Objective To improve the poor water-solubility of nimodipine,nimodipine-loaded PLEG copoly- met nanopartieles were prepared to avoid the sedimentation of its crystal from water,which could also shun the blood vessel stimulation caused by ethanol,a cosolvent,in the injection.Methods Solvent evaporation method was used to prepare water-dispersing nimodipine-loaded nanoparticles,whose lyophilized powder was further prepared,with PLEG2000 as drug carrier.Particle size,Zeta potential,embedding ratio,drug loading,shape and redispersion ability of the lyophilized powder were determined.Results Concerning the lyophilized nanoparticle powders,the particle sizes were 136nm,the Zeta potentials were -29.90mV,the embedding ratio was 67.9% and the drug loading was 6.17%.Conclusion Prepared nimodipine-loaded nanoparticles solved the problem of poor water-solubility of ni- modipine basically.It also avoided the recrystallization process of the drug and reduced the blood vessel stimulation caused by ethanol in the injection.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction on Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression.

METHODThirty-two NOD mice were randomly divided into the model group, the traditional Chinese medicine group (TCM group, orally given 0.4 mL nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction as per 100 g x kg(-1) everyday), the hydroxychloroquine group (given 0.4 mL hydroxychloroquine as per 60 mg x kg(-1) everyday), the traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine group (TCM WM group, given nourishing Yin, Strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction 50 g x kg(-1) and hydroxychloroquine 60 mg x kg(-1), 0.4 mL everyday), with eight mice in each group. Eight Balb/C mice were selected as the normal control group (normal group). All of mice were killed after eight weeks, and their submaxillary glands were dissected. The expression levels of Fas/FasL were examined by immunohistochemical method, and the FasL mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTThe expression levels of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of the model group were higher than that of other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL of the normal group was much lower than that in the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05). The relative expression level of Fas mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in other groups, but the control group was notably lower than other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in TCM and TCM WM groups (P < 0.05). But the expression level in TCM WM group was notably lower than the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction could down-regulate the expression level of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression, and had a better efficacy after being combined with hydroxychloroquine. The nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction might treat the Sjogren's Syndrome by reducing apoptosis which is regulated by Fas/FasL

Animals ; Fas Ligand Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Qi ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Salivary Glands ; metabolism ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; blood ; genetics ; therapy ; Yin-Yang ; fas Receptor ; genetics

Objective To investigate the imaging characteristics of lymphoscintigraphy in postoperative breast cancer patients and evaluate its diagnostic value in breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL).Methods Seventy-nine breast cancer patients who underwent mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection were studied. Patients ( n = 158 ) were divided into the study ( affected arms, n = 79 ) and control groups ( contralateral arms, n = 79). After subcutaneous injection of 99Tcm-dextran via the first interphalangeal space, lymphoscintigraphy was performed at 10 min, 1,3, 6 h respectively. Sensitivity and specificity of lymphoscintigraphy for detection of BCRL were calculated. Results There were significant differences in the amount of visualized lymph nodes, lymphatic integrity and backflow pattern between the two groups.Lymphatic drainage was preserved in 96.2% (76/79) of the contralateral arms and only 5.1% (4/79) of affected arms. 87.3% (69/79) and 74.7% (59/79) of control arms had ≥2 lymph nodes in axilla and supraclavicular regions, respectively; while none ( 0/79 ) and 5.1% (4/79) of the affected arms had ≥ 2lymph nodes in both regions, respectively. Four backflow patterns of radiotracer in subcutis were observed in the affected arms: normal (2.5% , 2/79), dilatated (55.7%, 44/79), diffused (36.7%, 29/79) and without backflow (5.1%, 4/79 ). The sensitivity and specificity of "lymphatic integrity" and "backflow pattern" on lymphoscintigraphy for detecting BCRL were 97.5% (77/79) and 96.2% (76/79), 94.8%(73/77) and 100.0% (81/81), respectively. Conclusion Lymphoscintigraphy is a noninvasive, accurate and effective imaging modality for the evaluation of BCRL.

OBJECTIVETo study modified ilioinguinal approach through the retrospective analysis on the surgical treatment of 63 patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures through anterior approach.

METHODSFrom January 2006 to January 2013, 63 patients with pelvic and acetabular fractures were treated with the ilioinguinal anterior approach, including 45 males and 18 females, ranging in age from 12 to 68 years old, with an average of (37.71 +/- 13.41) years old. All the patients were divided into two groups: standard ilioinguinal anterior approach group (group A) and modified ilioinguinal anterior approach group(group B). In group A, there were 26 males and 11 females, with an average age of (38.49 +/- 13.64) years old. In group B, there were 19 males and 7 females, with an average age of (36.62 +/- 13.29) years old. Intraoperative and postoperative indicators in group A and B were observed and compared, including operation incision exposure time (from skin incision to complete the ilioinguinal in front of three "windows"), the blood loss, incision close time and treatment effect of Majeed function score.

