Objective To explore the curative effect of traditional Chinese herbal packet combined with ST 36 injection therapy on gastrointestinal dysfunction in severe patients. Methods Sixty severe patients with gastrointestinal dysfunction were randomly divided into the control group and treatment group with random digital number, 30 cases in each group. The control group received conventional care and besides conventional care , the treatment group was treated with traditional Chinese herbal packet combined with ST 36 injection. The two groups were compared 7 days after treatment in terms of scores by (acute physiology and chronic health evaluationⅡ, APACHEⅡ) and improvement of gastrointestinal dysfunction. Result After treatment, the APACHE II score and improvement of gastrointestinal dysfunction of the treatment group were significantly higher and better than those of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusion The traditional Chinese herbal packet combined with ST 36 injection can promote the recovery of gastrointestinal dysfunctional in severe patients.

The development of modern biologic techniques have provided new techniques and approaches for the modern studies on active components of Chinese medicine. This article is a review of four kinds of screening models and corresponding techniques for medicine and their applications in the studies on the active components of Chinese medicine. The four aspects comprise the whole animal models, receptor models and molecular biochromatography, cell models and cell membrane chromatography, and gene chip techniques. It will provide references for promoting studies and accelerating modernization of Chinese medicine.
Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Models, Molecular ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry

Objective To observe the clinical effect of lumbar fixed-point pulling method combined with magnetic needling in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation(LDH).Methods Sixty LDH patients were randomly divided into treatment group and control group,30 cases in each group.The treatment group was treated with lumbar fixed-point pulling method combined with magnetic needling,and the control group was treated with Celecoxib Capsules.Two weeks as a course of treatment and both groups were treated for two courses.After 1 month of treatment,the clinical efficacy of the two groups was evaluated,and the changes of Visual Analogue Scale(VAS)score and Japanese Orthopaedic Association(JOA)score were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.The changes of serum nuc lear factor-KB(NF-κB)p65,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)and interleukin-6(IL-6)were compared between the two groups before and after treatment.Results(1)After treatment,the JOA score and VAS score of the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement of JOA score and VAS score in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(2)After treatment,the contents of NF-κB p65,serum IL-6 and TNF-α in the two groups were significantly improved(P＜0.05),and the improvement of NF-KB p65,serum IL-6 and TNF-α in the observation group was significantly superior to that in the control group,the differences were statistically significant(P＜0.05).(3)The total effective rate of the treatment group was 86.67％(26/30);the control group was 50.00％(15/30).The curative effect of the treatment group was significantly superior to that of the control group,and the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion Lumbar fixed-point pulling method combined with magnetic needling in the treatment of LDH can effectively relieve the pain symptoms of patients,improve the lumbar function of patients,and effectively reduce the levels of serum NF-κB p65,IL-6 and TNF-α.The clinical effect is significant.

Objective To explore the insulation effect of the coating so as to relieve the influence of solar overtemperature on the tent system.Methods The tent had an integrated structure with multi cavity and air column support,and the confined space was composed of the dual-layer tent body.There were 4 measuring points in the tent,of which,one was at the filter vent,two ones at the ceiling lamp and the remained one above the curtain in the buffer area.The tent was deployed in summer outdoor environment,four thermographs were used for real-time recording of intemal temperature changes in the tents with or without coating,and the recording began at 8:00 am and stopped at 5:00 pm.Comparison proved there was no significant differences between the measured values by the four thermographs (P＞0.05),and correlation analysis was executed based on numerical trend and variance analysis.Results The coating tent had the internal temperature lower than that in the non-coating tent,which had low mean temperature and low temperature range.The internal temperature in the coating tent was lower than ambient temperature at noon and afternoon,which meant the coating tent could lower the temperature effectively even in the duration at high temperature.Concusion Thermal insulation coating applied to the tent relieves the solar overtemperature effect effectively,and thus enhances the the tent's thermal environment adaptability.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9-octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) on the testicular gene expression profile in the testis of mice.

METHODSTwenty male C57BL/6j mice were randomly divided into normal control group (fed with maize oil) and 3 OCDD groups treated with OCDD by gavage for 30 days at low-, moderate-, and high doses of 1.25×10(-6), 1.25 ×10(-5), and 1.25×10(-4) g/mL, respectively (8 mL/kg daily). The testicular gene expression profiles of the mice were investigated using gene chip technique and compared between OCDD-exposed groups and the control group.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the mice in low-dose OCDD group showed 1133 differentially expressed genes, including 659 up-regulated and 474 down-regulated ones; in the moderate-dose OCDD group, 978 genes were differentially expressed, including 487 up-regulated and 491 down-regulated ones; in the high-dose group, 895 genes were differentially expressed, including 424 up-regulated and 471 down-regulated ones.

CONCLUSIONThe effect of sub-chronic exposure to OCDD on testicular gene expression profiles in male C57BL/6j mice indicates that the testis is probably the target organ of OCDD.

Animals ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Polychlorinated Dibenzodioxins ; toxicity ; Testis ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Transcriptome

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanism of acupuncture at "Neiguan" (PC 6) and "Ximen" (PC 4) of the Pericardium Meridian in treatment of myocardial ischemia.

