The yield of berberine can be increased by pre-treating phellodendron amurense with cellulase before extracting. It is suggested that the use of cellulase for the eltraction of other natural products may be worth consideration

Objective To investigate the expression of FHITmRNA and WWOXmRNA in human breast cancer tissues and its relation to clinicopathological and other molecular parameters. Methods With reference to the expression of ?-actin,the expression of FHITmRNA and WWOXmRNA was determined by reverse (transcription)-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) in 51 breast cancer and adjacent breast tissue, and (semi-quantitative) analysis of band densities was performed. The protein expression of estrogen receptor(ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Her-2 gene in the 51 breast cancer lesions was detected by (immunohistochemical) method. Results FHITmRNA and WWOXmRNA expression was significantly different in 54 breast cancer tissue compared to adjacent breast tissue (P0.05); of FHITmRNA and WWOX mRNA was related to axillary lymph node metastasis (P

Objective To evaluate feasibility and reliability of using Simplified Acute Physiology Score Ⅱ (SAPS Ⅱ)in predicting mortality in critically ill patients with neurological diseases.Methods All 653 patients hospitalized in neurological intensive care unit (N-ICU) from Jan 2005 to Dec 2007 were retrospectively studied.SAPSⅡ scores were scaled upon admission at 24,48 and 72 h,and possibility of hospital mortality (PHM) was calculated based on SAPS Ⅱ score.Neurological diseases diagnosis made initially at time of hospitalization was classified into five categories:intracranial hemorrhage,cerebral infarction,neurologic infection,neuromuscular diseases and other neurologic diseases.At each of four time points,the SAPSⅡscores were compared between the survival group and death group,and the relationship of SAPS Ⅱ score and prognosis were analyzed.The calibration of the SAPS Ⅱ were accessed with the Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit chi-squared statistic and the discrimination with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC).Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between disease category and prognosis.Results SAPS Ⅱ scores in the death group (46.53±12.22,47.28±13.84,48.58±14.18 and 49.06±14.61)at each time point were significantly higher than those in the survival group (34.70±11.78,30.28±12.24,29.79±12.36 and 29.69±12.96;t=11.12,14.02,14.43 and 13.49 at 0,24,48 and 72 h,respectively,P＜0.01).Furthermore,univariate logistic regression analyses demonstrated that SAPS Ⅱ score was correlated with prognosis (OR=1.080,1.100,1.109,1.100 at 0,24,48 and 72 h,respectively,P＜0.01).The scores at 48 and 72 h were more accurate in predicting mortality.SAPS Ⅱ had good calibration at each time points (x2=5.305,7.557,6.369 and 8.540,P＞0.05),however,the consistency of expected mortality with observed mortality was satisfactory only at 48 and 72 h(82.6%,83.4%),so was the discrimination ( AUROC=0.825,0.847 respectively).There was no correlation between disease categories and outcome.Conclusion SAPS Ⅱ scoring,best evaluated at 48 and 72 h after hospitalization,can be used as a reliable predictor of probability of mortality in patients hospitalized in N-ICU and prediction can be applied in these patients with all different neurology diseases.

The glycoproteins in the biological sample are low abundance and are susceptible to be inhibited and interfered by other non-glycoproteins.An enrichment step is usually required before the glycoprotein analysis, but the operation steps of conventional solid-phase-based glycoprotein enrichment methods are difficult to be compatible with the most classical enzyme-linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) technique.In this study, a novel water-soluble dendrimer based boronic acid capture (DBC) material was developed using PAMAM 4.0 as the carrier and boronic acid as the affinity group.The method was applied to the detection of glycoproteins in human liver microsomes using ELISA.In this study, the DBC enrichment conditions were optimized by model glycoprotein, and then its sensitivity and anti-interference ability were investigated.This method was applied to the enrichment of glycoproteinsin human liver microsomal.The results showed that the enrichment selectivity of DBC for glycoprotein could be up to 100000 folds, and the enrichment signal of glycoprotein could be increased by 100 times.Therefore, the ELISA method using DBC as a novel enrichment material for glycoprotein had high sensitivity and selectivity in detection of biological samples with only one simple incubation step, which was useful for glycoproteins researches.

