OBJECTIVE:To review the status quo and problems in the study of TCM formula granule.METHODS:Recent literature concerning the preparation technology and the normalization of quality criteria,etc.of TCM formula granule reported were reviewed and analyzed.RESULTS&CONCLUSION:TCM formula granule was of many merits such as safe and sani-tary,accurate in dosage measurement,portable etc.However,there are also some problems yet to be solved.

Background and purpose:Esophageal carcinoma is a common malignant tumor.Patients with esophageal carcinoma have a low survival rate.CD44 gene and CYP2E1 gene are related to invasion and metastasis of esophageal cancer,therefore we studied CD44 and CYP2E1 gene polymorphism in regard to its relationship with esophageal cancer. Methods :We analyzed CD44 and CYP2E1 genetic polymorphism in 45 cases with esophageal cancer and adjacent tissues by PCR technology. Results :CD44 protein was significantly over-expressed in tumor tissues than that in adjacent tissue(P

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of the imported malaria cases in 20 counties at the bor?der region of Yunnan Province from 2012 to 2014,so as to provide the evidence?based proof for adjusting the strategies in the elimination stage. Methods The malaria epidemic data of the 20 border counties in Yunnan Province from 2012 to 2014 were collected and analyzed by using Microsoft Excel 2010. Results From 2012 to 2014,a total of 1 558 malaria cases were report?ed in the 20 border counties in Yunnan Province,among which,1 336 were imported cases,accounting for 85.75%(1 336/1 558),and 222 were indigenous cases,accounting for 14.25%(222/1 558). The number of the imported cases in the above years took up 80.00%(544/680),89.10%(425/477)and 91.52%(367/401)of the total reported cases in the whole year,re?spectively. Among all the 1 336 imported cases,1 045(78.22%)were infected with Plasmodium vivax,284(21.26%)were in?fected with P. falciparum,3 were infected with P. malariae,3 were mixed infection and 1 was an unclassified case;2 patients died. And 95.58%of the cases were mainly infected in Myanmar(1 277 cases). Young and middle?aged adult of 20-40 years who worked overseas were the predominant(802 cases,60.03%)and most of the cases occurred from April to June of the year (679 cases,50.82%). Those cases mainly distributed in Tengchong(459 cases),Ruili(366 cases),Yingjiang(191 cases)and Mangshi(78 cases). Conclusions The epidemic situation of imported malaria is serious in the border region of Yunnan Prov?ince. Therefore,the surveillance system of malaria control needs to be well planned and managed to ensure timely case detection and prompt response at the elimination and post?elimination stage.

In order to explore the MRI volume of the amygdala and hippocampus in patients with major depression, quantitative MRI of the amygdala and hippocampus were studied in 22 patients with major depression and compared with 13 age-matched controls. The results showed that both groups exhibited similar significant hippocampal asymmetry (left smaller than right). The volume of the bilateral hippocampus was significantly smaller in the major depression group than that in control group. The patients had significant asymmetry of the amygdalar volumes (right smaller than left). No correlation was found between hippocampal volume abnormalities and ill duration. It was concluded that the hippocampus and amygdala within limbic-cortical networks may play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of major depression.
Amygdala/*pathology ; Anthropometry ; Depressive Disorder, Major/*pathology ; Hippocampus/*pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective To explore the relationship of the expression level of monocyte Chemotactic protein-1 and nuclear factor κB(NF κB)with atrial fibrosis of atrial fibrillation patients with rheumatic heart disease.Methods About 200 mg right atrial tissue were taken from 26 patients with rheumatic heart disease undergoing valve replacement surgery and divided into sinus rhythm (SR) group (n=12) and atrial fibrillation (AF) group (n=14).Masson staining and atrial myocardial fibrosis markers were used to determine the level of fibrosis.The mRNA levels of cytokines in atrial tissue were measured by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)The protein level of MCP-1 and phosphorylation of NFκB in atrial tissue were detected by Western blotting.Results Compared with SR group,the AF group showed that collagen volume fraction (AF:0.42 ± 0.03;SR:0.13 ± 0.02),the mRNA levels of myocardial fibrosis markers such as transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1,type Ⅰ collagen and type Ⅲ collagen,and cytokines such as IL-1β and TNF-α,and the protein level of MCP-1 (AF:0.170±0.003;SR:0.040±0.005) and level of phosphorylation of NF-κB (AF:0.35 ± 0.02;SR:0.12 ± 0.03) were significantly increased (all P＜0.05).In addition,the expression levels of cytokines,the protein expression level of MCP1 and the phosphorylation level of NF-κB were positively correlated with collagen volume fraction of the right atrial myocardial tissue (all P＜0.05).Conclusions Activation of NF-κB may induce the expression of MCP-1 in the myocardial tissue of patients with rheumatic heart disease,and sequentially stimulate the secretion of cytokines and extracellular matrix deposition,and finally participate in the occurrence and persistence of atrial fibrillation.

