Dao-di Herbs is specificity and locality, and its unique phenotypic features is closely related to the growth and development of medicinal plants. In addition to traditional genetic, epigenetic play an important role in formation of Dao-di herbs. This paper introduces the concept of epigenetic and the role of DNA methylation in the gene expression regulation. We further prospects epigenetic mechanism in study of Dao-di herbs formation from specific phenotype and regional analysis. And study on the relationship of epigenetic and Dao-di herbs will provide a basis for quality assessment and identification of Chinese drugs.
DNA Methylation ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; standards ; Epigenesis, Genetic ; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant ; Plants, Medicinal ; genetics

Objective To investigate the mechanism of endothelin (ET) in acute biliary pancretitis (ABP)with renal impairment, and examine the improvement of renal function by puerarin. Methods Thirty-two patients of ABP with renal impairment were selected and were randomly divided into group A and group B. Group A were given puerarin post-operatively, while group B were given common manegement postoperatively. Meanwhile, 16 ABP patients without renal impairment were selected as group C, and 16 nonABP patients who had common hepatic or biliary diseases were selected as group D. The levels of plsma ETand creatinine clearance rate(Ccr) of renal function in each group were observed pre-operation and 1 week post operation. Results In pre-operation the ET level in group A, B and C were higher than in group D(P ＜0.001), and the ET level in group A,B was higher than in group C(P＜0.001). Post operation after I week the ET level in group A was lower than in group B(P =0.014), while the Ccr level in group A was higher thanin group B ( P = 0.002). Conclusions The function of endothelin is an important mechanism in biliary pancretitis with renal impairment. Puerarin might reduce the ET level and increase the Ccr level in patients of ABP with renal impairment, improve the renal function of such patients.

OBJECTIVE: To observe the application of the tragus cartilage in tympanoplasty. METHOD: Thirty-eight patients with tympanoplasty carried out tragus cartilage-perichondrium repairing tympanic membrane. The air-bone gap changes and the recovery of patients'tympanic membrane were evaluated at pre-operative and two months after the operation. RESULT: Thirty-one patients finishing follow-up visit showed tympanic membrane healed and looked like normal appearance in 1 to 3 months after the operation. The postoperation narrow of the air-bone gap >18 dB, tragus looked normal. CONCLUSION Tympanic membrane reconstruction using the tragus cartilage-perichondrium is feasible for tympanoplasty, and the survival rate and postoperative hearing would be acceptable.
Cartilage ; transplantation ; Ear Auricle ; Hearing ; Hearing Tests ; Humans ; Postoperative Period ; Reconstructive Surgical Procedures ; Tympanic Membrane ; Tympanic Membrane Perforation ; Tympanoplasty ; methods

0.05). Metastasis of the liver of colorectal cancer occurred higher in the patients with serum CEA concentration ≥15ng/ml than that in those with serum CEA

OBJECTIVETo analyze the clinical characteristics of elderly patients with spinal tuberculosis and explore its clinical effects with anti-TB drugs alone.

METHODSFrom January 2008 to July 2010, the data of 36 patients with spinal tuberculosis underwent conservative treatment of anti-TB drugs alone were analyzed. There were 19 males and 17 females with an average age of 73.5 years (ranged, 60 to 85). All patients were in the active phase with high ESR and CRP levels and were treated with 3HRZE/6-9HRE (course from 9 to 12 months). According to clinical symptoms, chemical examination, radiological image to adjust drug and depending on VAS score to evaluate pain.

RESULTSAll the patients were followed up from 8 to 24 months with an average of 15 months. Tuberculose of 31 patients healed after chemotherapy from 9 to 12 months and ESR and CRP recovered normally. Levofloxacin and para-amino salicylic acid were used in 4 cases because of 4 cases occurred drug fast for RFP or INH, after 15 months, their obtained healing. Symptom of 1 case got worse during chemotherapy, and surgical treatment were performed, after 3 months, ESR and CRP recovered normally, X-ray and CT showed spinal osteosclerosis and fusion without significant kyphosis and internal fixation loosening. Cobb angle was respectively(17.6+/-2.3) degrees, (18.1+/-2.7) degrees before treatment and last follow-up (P>0.05). MRI showed abscess was absorbed and spinal inflammation subsidised. VAS score was respectively 6.5+/-1.7, 1.4+/-0.5 before treatment and last follow-up (P<0.05). Seven patients had complications relating with drug adverse reaction,after discontinuation and treated with clinical symptom,the patients recovered normally.

