Berberine is the major component of Coptidis Rhizoma and it has been used as anti-infection, anti-inflammation drug for gastrointestinal diseases. In recent years, evidence showed that it could regulate glucose and lipid metabolism. Moreover, its activity had been tested by clinical trials and animal researches. The mechanisms of berberine in diabetes include: improving the function of beta-cell; prompting insulin secretion and islets regeneration, lowing lipid level, regulating glucose and lipid metabolic by influence transcriptional factors expression such as PPARgamma, C/EBPalpha, SREBP-1c, LXR, having the activities of anti-oxidation and inhibiting reductase to repress oxidative stress state and regulate metabolic signal pathway. Although numbers of data supported that berberine could improving insulin resistance by clinical trials and animal studies, the large scale, multicenter clinical trials are needed to evaluate the effects of berberine for diabetes and its complications in the time of evidence-based medicine.
Animals ; Berberine ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; drug therapy ; genetics ; metabolism ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Insulin ; metabolism ; Lipid Metabolism ; drug effects

Objective:To observe the clinical efficacy of skin needling plus heat-sensitive moxibustion in treating chronic facial paralysis. Methods:Sixty patients with chronic facial paralysis were divided into an observation group and an acupuncture group by using the random number table, 30 in each group. Patients in the observation group were given skin needling plus heat-sensitive moxibustion; while patients in the acupuncture group were given conventional acupuncture. Results:Three treatment courses later, the total effective rate was 93.3% in the observation group versus 86.7% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion:Skin needling plus heat-sensitive moxibustion can produce a more significant efficacy than conventional acupuncture in treating chronic facial paralysis.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of fire acupuncture plus herbal medicine in treating acute gouty arthritis. Method Eighty-nine patients with acute gouty arthritis were randomized into a treatment group of 45 cases and a control group of 44 cases. The treatment group was intervened by fire acupuncture plus orally taking herbal medicine, while the control group was by oral administration of Diclofenac sodium and Allopurinol. The average pain score was observed before and after intervention, and the clinical efficacies were compared between the two groups.Result The total effective rate was 95.6% in the treatment group versus 81.8% in the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). The average pain score was significantly changed in both groups after intervention (P<0.01). After treatment, there was a significant difference in comparing the average pain score between the two groups (P<0.05).Conclusion Fire acupuncture plus herbal medicine is an effective approach in treating acute gouty arthritis.

Prednisolone-induced zebrafish osteoporosis model was used to explore the bone-strengthening effect of Jie-Gu-Tang (JGT). Zebrafish larvae of 5 days post fertilization (d.p.f.) were co-exposed with 25 μmol·L-1 pred-nisolone and a series of JGT solutions with a range of concentrations (0.025, 0.25, 2.5, 25 and 100 mg crude herb per liter). The 25 μmol·L-1 prednisolone was selected as the model group. Etidronate disodium (15 and 30 mg·mL-1) with 25 μmol·L-1 prednisolone was used as the positive group. And 0.5% DMSO was used as the vehicle control group. All groups were incubated in 24-well plates (28.5℃) until 10 d.p.f. Zebrafish skeleton at 10 d.p.f. was anes-thetized and fixed for staining with alizarin red. Quantitative analysis of the stained area was performed by microscop-ic inspection and digital imaging methods to reflect the amount of zebrafish head skeleton mineralization. The results showed that prednisolone group at 25 μmol·L-1 concentration can obviously decrease the staining area and the stain-ing optical density values when compared with the vehicle control group (0.5% DMSO). Compared with the model group, both etidronate disodium (15 and 30 mg·mL-1) and JGT (2.5, 25 and 100 mg crude herb per liter) can in-crease the mineralized matrix and integrated optical density (IOD) of zebrafish head skeleton significantly with dose-effect relationship. It was concluded that zebrafish osteoporosis model was successfully used in the evaluation on bone loss prevention and bone formation promotion of JGT, which provided basis for the reliability and reasonability of zebrafish model.

