Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; CD56 Antigen ; metabolism ; Cyclophosphamide ; therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin ; therapeutic use ; Fever of Unknown Origin ; etiology ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Extranodal NK-T-Cell ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Male ; Prednisone ; therapeutic use ; Splenectomy ; Splenic Neoplasms ; complications ; metabolism ; pathology ; therapy ; Vincristine ; therapeutic use ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo determine whether lactic acid bacteria as probiotics is efficacious in the primary prevention of infantile eczema or atopic eczema.

METHODSFor this meta analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) describing the efficacy of probiotics in infants with eczema or atopic eczema at ages of ≤2 years, a comprehensive search in the databases was performed up to January 2010. Three reviewers independently evaluated the studies for methodological qualities. RevMan 5.0.2 software was used for meta analysis.

RESULTSTwelve RCTs on the preventive effects of lactic acid bacteria as probiotics on infantile eczema were included, and 7 of the 12 RCTs reported the preventive effect of lactic acid bacteria on atopic eczema. The meta analysis showed that there was an overall significant reduction in infantile eczema and atopic eczema favoring lactic acid bacteria compared with placebo. The relative risk (RR) ratios for eczema and atopic eczema were 0.80 (95%CI: 0.70-0.90; P<0.01) and 0.78 (95%CI: 0.64-0.97; P<0.01), respectively. Lactic acid bacteria combined with other probiotics decreased significantly the incidence of eczema, with a RR ratio of 0.79 (95%CI: 0.68-0.93; P<0.01). The use of lactic acid bacteria alone did not result in a reduction in the incidence of eczema, with a RR ratio of 0.85 (95%CI: 0.69-1.05; P>0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe data from this meta analysis suggest that lactic acid probiotics combined with other probiotics play a role in the prevention of infantile eczema. There is insufficient evidence to recommend single use of lactic acid bacteria for prevention of eczema. Further studies are required to determine whether the findings are reproducible.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Lactobacillus ; Lactococcus ; Probiotics ; therapeutic use ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic ; Streptococcus thermophilus

Objective To demonstrate the relationship between Cdc20 mutation and the promotion of colon cancer via Cdc20loxp/+ APCmin/+ villin-cre+/-compound mutant mice.Methods Cdc20loxp/+ APCmin/+ villin-cre+/-compound mutant mice and APCmin/+ mutant mice were generated by mice mating strategy.The colon tumors of two group mice were compared by phenotypic analysis and histology analysis.Results Phenotypic analysis showed that the number of tumors in Cdc20loxp/+ APCmin/+ villin-cre+/-compound mutant mice group and APCmin/+ mutant mice group was 1.2±0.5 and 1.6±0.5, respectively (t =0.215, P =0.588), and the maximum diameter of tumors was (2.7±0.3) cm and (2.5±0.2) cm, respectively (t =0.568, P =0.575).Pathologic type of Cdc20loxp/+ APCmin/+ villin-cre+/-compound mutant mice was adenocarcinoma, while that of APCmin/+ mice was tubular adenoma.Conclusion Cdc20 carrying a null allele can accelerate the promotion of colon cancer in APCmin/+ mice without influence on the tumor number and size.

Objective:To explore the clinical efficacy of sinew-regulating and bone-setting manipulation combined with functional exercise to treat mild to moderate rotator cuff injury (RCI).Methods:Forty patients with mild to moderate RCI were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group,with 20 cases in each group.The treatment group was given sinew-regulating and bone-setting manipulation combined with functional exercise,and the control group was given the same manipulation as the treatment group.The therapeutic effect on the functional improvement was assessed after treatment according to pain threshold,shoulder range of motion (ROM) including flexion,abduction,internal rotation and external rotation,and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) shoulder rating score.Results:Compared with the same group before treatment,the pain threshold,shoulder flexion,abduction,internal and external rotations increased after the treatment in the two groups (all P＜0.05).The UCLA shoulder rating score increased (both P＜0.05).The improvement in the treatment group is significantly better than that in the control group with a statistical significance (P＜0.05).The total effective rate was 95.0％ in the treatment group,was higher than 65.0％ in the control group (P＜0.05).Conclusion:The sinew-regulating and bone-setting manipulation combined with functional exercise relieve the pain of patients with mild to moderate RCI,increase the motion of shoulder joints,and improve the quality of life of patients.The curative effect is better than the treatment of simple sinew-regulating and bone-setting manipulation.

Background Inherited retinal degeneration,one of the major causes of blindness worldwide,comprises a large number of disorders characterized by a slow and progressive retinal degeneration.Interleukin-1 (IL-1)was recognized to be involved in inherited retinal degeneration.Whether IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) can arrest retinal degeneration is worthy of investigation.Objective This study was to investigate the effects of IL-1ra on photoreceptor apoptosis in Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats.Methods The use of the animals complied with the Regulations for the Administration of Affairs Concerning Experimental Animals by State Science and Technology Commission.The SPF RCS rats aged 9,15,16,25,30,35,40,50 and 60 postnatal days were collected,with 9 rats for each age group.Retinal sections were used for the TdT-mediated biotin-dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) cell apoptosis assay.1 μl of IL-1ra (1.8 g/L) was intravitreally injected in the right eyes of 9 RCS rats aged 15 postnatal days and PBS was used in the same way in the fellow eyes.The injection procedure was repeated on the 20 th and 25 th day,respectively.The rats were sacrificed on the 30 th day and retinal sections were prepared for the TUNEL assay.The differences in the percentage of the positive cellular nuclei area among different ages of rats were compared by one-way ANOVA,and the differences in retinal layer thickness between IL-1ra injection group and PBS injection group were assessed by paired t test.Results Photoreceptor apoptosis appeared in 20-day-old RCS rats and progressed and peaked in 30 and 35-day-old rats and then reduced,showing a significant difference among rat of various age groups (F=28.020,P＜0.01).Images from TUNEL assay showed a weaker and less TUNEL staining in the IL-1ra injected eyes than the PBS injected eyes in 30-day-old rats.The total area and relative area of TUNEL positive nuclei were (223.052±153.092) μm2 and (2.206±1.531) ％ in the IL-1ra injected group,and those in PBS injected group were (1235.050±359.767) μm2 and (7.269± 1.624) ％,with a significant difference between them (t =4.370,t=3.250,P＜0.01).The cone and rod thickness was (15.324±9.035) μm in the IL-1ra injected group and (49.566±4.605)μm in the PBS injected group,showing a significant difference (t =22.674,P＜0.01).However,no significant difference was seen in the outer nuclear layer thickness between the two groups (t =0.268,P＞0.05).Conclusions IL-1 participates in the pathogenesis and development of inherited retinal degeneration of RCS rats.The use of IL-1ra might be a potential approach in the treatment of inherited retinal degeneration.

Objective To investigate the morbidity and characteristic of nosocomial infections in end stage renal disease(ESRD) patients undergoing blood purification.Methods Medical records of ESRD patients undergoing blood purification from 2004 to 2005 were enrolled in this retrospective study of hospitalized cases.The clinical data of nosocomial infections in hemodialysis (HD)and peritoneal dialysis(PD)patients were analyzed separately.Results Nosocomial infection was identified in 76 of the 400 enrolled patients.In HD patients,pulmonary infection was the most common nosocomial infection(53.3%),most due to gram-negative microorganisms,followed by bloodstream(16.7%)and urinary tract infection(15%),most of both were due to gram-positive bacteria.Pulmonary infection was usually complicated.Bloodstream infection was associated with the duration of placement of central vein catheters.Asymptomatic bacteriuria accounted for most of the urinary tract infection.In PD patients, most infections were pulmonary infection(65.5%),mainly caused by fungal pathogens,followed by peritonitis(20.7%), mainly due to gram-positive bacteria.Certain proportion of infections in both groups was caused by multiple microorganisms or identified in multiple sites.Conclusions The prevalence of nosocomial infection is high in hospitalized patients undergoing blood purification.The infection is complicated in terms of pathogen and clinical picture.Pulmonary infection is the most common in- fection.The prevalence of fungal infection is increasing.Effective prevention and therapeutic measures should be applied more vigorously in ESRD patients.

Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of tendon-regulating and bone-setting manipulation combined with endurance resistance exercises in treating female with chronic neck pain, and explore the mechanism. Methods: A total of 57 female patients with chronic neck pain who met the inclusion criteria were randomly divided into a manipulation group (29 cases) and a medium-frequency electrotherapy group (28 cases). Patients in both groups received the same endurance exercise therapy, while those in the manipulation group received additional tendon-regulating and bone-setting manipulation, and those in the medium-frequency electrotherapy group received additional medium-frequency electrotherapy. Both groups were treated for 5 weeks. Before and after treatment, the neck function of patients was evaluated by visual analog scale (VAS), Analgesy-Meter, Northwick Park questionnaire (NPQ), root mean square (RMS) and median frequency (MF) of surface electromyography of sternocleidomastoid muscle and posterior cervical extensor muscle, and the patients were followed up at a month after treatment. Results: All patients completed the treatment and were followed up. Compared with the same group before treatment, the VAS scores of both groups decreased, the tenderness values increased, the RMS and MF values increased, and the NPQ scores decreased after treatment (all P<0.05). The improvement of manipulation group was more notable than that of medium-frequency electrotherapy group (all P<0.05). At one-month follow-up, the VAS and NPQ scores of the manipulation group were lower than those before and after treatment, and the VAS and NPQ scores of the medium-frequency electrotherapy group were only lower than those before treatment; the two scores of the manipulation group were lower than those of the medium-frequency electrotherapy group (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Tendon-regulating and bone-setting manipulation combined with endurance resistance exercises can relieve neck pain and cervical dysfunction in female patients with chronic neck pain. The efficacy of this method is more durable and better than that of medium-frequency electrotherapy combined with endurance exercises.

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of dendritic cells (DC) on the proliferation capability, immunophenotype changes, level of secreted cytokines and activity against leukemia of cytokine-induced killer (CIK) cells in vitro. DCs and CIK cells were induced from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy volunteers. They were co-cultured meanwhile CIK cells were cultured alone as controls. Increased number of cells were counted by trypan-blue staining; the killing activity was detected by MTT assay; immunophenotype changes were analyzed by flow cytometry; the IL-12 and INF-gamma levels of the cultured supernatants were detected by ELISA kits. The results showed that the proliferation capability of DC-CIK cells was significantly higher than that of CIK cells (p < 0.05). Under the same condition, the ratio of double positive cells such as CD3(+) CD8(+), CD3(+) CD56(+) in CIK cells was significantly enhanced by co-cultured with DC cells (p < 0.05). The levels of IL-12 and INF-gamma in cultured supernatants of DC-CIK cells increased noticeably on day 3 as compared with CIK cells cultured alone (p < 0.01, p < 0.05). Within the effector-target ratio range between 5:1 to 40:1, the activity of DC-CIK cells against leukemia cells were much higher than that of CIK cells (p < 0.05), and this effect showed a positive correlation with the effector-target ratio. It is concluded that the proliferation capability of DC-CIK cells, the level of their secreted cytokines and their activity against leukemia cells are significantly higher than those of CIK cells. This research may suggest an approach for clinical immunotherapy against leukemia with DC-CIK cells.
Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Coculture Techniques ; Cytokine-Induced Killer Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; metabolism ; Dendritic Cells ; cytology ; immunology ; metabolism ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; metabolism ; Interleukin-12 ; metabolism

Thienorphine is a chemically-new opioid developed in Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology. To elucidate the chemical basis for the unique pharmacological effects of thienorphine, 15 derivatives were synthesized according to combinatorial chemistry and the structure-activity relationships of these compounds were studied. It is demonstrated that thienorphine is a potent long-acting partial agonist. N-Cyclopropylmethyl is responsible for the antagonist effect of thienorphine. More importantly, thiophene at the end of side chain is most likely the pharmacophore accounts for the long-lasting effect of thienorphine. Change of the connection of thiophene and the side chain does not result in changes in the antinociceptive activity.
Animals ; Buprenorphine ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Combinatorial Chemistry Techniques ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Female ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred Strains ; Morphine ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Receptors, Opioid ; agonists ; Structure-Activity Relationship

Objective To screen the polymorphism microsatellite markers of guinea pigs, and provide basic information for identification of genetic structure and gene mapping in guinea pigs. Methods The genomic DNA of guinea pigs was found out on foreign websites,and microsatellite sequences characterized by AC/GT were selected. A total of 400 pairs of primers were designed using software according to their flanking sequences. After two rounds of PCR and electrophoresis,with the electrophoresis bands serving as genetic markers, the polymorphic primers were screened by the evaluation of microsatellite structure of guinea pigs. Results At the first step,10 DNA samples from 5 strains of guinea pigs were taken for PCR, and 110 pairs of polymorphic microsatellite markers with 1 -3 electrophoretic bands were screened from the designed 400 pairs of primers. At the second step,60 DNA samples from 5 strains of guinea pigs were assayed by PCR and 51 pairs of polymorphic primers with high resolution electrophoresis bands were screened from the above 110 pairs of primers. Among these screened 51 primers, more than 10 pairs of primers showed accordant or mostly accordant differences among strains. Conclusions The 51 pairs of primers are polymorphic among individuals and strains, and have not been found in other reports so far.They can be used for conventional genetic detection and related studies,and some of them can be used for gene mapping of the traits in guinea pigs.