CONCLUSIONAnti-TB drugs alone can obtain satisfactory effects in treating early senile spinal tuberculosis, but strict supervision and individual administration should not be disregardful.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Antitubercular Agents ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tuberculosis, Spinal ; diagnosis ; drug therapy

75%). Immunoglobulin ? and ? chains as well as TTR positive deposits were not demostrated in the accumulated amyloid material. There was neither TTR nor apolopoprotein A1 coding gene mutation detected in the proband and her son. Conclusion: The pathological findings demonstrated existence of a FAP. However, the immuno pathological and genetic results could not classified the type of this FAP family. Further genetic studies are required to identify it.

Neurolymphomatosis(NL) is characterized by lymphomatous infiltration of the peripheral nervous system. We report a case of neurolymphomatosis(NL) which was confirmed by sural nerve biopsy. Sural nerve specimen from a 49-year-old female patient with weakness of limbs was examined with routine histochemical and immunohistochemistry staining, in which the first antibodies against CD3, CD20, CD45, CD45RO and CD68 were used. Numerous T-lymphoma cells invaded in the adipose tissue of epineurium of sural nerve. The nerve biopsy showed marked axonal degeneration of myelinated fibers. The clinical and histopathologic findings confirmed the diagnosis of neurolymphomatosis.

Objective: Diffuse muscular calcification was rare myopathological change due to abnormal metabolism of calcium, which was mainly found in dermatomyositis and myositis ossificans progressiva. Here we reported a case of diffuse muscular calcification that clinically mimicked myositis ossificans progressiva. The disease might be a new type of congenital calcium metabolic disease. Methods:A 15-year-old girl developed subcutaneous cysts in the wrist and ankle when she was 1 year old. At the age of 9, she developed recurrent fever with myalgia, fatigue and diffuse muscular calcification. It was difficult for her to squat, run or walk. Protuberance presented in the subcutaneous tissue of her trunk. Some nodules ruptured with outflow of chalky material. ESR, ENA, RF, CRP, PTH, CK were in normal limits. EMG was unremarkable. X-ray confirmed diffuse calcification in the muscle and subcutaneous tissues. Biceps muscle biopsy was performed. Results:Numerous inflammatory cells infiltrated around vessels in the perimyosium with perifascicular muscle fiber atrophy and degeneration. Many RRF and SDH positive fibers were also observed. EM showed tubular reticular inclusions in vascular endothelium. Conclusion: Diffuse muscular calcification indicated existence of systemic calcium metabolic abnormality. As the clinical symptoms and distribution pattern of calcification were different from dermatomyositis with subcutaneous calcification and myositis ossificans progressiva, our case might be a new type of disease. The microvascular changes might result in the lesion of muscle fibers.

To report the clinical, radiological and neuropathological findings of a patient with rheuma-toid meningitis. The patient was a 71-year-old Chinese man with a two-year history of rheumatoid arthritisand no other significant medical history, who presented to our hospital recurrent weakness of his left ex-tremities, dysarthria and a continuous bilateral hand tremor. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serumexam-inations were normal apart from a mildly raised serum perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibody(p-ANCA). Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed leptomeningeal enhancementin both fron-tal and parietal lobes, in addition to several old white matter infarcts. Meningeal biopsy showed numerousinfiltrating macrophages and lymphocytes within the leptomeninges. The patient responded clinically andradiologically to corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide therapy. The patient subsequently developed herpeszoster over his left chest as a complication of his immunosuppressive treatment. His cyclophosphamidewas ceased and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) therapy was commenced, with good clinical responseto both the herpes zoster and meningitis. According to the result of the biopsy, aseptic meningitis wasconsidered the MRI results and the patient’s clinical history were given, and a diagnosis of rheumatoidmeningitis was made. The patientwas p-ANCApositive. Although there was no evidence for cerebral vas-culitis on biopsy, it remains a possibility that the patient’s recurrent minor cerebral infarcts visible onMRI were vasculitic in nature.