AIM: To investigate the protective effect of ischemic-preconditioning under the mild hypothermia against small intestine ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and its mechanism. METHODS: Thirty-two rats were randomized into 4 groups (8 rats in each group): sham operated group (Sham), ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) group, ischemic-preconditioning (IP) group, mild hypothermia ischemic-preconditioning (MHIP) group. The wet/dry ratio, Ca 2+ -Mg 2+ -ATPase activity in intestine tissue, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content, activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxdase (TAX) in blood were determined. Ultrastructure, Bcl-2 and Bax expression in intestinal mucosa tissue were also observed. RESULTS: After I/R, the intestinal tissue wet/dry ratio, the content of MDA, LDH activity, the optic density of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins were significantly higher in I/R group than those in sham group (P

Objective To investigate the factors predicting endoscopic stone extraction complications during operation and 1 week within operation. Methods The clinical data of 136 patients with common duet stones during endoscopic procedures and 1 week within procedures were collected, and the impacts of the number, size of stones, and the first-attack versus recurrent-attack stone, with or without cholangeitis on the complications during operation and 1 week within operation were analyzed, and the effect of nasobiliary drainage was investigated. Results The success rate in single-stone group was high, the incidences of complications during endoscopy including sphincter hemorrhage, cardiac laceration, hyperamylasemia, acute pancreatitis were significantly lower than those in the multi-stones group ( P < 0. 05 ). The group of < 2 cm stone also had high success rate of stone extraction, the incidences of complications including sphincter hemorrhage, stone impaction, cardiac laceration, hyperamylasemia, acute pancreatitis were significantly lower than those in the ≥2 cm group. The first-attack group had low success rate of stone extraction, the incidences of complications including sphincter hemorrhage, stone impaction, hyperamylasemia, acute pancreatitis and biliary infection were significantly higher than those in the recurrent-attack group. The patients with cholangeitis had low success rate of stone extraction, the incidences of complications including sphincter hemorrhage, hypoxemia, hyperamylasemia, acute pancreatitis and biliary infection were significantly higher than those without cholangeitis. After nasobiliary drainage, the incidences of hyperamylasemia, acute pancreatitis and biliary infection significantly decreased while the incidence of sphincter hemorrhage significantly increased. Conclusions The number, size of stones, and the first-attack versus recurrent-attack stone, symptoms with orwithout cholangeitis could predict the complications of stone extraction;post-ERCP nssobiliary drainage could decrease the complications, but increase the possibility of sphincter hemorrhage.

To investigate the nature of syndrome of traditional Chinese medicine by means of pharmacokinetic (PK) method.

BACKGROUND:Cervical cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies in women worldwide, and its occurrence and development is closely related to cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2).OBJECTIVE: To examine the expression of COX-2 alternative splicing variants in human cervical carcinoma tissue and understand its possible implications.DESIGN: Non-randomized controlled experiment.SETTING: Key Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital,Chongqing Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: Carcinoma tissue and normal tissue were obtained from 13 cervical carcinoma patients admitted during March 2002 to April 2002in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital,Chongqing Medical University.METHODS: A pair of specific primers were designed for reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to obtain the mRNA of COX-2 in human cervical carcinoma tissues. The resultant band on electrophoresis was cloned, sequenced and analyzed.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: ① Agarose gel electrophoresis result of the PCR product of carcinoma and normal tissues; ② Sequencing result of the electrophoresis band from carcinoma and normal tissues.RESULTS: No COX-2 band (252 bp) was found in electrophoresis for normal tissues, while 2 bands appeared for cervical carcinoma tissues, including a new electrophoresis band of 534bp besides the COX-2 band. Cloning and sequencing revealed that this new band contained not only exons 7and 8 of COX-2 gene but also a reserved intron of 282 bp intron between exons 7 and 8. Analysis of the predicted amino acid sequence indicated that an in-frame stop codon occurred in the 48-50 bp of the intron retained in the mRNA.CONCLUSION: The presence of COX-2 alternative splicing mRNA variant (Genbank accession number:BU493602)is confirmed in human cervical carcinoma tissue, which codes for a protein possibly smaller than COX-2.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the therapeutic effect of Liujunzi decoction combined with Zuojin pills in treating the radioactive duodenitis and their mechanism, and compare with clinical routine acid suppressants combined with mucous membrane protective preparations to study the mechanism of their efficacy.

METHODAccording to the study of Williams J P and characteristics of duodenitis, and by reference to the radiation enteritis modeling standard, we took the lead in establishing the mouse radioactive duodenal injury model. The model mice were randomly divided into the control group (n = 26), traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) group (n = 16) and the western medicine (oral administration with famotidine 0.5 mL + almagate suspension 0.3 mL per mouse, once a day) group (n = 16). After the standard administrating, such objective indexes as general condition, weight, changes in health score, pathology and expression of inflammatory factors were observed to evaluate the efficacy.

RESULTThe radioactive duodenitis model of mice was successfully established with 12 Gy. Mice in the control group suffered from weight loss, anorexia, low fluid intake, loose stools, and occasionally mucous bloody stool, poor spirit, dim fur, lack of exercise and arch back. Mice in drug intervention groups were generally better than those in the pure irradiation group. The IL-6, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha mRNA expressions in spleen and mesenteric lymph node tissues in TCM and western medicine groups showed a declining trend compared with the control group. Their concentrations in peripheral blood serum also slightly changed. The TCM group revealed notable advantage in reducing inflammatory factors. The microscopic observation showed that a better mucosa repair in intervention groups than the pure irradiation group. The improved Chiu's scoring method showed a statistical significance in the difference between TCM and western medicine groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLiujunzi decoction combined with Zuojin pills could treat acute radiation enteritis, regulate organic immunity, and inhibit acute injury, promote local tissue repair, with the potential to resist such adverse effects as radiation intestinal fibrosis. The regulation of inflammatory factor release is one of efficacy generation mechanisms.