METHODSRats were randomly divided into 5 groups, sham-operation group, ischemia-reperfusion model group, Neiguan acupuncture group, Ximen acupuncture group and Zhigou acupuncture group. Electroacupuncture (EA) was given at corresponding acupoints for 20 min in the later 3 groups, followed by ligation of the left anterior descending branch of the coronary artery and 40 min later, acupuncture was given at the points for another 20 min, reperfusion for 60 min, with ECG monitoring. Then the myocardial tissue sample (below the ligation site) of the left cardiac ventricle was taken for preparation of sarcoplasmic reticulum, and determination of Ca2+-ATPase activity according to quantitative analysis of phosphorum. The relative mRNA levels were determined by Northerm Bolt analysis.

RESULTSIn the acupuncture groups, both the activities of Ca2+-ATPase and the gene expressions increased significantly as compared with the model group (all P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe points of the Pericardium Meridian can obviously improve the Ca2+-ATPase activity and the gene expressions, reduce the degree of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion injury, and strength myocardial functions.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Calcium-Transporting ATPases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; enzymology ; therapy ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; enzymology ; therapy ; Myocardium ; enzymology ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Abstract: Our previous work revealed berberine can significantly enhance the susceptibility of fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans, which suggested that berberine has synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. Preliminary SAR of berberine needs to be studied for the possibility of investigating its target and SAR, improving its drug-likeness, and exploring new scaffold. In this work, 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives and N-benzyl isoquinoline analogues were synthesized and characterized by 1H NMR and MS. Their synergetic activity with fluconazole against fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans was evaluated in vitro. The 13-substitutited benzyl berberine derivatives 1a-1e exhibited comparable activity to berberine, which suggested that the introduction of functional groups to C-13 can maintain its activity. The N-benzyl isoquinolines, which were designed as analogues of berberine with its D ring opened, exhibited lower activity than berberine. However, compound 2b, 2c, and 4b showed moderate activity, which indicated that berberine may be deconstructed to new scaffold with synergistic antifungal activity with fluconazole. The results of our research may be helpful to the SAR studies on its other biological activities.
Antifungal Agents ; pharmacology ; Berberine ; pharmacology ; Candida albicans ; drug effects ; Drug Resistance, Fungal ; Drug Synergism ; Fluconazole ; pharmacology ; Isoquinolines ; pharmacology ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of perioperative intestinal microecological treatment on postoperative complications and gastrointestinal function in patients with refractory functional constipation by nonrandomized controlled trial.

METHODSA total of 198 patients with refractory functional constipation who underwent Jinling procedure in our department from 2014 to 2015 were prospectively enrolled, and were divided into conventional treatment group (n=100, routine intestinal preparation was used before operation; probiotics and prebiotics were applied if diarrhea or abdominal distention occurred after operation) and microecological treatment group (n=98, routine perioperative management was applied; probiotics, prebiotics and enteral nutrition were administered since 2 weeks before operation; probiotics and prebiotics were given again when exhaust and defecation recovered after operation). The general clinical data, postoperative complications, gastrointestinal quality of life index (GIQLI), Wexner constipation score, the incidence of abdominal distension and diarrhea during follow-up were collected.

RESULTSThe baseline information was not significantly different between two groups (all P>0.05) as well as the morbidity of postoperative complication [27.6% (27/98) vs 37.0% (37/100), P=0.155]. Compared with conventional treatment group, microecological treatment group had obviously lower incidence of enteritis [2.0%(2/98) vs. 9.0% (9/100), P=0.034] and shorter postoperative hospital stay [(7.2±3.1) d vs. (9.8±3.6) d, P=0.040]. The incidences of diarrhea and abdominal distension in microecological treatment group were obviously lower than those in conventional treatment group [30.9% (29/94) vs. 46.9% (45/96), P=0.024; 44.7%(42/94) vs. 60.4%(58/96), P=0.030] at postoperative 1-month. Compared with conventional treatment group, microecological treatment group had obviously higher GIQLI (52.36 vs. 43.55, P=0.026) at postoperative 1-month. At postoperative 12-month, the incidences of diarrhea and abdominal distension decreased obviously in both two groups but without significant differences [diarrhea: 3.4% (3/89) vs. 3.3%(3/90), P=0.989; abdominal distention: 6.7% (6/89) vs. 5.6% (5/90), P=0.742]. GIQLI and Wexner score were improved but without significant differences as well (all P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONPerioperative intestinal microecological treatment can obviously reduce the incidences of postoperative enteritis, early abdominal distension and early diarrhea, improve the postoperative early GIQLI, and shorten postoperative hospital stay.

Animals ; Antiviral Agents ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Ducks ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Hepadnaviridae Infections ; drug therapy ; Hepatitis B Virus, Duck ; drug effects ; Hepatitis, Viral, Animal ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of BIX01294 (BIX), a methyltransferase inhibitor, on the migration and decidualization of the stromal cells in mouse uterus.

METHODSMouse endometrial stromal cells were isolated and cultured from the uterus of pregnant mice on day 3.5 of gestation. The migration and decidualization of mouse endometrial stromal cells treated with BIX at different concentrations were observed with wound healing assay and real-time PCR.

RESULTSThe migration distance of mouse endometrial stromal cells increased as the BIX concentration increased within the range below 15 µmol/L. Compared with the control cells, the cells treated with BIX (15 µmol/L) showed significantly increased migration distances, but increasing BIX concentration to 20 µmol/L did not further increase the cell migration distance and began to cause cell death. Compared with the control cells, the BIX-treated stromal cells exhibited significantly down-regulated expression of Ehmt2 mRNA, and 15 µmol/L BIX caused inhibition of decidualization in the stromal cells.

CONCLUSIONWithin a defined concentration range, BIX promotes the migration and inhibits decidualization of mouse uterine stromal cells by inhibiting the expression of Ehmt2 mRNA.