Objective: To investigate the electrophysiological mechanism of acupuncture for the visual cortex plasticity during the sensitive period. Methods: Fifty 2-week-old Wistar rats were randomly divided into a blank control group, a model group, an early-stage acupuncture group, a middle-stage acupuncture group and a late-stage acupuncture group, 10 rats in each group. Monocular deprivation amblyopia models were prepared in rats except those in the blank control group by unilateral eyelid suture. After successful modeling, no treatment was applied to the rats in the model group. Rats in each acupuncture group were treated with acupuncture at bilateral Jingming (BL 1), Cuanzhu (BL 2), Fengchi (GB 20) and Guangming (GB 37), started from the 3rd day, 12th day or 21st day after modeling separately, once a day, for a total of 9 d treatment. The neuronal discharge frequency and action potential inter-spike interval (ISI) in the rat visual cortex area 17 of each group were measured by multi-channel microelectrode array nerve signal technique. Results: The discharge number of neurons in the visual cortex of the model group was significantly lower than that in the blank control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the discharge numbers in the early-stage acupuncture group and the middle-stage acupuncture group were significantly higher than that in the model group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the discharge numbers between the late-stage acupuncture group and the model group (P>0.05). The discharge number in the middle-stage acupuncture group was lower than that in the early-stage acupuncture group (P<0.05), and the discharge number of the late-stage acupuncture group was lower than that in the middle-stage acupuncture group (P<0.05). The ISI sequences of the visual cortex neurons were mainly distributed under 0.3 s in the blank control group, under 15 s in the model group, under 1 s in the early-stage acupuncture group, under 4 s in the middle-stage acupuncture group, and under 10 s in the late-stage acupuncture group, divergent in each group. Conclusion: The neuronal coding appears abnormality in the visual cortex area 17 of monocular deprivation rats, indicating that there is a plasticity change in the visual cortex neurons during the sensitive period. Acupuncture has a significant effect on the abnormal neural coding. The therapeutic efficacy is closely related to the stage to start the treatment. Early stage treatment in the sensitive period is the key to achieving the good efficacy.

Objective To assess the therapeutic efficacy of trigger points (TrPs) combined with acupoints by acupuncture for subjective tinnitus (ST);To discuss the correlation of TrPs acupuncture inactivation and the releasing of symptom. Methods Sixty patients with ST were randomly divided into trial group and control group, 30 cases in each group. Those in trial group were acupunctured by TrPs combined with acupoints, and those in control group received regular acupuncture treatment. The scores of tinnitus severity assessment were available for effect evaluation after 3 treatment course. The size and tenderness degree of TrPs contraction knots were checked, and TrPs local thermal infrared spectrum was compared by infrared camera. Results The post-treatment tinnitus severity scores had significant difference compared with pre-therapy in each group (P<0.01). The total effective percentage of trial group with 93.33%(28/30) was obviously higher than control group with 86.67%(26/30) (P<0.05). The post-treatment and pre-therapy contraction knots size, tenderness and temperature difference of TrPs within trial groups had a very significant difference (P<0.01), and difference of tenderness and temperature of patients’ TrPs had a positive correlation with the difference of tinnitus severity scores before and after treatment (P<0.01). The contraction knots area of TrPs had not significant correlation with the difference of tinnitus severity scores (P>0.05). Conclusion TrPs combined with acupoints by acupuncture for ST patients are better than conventional acupoints in improving clinical symptoms. The deactivation of TrPs is closely related to tinnitus symptoms, therefore, temperature and tenderness of TrPs can be employed to assist in the diagnosis, or evaluated the tinnitus severity and therapeutic efficacy.