Objective To explore the relationship between pulse wave velocity(PWV)and blood pressure classification and cardiovascular risk factors stratification in patients with essential hypertension. Methods Totally,390 patients with essential hypertension were recruited in the study and their carotid- femoral PWVs were recorded by an automatic pulse wave velocity measurement system.The patients were stratified by their cardiovascular risk factors.PWVs were compared between patients with varied blood pressures or with and without cardiovascular risk factors.Results There was no significant difference in PWV between patients of phase 1 and phase 2 hypertension,[(10.8?1.7)m/s vs.(11.9?1.2)m/s,P =0.398].PWV in patients with more than one risk factor was significantly higher than that in those with hypertension alone,[(10.4?1.4)m/s vs.(11.7?1.4)m/s,P=0.018].Conclusions PWV in hypertensive patients with one or more than one other risk factors was significantly higher than that in those without other risk factors.Cardiovascular risk factor might play a more important role in arterial stiffness.

This study was aimed to explore the characteristics of urine metabolomics among HIV/AIDS patients with spleen-lung qi-deficiency. H-NMR technique was combined with principal component analysis and cluster analysis in the comparison of urine metabolic products among 24 HIV/AIDS cases with spleen-lung qi-deficiency and 20 healthy control cases. The results showed that urine metabolic products of HIV/AIDS patients with spleen-lung qi-deficiency and healthy people by H-NMR technique detection and PLS-DA analysis can classify the outline of urine metabolites. There were about 20 variables in the difference between two groups. The speculated substances contained glycyl-L-leucine, L-valine, α-aminobutyric acid, methyl succinic acid, glycine propionyl, and etc. It was concluded that H-NMR technique was able to classify the outline of urine metabolites between HIV/AIDS cases with spleen-lung qi-deficiency and healthy people. Part of the potential existed characteristic markers contributed to the clinical diagnosis of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome differentiation of AIDS. It had certain effect in its quantitative analysis.

Objective To observe the variation of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase and microglia in the comorbidity of neuropathic pain and depression and discuss the related mechanism.Methods The spared nerve injury model was used.Forty-four male adult Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into the following four groups (n=11 each): sham+vehicle group (group SV), sham+APO group (group SA), SNI+vehicle group (group SNV), SNI+APO group (group SNA).In groups SA and SNA, rats were intraperitoneally injected with apocynin (APO) 15 mg/kg 24 hours and 1 hour before SNI and continued once daily until the 14th day.The rats in the other two groups received the equal volume of vehicle.The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) was tested 1 day before SNI and 7 days and 14 days after SNI, and the open field test, the forced swimming test and the sucrose preference test were performed 14 days after SNI.The prefrontal cortex were collected 2 hour after the behavior tests.The expression of gp91phox was detected by Western blot and the expression of Iba1 and gp91phox were detected by double-immunofluorescance staining.Results The reduced MWT, the increased immobility time, the decreased sucrose consumption and the increased content of gp91phox were observed in group SNV compared with groups SV, SA and SNA (P<0.05).The expression of Iba1 and gp91phox were increased in group SNV.The total travel distance in the open field test and the total liquid consumption in the sucrose preference test had no significant difference among the four groups.Conclusion Neuropathic pain may induce depressive behaviors and activate NADPH oxidase in the prefrontal cortex.Moreover, the inhibition of NADPH oxidase by APO can alleviate neuropathic pain and depression, which is potentially related to the activation of microglia.

ObjectiveTo investigate the clinical characteristics in ABO-incompatible allogeneic peripheral blood stem cell transplantation(allo-PBSCT).Methods137 patients'clinical courses who accepted allo-PBSCT were retrospectively reviewed. Sixty-five cases of them were ABO-incompatible allo-PBSCT patients,including 32 ABO major mismatched cases,23 ABO minor mismatched cases and 10 ABO major and minor mismatched cases.Seventy-two ABO-identical cases were taken as control group.ResultsCompared with ABO-idential cases,the time of erythrocyte recovery after allo-PBSCT in ABO major and minor mismatched group was delayed [(73.2+10.3) d vs (97.5+10.4) d] (P ＜0.05).In ABO-incompatible group, the time of blood type switching in different ABO-incompatible types were found no significant difference (P ＞0.05) [ABO major mismatched:(45.7±17.3) d,ABO minor mismatched:(41.2+16.1) d and ABO major and minor mismatched:(48.4±20.9) d (P ＞ 0.05)].There were 8 cases who have a delayed time of blood type changing, including 6 cases demonstrated recipient-derived anti-A antibody. ConclusionABO-incompatible has no negative effect on allo-PBSCT.The time of erythrocyte reconstitution was delayed in ABO major and minor mismatched group.A delayed time of blood type switching tends to occur in ABO minor incompatible cases and patients who have anti-A antibody initially.

