FANCD2 protein were analyzed using DNA sequencing and western blotting respectively.

RESULTSAll six cases showed atypical clinical features including no apparent deformities, lack of response to immune therapy, and progressively increasing bone marrow failure. They also have significantly increased fetal hemoglobin, negative mitomycin-induced fracture test results, and carry a FANCA gene missense mutation. Single protein ubiquitination of FANCD2 was not observed in those patients.

CONCLUSIONThe combination of clinical features, FANCA pathogenic gene mutation genotype and the absence of FANCD2 protein ubiquitination are helpful in the accurate and timely diagnosis of Fanconi anemia in children.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Fanconi Anemia ; diagnosis ; genetics ; metabolism ; Fanconi Anemia Complementation Group D2 Protein ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Ubiquitination

This article introduces the forms of the centralized management mode and the methods of quality control, and summarizes the effect.
Equipment and Supplies, Hospital ; Hospital Administration ; methods ; Quality Control

Qumazi is a commonly used Tibetan medicine. With a long history, it can be found in the Four Medical Tantras written by gYu-thog rNying-ma Yon-tan mGon-po since the 8th century AD. Qumazi grows in mudflats and fields, including species growing in highlands, lowlands, mountains and farmlands. According to records in Crystal Beads Materia Medica, it features green sword-shaped leaves, thin stems with red veins, inserted panicles, white chicken-like flowers and copper needle row-like roots. However, there are many inconsistent morphological descriptions for Qumazi plants in many Chinese versions of Tibetan medicine books. In this article, after studying ancient and modern Tibetan medicine books, consulting experts and conducting surveys, the authors confirmed that Qumazi belongs to Rheum of Polygonaceae, including Rheum nobile Hook. f. et. Thoms, R. globulosum Gage, R. alexandrae Hook. f. et. Thoms, R. pumilum Maxim and R. delavayi Franch. In some regions, Qumazi is substituted by R. spiciforme Royle and R. przewalskyi Losinsk. After the Chinese version of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau Drug Illustrations was published in 1972, Qumazi has been miswritten as P. sibiricum Laxm in many Chinese versions of Tibetan medicine books, perhaps because P. sibiricum Laxm has many similar features with Qumazi as described in Crystal Beads Materia Medica and then is mistranslated from Tibetan to Chinese versions. According to records, Qumazi can reduce edema and is mainly applied to treat the minamata disease in clinic.
China ; History, Ancient ; Medicine, Tibetan Traditional ; history ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Polygonaceae ; anatomy & histology ; chemistry ; growth & development ; Reference Books, Medical