Animals ; Cobalt Radioisotopes ; adverse effects ; Drug Interactions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Duodenitis ; blood ; drug therapy ; Interleukin-1beta ; blood ; Interleukin-6 ; blood ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mucous Membrane ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Radiation Injuries, Experimental ; blood ; drug therapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; blood

0.05). Conclusion The exon 8+488C/T polymorphism of Aiolos gene exists in this population of Han ethnics,however,it is not associated with bronchial asthma.

AIM: To investigate the effect of epinephrine on LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediators (TNF-?, NO and COX-2) and anti-inflammatory mediators (HO-1 and IL-10) production in murine macrophage RAW264.7 cells, and to determine whether these effect is due to the influence of epinephrine on NF-?B activation. METHODS: RAW264.7 cells were cultured in vitro with 10 ?g/L LPS in the absence or presence of epinephrine at variant concentrations (1, 5, 10, 50 ?mol/L) for 24 hours, then the supernatants was collected for measuring TNF-? and IL-10 by ELISA and Griess reagent was used to measure NO (NO_2-/NO_3-) concentration. At the same time point, cells were harvested and COX-2, HO-1 and I?B-? was detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: 10 ?g/L LPS significantly induced the production of TNF-?, NO (NO_2-/NO_3-), COX-2, HO-1 and IL-10. When epinephrine was added into the medium together with LPS, the pro-inflammatory mediators production was decreased in a dose-dependent manner, however, anti-inflammatory mediators HO-1 and IL-10 expression was enhanced by epinephrine. Epinephrine has no significant effect on I?B-? degradation in LPS-activated RAW264.7 cells. CONCLUSION: Epinephrine down-regulates LPS-induced pro-inflammatory mediator expression while promotes anti-inflammatory mediator production in murine macrophages. These effect seems to be independent of NF-?B activation.

In order to investigate the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in human lower segments of myometrium obtained from women in labor and those not in labor and identify the splicing variant of COX-2, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect the expression of COX-2. The primers were designed and synthesized according to the sequence of rat COX-2 splice variant which was discovered firstly by us. Then the splicing variant of COX-2 in human myometrium from woman in labor was identified, cloned into vector and sequenced. The results showed that the expression of COX-2 mRNA was lower in human myometrium obtained from women who were not in labor than that in labor women and a new band of COX-2 was obtained in myometrium from labor woman. The fragment included an unspliced intron, which pitched between exons 7 and 8. It was suggested that COX-2 gene was not only expressed highly in human myometrium from woman in labor, but also produced splicing variant by alternative splicing.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Cyclooxygenase 2/*biosynthesis ; Cyclooxygenase 2/genetics ; Labor Onset/*metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Myometrium/*enzymology ; Myometrium/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; Sequence Analysis

OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the clinical efficacy on cervical spondylosis of vertebral artery type (CSA) treated with thermosensitive moxibustion at different dosages.

METHODSSixty cases of CSA were randomized into a saturated moxa dosage group and a regular moxa dosage group, 30 cases in each one. The thermosensitive moxibustion was adopted in the two groups. The mild suspended moxibustion was applied at two acupoints with the strongest thermosensitization. In the saturated moxa dosage group, the moxibustion time was determined by the disappearance of thermosensitization. In the regular moxa dosage group, 15 min was required on each acupoint. The treatment was given twice a day for first 4 days in the two groups. Since the 5th day, the treatment was given once a day, continuously for 10 times, and totally 14 days were required. The score of symptoms and function and clinical efficacy were compared between the two groups before and after treatment as well as 6-month follow-up after treatment.

RESULTSThe curative and effective rate was 56.7% (17/30) after treatment and 60.0% (18/30) in 6-month follow-up after treatment in the saturated moxa dosage group, which were superior to 26.7% (8/30) and 30.0% (9/30) in the regular moxa dosage group respectively (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The scores of clinical symptoms and function after treatment and in follow-up were improved apparently as compared with those before treatment in both groups (all P < 0.01). The scores of clinical symptoms and function after treatment and in follow-up in the saturated moxa dosage group were increased much more apparently than those in the regular moxa dosage group (after treatment: 22.32 +/- 4.64 vs 17.43 +/- 3.21; in follow-up: 23.01 +/- 4.76 vs 18.32 +/- 2.13, both P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe thermosensitization moxibustion of saturated dosage achieves the superior short-term and long-term efficacies in the treatment of CSA as compared with the regular moxibustion dosage.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; instrumentation ; Spondylosis ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Vertebral Artery ; physiopathology

Objective: To assess the risk of public health emergencies in Zhejiang Province, March 2021. Methods: An expert counsel was conducted to assess the risk of coronavirus disease 2019 ( COVID-19 ) , enteritis due to norovirus, chicken pox and influenza by professionals in Zhejiang CDC, based on the information from infectious disease and public health emergency surveillance in Zhejiang Province, domestic health administrative departments, World Health Organization, and European CDC. Results: In March 2021, the risk of imported COVID-19 epidemic will be high in Zhejiang Province, and the possibility of local spread could not be ruled out. The possibility of a large-scale outbreak of enteritis due to norovirus and a small-scale outbreak of chickenpox in schools and kindergartens could not be ruled out after the new term begins. An increased risk of influenza epidemic is predicted in collective units such as schools and kindergartens, yet the risk of a large-scale one will be low. Conclusion High attention should be paid to COVID-19 and enteritis due to norovirus, and general attention should be paid to chicken pox and influenza outbreak.