Objective To study the immunologic mechanism of electroacupuncture at Sanyin points on chronic abacterial prostatitis rats. Methods Forty-eight male rats were divided randomly into normal group, model group, drug group and electroacupuncture group, 12 rats in each group. The animal model was made by SC purified prostate protein twice with immunologic adjuvant, and the rats in electroacupuncture group and drug group were treated by electroacupuncture at Sanyin points and feeding Cernilton for 15 days. The changes of prostate weight, index, pathology and contents of IgG, expressions of IL-2 and IL-8 in prostate homogenate were observed. Results Compared with normal group, the prostate weight and index were significantly increased in model group (P<0.05), the content of IgG was significantly increased (P<0.05), cytokine IL-2 and IL-8 were highly expressed (P<0.05, P<0.01), prostate tissue’s morphology and structure were significantly impaired in model group. Compared with model group, the prostate weight and index were significantly decreased in electroacupuncture group after treatment (P<0.05 or P<0.01), pathological changes reduced significantly, the content of IgG decreased significantly (P<0.05), the expressions of cytokine IL-2 and IL-8 were significantly decreased (P<0.05, P<0.01), and the pathological manifestation of chronic inflammation was significantly improved. Conclusion Electroacupuncture at Sanyin points can reduce the secretion of local prostate antibody IgG, regulate the expression of cytokine IL-2 and IL-8, protect the morphology and structure of prostate tissue from damage. Electroacupuncture at Sanyin points can adjust local immunologic function and promote the recovery of prostate.

Objectives To investigate the pathogenic mechanism of herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) and the mecha-nism of action of dexamethasone and acyclovir. Methods 102 male mice were randomly assigned to normal control group, HSV-1 infection group, acyclovir-treated group and combination-treated group. The model of HSE was established by in-tracranial injection of HSV-1 in mice except normal controls. One day after intracranial injection, mice in acyclovir-treated group and combination-treated group were intragastrically administrated with acyclovir, and mice in normal control group and HSV-1 infection group were intragastrically administrated with normal saline. Three days after intracranial injection, mice in combination-treated group were intraperitoneally injected with dexamethasone and mice in other groups were in-traperitoneally injected with normal saline. The neurological injury score and the expressions of IL-2 and IL-10 of the mice brain tissues in each group were compared at 3, 6 and 9 days after model establishment. Results The survival rate of mice was lowest in HSV-1 infection group and highest in combination-treated group (P<0.05). The neurological injury scores at 3, 6 and 9 days were highest in HSV-1 infection group and lowest in the combination-treated group (P<0.05). The changes in brain tissue pathology and HE staining were closely corresponded to the neurological injury scores. At 3, 6 and 9 days, the expression of IL-2 was increased at first and then decreased, but the expression of IL-10 was gradually increased. The expressions of IL-2 and IL-10 were highest in HSV-1 infection group and lowest in combination-treated group. And differ-ences were significant among all groups at each time point (P<0.05) except between combination-treated group and normal control group (P>0.05). Conclusions In comparison with acyclovir monotherapy, combined treatment with dexamethasone and acyclovir for HSE can reduce the expression of IL-2 and IL-10, relieve the clinical symptoms, and increase the survival rate.

Through detailed investigation of the market circulation of Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix, at the same time, this article collected relevant articles, conducted comparative study on genuine and conventionally used Ligustici Rhizoma et Radix from the aspects of textual research, functions, chemical composition and pharmacological effect, and discussed the results of the study.

The Internet Public Opinion Monitoring and Early Warning System for medical and health industry was designed and implemented due to the frequent occurrence of Internet public opinion, which has all-directional data collecting and analyzing functions, including big data collection, near duplicate detection, spam filtration, key public opinion early warning, region identification and tendency analysis, and can thus provide evidence for relevant departments to take effective measures for the control of Internet public opinion.