RESULTSCompared to group A, the incision exposure time of patients in group B was shorter, the blood loss (bleeding during exposure process) was less, and the close incision time was shorter, but the treatment effect of Majeed function score had no significant differences between two groups. All the patients were followed up, and the during ranged from 3 to 36 months, with an average of (18.6 +/- 9.2) months. According to Matta standard assessment reduction of pelvic and acetabular fracture, there were 28 patients got an excellent result, 8 good, and 1 fair in the group A; and 20 patients got an excellent result, 5 good, and 1 fair in the group B. According to Majeed function score for hip function, 20 patients got a satisfactory result, 12 good,4 fair and 1 poor in group A, and the mean score was 82.51 +/- 9.72; and 13 patients got an satisfactory result, 10 good, 3 fair and 0 poor in group B, and the mean score was 80.54 +/- 10.79.

CONCLUSIONThe modified approach has several advantages as follows: providing a good surgical exposure; preventing from the injury of femoral nerve, femoral artery and vein under the inguinal ligament; not needing to open the inguinal canal, which can avoid the occurrence of inguinal hernia, reduce operation prodedures and shorten operation time.

Acetabulum ; injuries ; surgery ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Female ; Fracture Fixation, Internal ; Fractures, Bone ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

Data mining technology has become a powerful tool in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) research. In this paper, based on the principle and basic requirements of data mining, the mining methods and procedures were described. And then the application of data mining technology in Chinese medicine pair research was classified and summarized, such as the compatibility characters, characteristic pairs, dosage-effect relationship and property compatibility, which provide the direction and data base for modern research of Chinese medicine pair.
Cluster Analysis ; Data Mining ; methods ; Drug Interactions ; Drug Prescriptions ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods

In view of the evaluation of fundus image segmentation, a new evaluation method was proposed to make up insufficiency of the traditional evaluation method which only considers the overlap of pixels and neglects topology structure of the retinal vessel. Mathematical morphology and thinning algorithm were used to obtain the retinal vascular topology structure. Then three features of retinal vessel, including mutual information, correlation coefficient and ratio of nodes, were calculated. The features of the thinned images taken as topology structure of blood vessel were used to evaluate retinal image segmentation. The manually-labeled images and their eroded ones of STARE database were used in the experiment. The result showed that these features, including mutual information, correlation coefficient and ratio of nodes, could be used to evaluate the segmentation quality of retinal vessel on fundus image through topology structure, and the algorithm was simple. The method is of significance to the supplement of traditional segmentation evaluation of retinal vessel on fundus image.
Algorithms ; Databases, Factual ; Diagnostic Imaging ; methods ; Diagnostic Techniques, Ophthalmological ; Fundus Oculi ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted ; Retina ; Retinal Vessels ; anatomy & histology

Objective To explore the optimized range of normal tissue ablation around the tumor by HIFU in combination with UCA for VX2 liver tumors in rabbits. Methods In this study,51 rabbit models with implanted fiver VX2 tumors were randomly divided into 3 groups:ablating the tumor only(group A)、ablating the tumor and 2 mm eircumferential normal tissue(group B)、and 4 mm normal tissue around the tumor(group C).After HIFU+UCA treatment,the pathology of the targeting tissues,the level of serum ALT,the metastases in the liver、lungs and abdominal cavity,and the survival time were compared with each other. Results After treatment coagulative necrosis was observed in all the target tissues.Serum ALT level between each two groups were statistically different on d3 and d5(F=12.933、18.37,P＜0.01、＜0.01),and the level of ALT in group C was the hightest.The ALT level in group A was significantly higher than group B or group C on the 14th day(F=17.2,P＜0.01).Metastases in group A was significantly higher than group B or group C,and there were no statistically different between group B and C (P=0.353、0.332、0.380).The survival time both in group B and group C were significantly longer than group A(48±13.6,51±12.1 vs 29±5.4),and there were no statistically difference between group B and C(P＞0.05). Conclusions Tumor eradication can be significantly promoted when 2mm normal liver tissue around the tumor is ablated by HIFU+UCA.