Objective To study the CT characteristics of coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer.Methods One hundred and four patients of coexisting pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer proved by histology,cytology or clinical underwent CT examination.All patients were divided into two groups,group Ⅰ were the patients with the lung cancer after tuberculosis or both found simultaneously (group Ⅰ a with peripheral lung cancer and group Ⅰ b with central lung cancer),group Ⅱ with tuberculosis during lung cancer chemotherapy (group Ⅱ a with peripheral lung cancer and group Ⅱ b with central lung cancer).Imaging characteristics of tuberculosis and lung cancer were compared.x2 test and t test were used for the statistical analysis.Results Of 104 patients,there were 92 patients (88.5％) in group Ⅰ and 12 patients (11.5％)in group Ⅱ.Seventy patients (76.1％) of lung cancer and tuberculosis were located in the same lobe and 22 patients (23.9％) in the different lobes in group Ⅰ.There was no significant difference in distribution of tuberculosis between group Ⅰ and group Ⅱ (x2 =4.302,P =0.507).The fibrous stripes,nodules of calcification and pleural adhesion of tuberculosis were statistically significant between the two groups (x2 =22.737,15.193,27.792,P ＜0.05).There were 33 central lung cancers and 71 peripheral lung cancers.In group Ⅰ a (64 patients of peripheral lung cancers),39 patients (60.9％) had typical manifestations and most of the lesions were ≥ 3 cm(n =49,76.6％),solid lesions showed variable enhancement.Conclusions Secondary tuberculosis during lung cancer chemotherapy has the same CT characteristics with the common active tuberculosis.The morphology,enhancement pattern of lesion and follow-up are helpful for the diagnosis of lung cancer after tuberculosis.

Objective To investigate the clinical effect of locking plate fixation in treatment of proximal humeral fractures in the elderly.Methods This retrospective case control study enrolled 96 patients with closed proximal humeral fractures admitted from October 2013 and October 2015.There were 52 males and 44 females,with age of (68.2 ± 1.4) years (range,62-74 years).According to the Neer classification of proximal humeral fractures,two-part fractures were noted in 27 patients,three-part fractures in 57,and four-part fractures in 12.According to the surgical methods,the patients were assigned to locking plate fixation (observation group) and anatomic plate fixation (control group),with 48 cases each.Operation time,intraoperative blood loss,hospitalization time,fracture healing time,varus angle of the humeral head,visual analogue score (VAS),Neer shoulder score for shoulder function and related complications were observed.Results All patients were followed up for 13-24 months (mean,18.5 months).Better results were observed in observation group than control group in aspects of operation time [(51.2 ± 14.8) minutes vs.(73.2 ±27.3)minutes],intraoperative bleeding[(158.3 ±32.9)ml vs.(270.9 ± 34.8) ml],hospitalization time [(8.2 ± 2.9) days vs.(13.1 ± 2.2) days],fracture healing time [(93.7 ±18.4)days vs.(122.9±18.9)days],varus angle of the humeral head [(2.2±1.8)° vs.(4.2± 1.3) °],VAS [(2.0 ± 0.7) points vs.(5.1 ± 1.2) points],excellence rate of Neer score (98％ vs.90％) and postoperative complication incidence (10％ vs.21％) (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion Compared with the anatomical plate,locking plate fixation has advantages of shorter operation time,less intraoperative bleeding,earlier bone healing,better shoulder movement and less postoperative complications in treatment of proximal humeral fractures.