100 U/ml and treated for 48 h,the inhibitory ratio of the HepG2 cells was raised to (39.08?2.32)%,which were not further elevated with the increase of dose or elapse of treatment time. HepG2 cells apoptosis was induced by thrombin.in a dose-and time-dependent manner when the dose was between 25 to 100 U/ml. However,there was no significant difference in the apoptosis of different groups when the dose was higher than 100 U/ml and the time exceed 48 h. Conclusion Higher doses of thrombin can inhibit the proliferation of HepG2 cells,and lead to cell apoptosis. The both effects are increased in a dose-and time-dependent manner when the dose is

BACKGROUND:Ultrasound therapy can relieve pain and improve the movement function in patients with knee osteoarthritis, but there lacks of consistency in the literatures of ultrasound therapy.
OBJECTIVE:To further identify the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.
METHODS:Twenty-four rabbits were randomly divided into three groups:normal group, model group and ultrasound group. The rabbit in the normal group received no intervention;rabbits in the model group received anterior cruciate ligament transaction to establish the knee osteoarthritis model without any treatment;the rabbit in the ultrasound group received ultrasound therapy after modeling for 10 minutes once time, once per day, 0.3 W/cm2 , 1 MHz and treated for 10 times. Hematoxylin-eosin staining was conducted for histological observation of rabbit articular cartilage;western blot and reverse transcription PCR assessment were used to assess the expressions of caspases-3 and caspases-8 in rabbit articular cartilage, while Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling was used to assess the ratio of chondrocytes apoptosis of rabbit knee articular cartilage.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The normal rabbit cartilage tissues and chondrocytes were neatly arranged in column;the middle cartilage layer of the model was thin;the chondrocytes were arranged disorderly and became less. After ultrasound therapy, the chondrocytes were rearranged neatly, and the number was increased. Compared with the normal group, the Mankin scores in the model group and ultrasound group were higher;the apoptotic rate of chondrocytes was higher in the model group and ultrasound group than in the normal group, and was also higher in the model group than in the ultrasound group. Compared with the normal group, the expressions of caspases-3 and caspases-8 were higher in the model group and the ultrasound group, while decreased after ultrasound therapy. The results indicate that ultrasound can improve the structure of cartilage tissues, decrease the expressions of caspases-3 and caspases-8 and reduce the apoptosis rate of chondrocytes. It is effective for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis with ultrasound therapy.

0.05).However,neither CpG-ODN nor hTNF-? failed in improving the expression rates of CD1a.Conclusions CpG-ODN,like hTNF-?,has remarkable im- munostimulatory effect on the differentiation and maturation of monocyte-derived DC from patients with chronic hepatitis B.

Objective To evaluate early changes of femoral artery elasticity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) combined with microalbuminuria (MA) patients using ultrasound radio-frequency technology,and to study the clinical significance.Methods 51 T2DM without MA patients were enrolled in Group A,and 53 T2DM with MA patients were enrolled in Group B.In order to observe the early elastic changes in the subjects,two-dimensional ultrasound was used to eliminate patients whose intima-media thickness (IMT) was ＞1 mm.The femoral arteries were imaged by two-dimensional ultrasonography,and then the IMT,femoral artery inner diameter (D),distensibility coefficient (DC),compliance coefficient (CC),elasticity coefficient (α and β),and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were real-time tested using quality intima-media thickness (QIMT) and quality arterial stiffness (QAS) analyzing systems.Besides,the differences and correlation analyses of these parameters between the two groups were conducted.In addition,some other parameters of sujects in both group A and B were also determined and analysed,including total cholesterol (TC),triglyceride (TG),low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C),creatinine (CREA),glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c),fasting blood glucose (FPG),2h postprandial plasma glucose (2hPG) and body mass index (BMI).Results There were no significant differences in the elastic parameters of femoral arteries between the male and female subjects (P＞0.05),and between left and right sides (P＞0.05) within a same group.Compared with group A,group B had lower CC and DC (P＜0.05) and higher α,β and PWV (P＜0.05).Pearsons correlation analysis indicateal that,CC was negatively correlated with α,β and PWV (P＜0.05),and DC was also negatively correlated with α,β and PWV (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the inner diameters of femoral arteries between the two groups (P＞0.05).The levels of TG,HbA1c,FPG and 2hPG in group B were significantly higher than those in group A (P＜0.05).There were no significant differences in TC,HDL-C,LDL-C,CREA and BMI between the two groups (P＞0.05).Conclusions The decrease of arterial elastic function is earlier than morphological changes,that is,it may have occurred before MA in T2DM patients.The application of ultrasound radio-frequency analyzing technology has certain significance in the clinical early diagnosis and treatment.