Objective To evaluate the lymphoscintigraphic imaging characteristics for the patients with lower limb lymphedema and to establish a novel grading system for the injury to lower limb lymphatic system. Methods One hundred and sixty six consecutive patients (332 lower limbs) with lower limb lymphedema after surgical and(or) radiotherapy treatment for gynecological cancer were recruited into this retrospective study. The lymphoscintigraphy studies were performed after subcutaneous injection of 111～185 MBq (0. 1～0. 15 ml) of 99Tcm-DX into the webbed space between the first and second toes of both feet. Based on the integrity of lymphatic vessel and the extension of dermal diffusion on lymphoscintigram,the lymphatic injury to the lower limb was graded as 0, 1,2 and 3 respectively. The lymphedema of the limb was staged as 0, Ⅰ , Ⅱ a, Ⅱ b, Ⅲ by the standard of Consensus Document of the International Society of Lymphology (ISL). Chi square test was carried out to validate the established grading system for the assessment of the injury to the lower limb lymphatic system. Results The lymphoscintigraphic imaging characteristics included lymphatic blockage, dermal backflow, no visualization of lymphatic or lymph node, lymphocele and lymph fistula in the lower limb, pelvis and abdomen. There were 65 (19.6%), 71 (21.4%),131 (39.5%), 62 (18.7%) and 3 (0.9%) limbs staged as 0, Ⅰ , Ⅱa, Ⅱb, and Ⅲ for lymphedema while 36(10.8%), 79(23.8%), 116(34.9%) and 101 (30.4%) limbs graded as 0, 1, 2, and 3 for lymphatic injury. There was a statistically significant correlation between the grading methods (χ2 =313.483, P <0.001). The patients who underwent radiotherapy had a higher incidence rate of grade 2 and 3 (70.5%, 158/224) than those who underwent surgery (53.6%, 59/108) (χ2 = 9.662, P = 0.022).The patients with erysipelas had a higher incidence rate of grade 3(73.1%, 38/52) than those without erysipelas (43.9%, 50/114) (χ2= 12.238, P<0.001). The incidence rate of grade 3 increased with the duration of lymphedema after treatment: 36.6% (34/93) for less than 1.5 years, 72.3% (34/47) for between 1.5 to 5 years, and 76.9% (20/26) for more than 5 years (χ2 = 23.123, P<0.001). The grade of lymphatic injury showed no significant difference among 3 types of gynecological cancers (χ2 = 4.000, P =0.676), or between the patients with and without chemotherapy (χ2 =0.411, P=0.938). Conclusions Lymphoscintigraphy is a reliable modality to diagnose lower limb lymphedema after treatment for gynecological cancer. The injury grading system could provide objective assessment of the lymphatic damage.

Objective To explore the application of hydrogen proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Methods Forty patients with glioma were examined by 1H-MRS preoperation, and were divided into low grade glioma group (n=20) and high grade glioma group (n=20) according to postoperative pathological diagnosis. Tumor resection with peripheral tissues marked previously was carried out under the guidance of neuronavigator system. All the pathological sections were divided into positive group and negative group according to the presence or absence of tumor cells, and the differences in pathological findings of peripheral regions (region 1, 2 and 3) and 1H-MRS values were analyzed in these two groups. Results No infiltration was found in the peripheral regions of low grade glioma group except for one case in peripheral region 1, while infiltration was found in all peripheral regions of high grade glioma group. There was no significant difference in 1H-MRS values between positive group (n=24) and negative group (n=36) in patients with high grade glioma (P>0.05). Conclusion 1H-MRS enjoys some advantages over routine radiological examinations in the diagnosis of peripheral tumor cell infiltration of gliomas. Total removal can be expected when combined with neuronavigator system, while there is room for improvement for relevant techniques.

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of three Chinese herbal antidotes, i.e. Herba Artemisiae annuae (A), Herba Hedyotis diffusae (H) and Rhizoma Cimicifugae (C), all were ingredients of Jiedu Quyu Ziyin Recipe, for adjusting the regulated on activation normal T cell expressed and secreated (RANTES), gene expression in serum and renal tissue of MRL/lpr mice.

METHODSFifty-four MRL/lpr mice were randomized into 9 groups, with 6 in each, and intragastrically infused with A, H, C, A+H, H+C, A+C, A+H+C (all in dosage-form of decoction), prednisone suspension and physiological saline, respectively for 12 weeks. RANTES expression in serum and renal tissue of animals were detected with ELISA and RT-PCR at the end of the study.

RESULTSLevels of RANTES expression was significantly reduced in the prednisone treated group after treatment. Excepting no significant change being observed in the groups treated with A and C, the changes in the other groups were all milder than those in the group treated with A+H+C.

CONCLUSIONChinese herbal antidotes A, H and C in combination can significantly inhibit the RANTES expression in serum and renal tissue of MRL/lpr mice.

Animals ; Artemisia annua ; chemistry ; Chemokine CCL5 ; blood ; metabolism ; Cimicifuga ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Female ; Hedyotis ; chemistry ; Kidney ; metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred MRL lpr ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism