OBJECTIVE: To establish Access database to conserve and manage patients’ clinical information in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). METHODS: Therapeutic Drug Monitoring Database Management Software was established to analyze the utilization of digoxin and CsA in renal transplantation patients combining with the situation of TDM in our hospital. RESULTS: The database had the advantages of convenient data processing and rapid inquiry. CONCLUSIONS: Access database is convenient for information management of case history and can afford a great support for clinical pharmacists.

Objective To investigate protective effects of puerarin on the human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cell line against apoptosis caused by gunpowder smog and its mechanisms. Methods BEAS-2B cells cultured in vitro were randomly divided into control group, smog group (the group treated with 4g gunpowder smog for lOmin), and smog + puerarin group [puerarin groupj the cells were pre-incubated with various concentrations of puerarin (12.5, 25.0, 50.0, 100.0µg/ml) and then exposed to smoke]. Puerarin was added into the cells after innoculation for 12h and then the cells were sequentially cultured for 24h and followed by exposure to smoke for lOmin. After being cultured again for 2h, the smoked cells were examined for cell viability using Cell Counting Kit-8(CCK-8); cell apoptosis was observed using Hoechst33258 nucleus staining, and positive rates of Annexin V-PI staining cells and caspase-3 were determined with flow cytometer. Results Compared with control, treatment of BEAS-2B cells with 4g gunpowder smog induced a characteristic ap op to tic cell death (P<0.01). Pretreatment with various concentrations of puerarin antagonized the action of gunpowder smog in different degrees. The 25µg/ml was determined as the optimal effective concentration of puerarin. Compared with smog group, the apoptosis rate of BEAS-2B cells and positive rates of Annexin V-PI staining cells and caspase-3 were decreased significantly in smog + puerarin group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Conclusion Gunpowder smog can induce apoptosis of BEAS-2B cells in vitro, while pretreatment with puerarin could protect BEAS-2B cells against apoptosis induced by gunpowder smog.

The morphological indexes of the Scuophularia ningpoensis seedlings including the longth, diameter and weight were measured, clustering analysis was used to set up the standard quality grading of seedlings of S. Ningpoensis by SPSS. Field experiment was carried out to measure the indicators of plants growth and development, the yield and the quality. The results showed that the growth and yield of class I seedlings were better than those of class II and III. The content of main active ingredients was affected barely by seedlings classification. To ensure the quality, class II seedlings or above should be used for plantation. The established quality classification standard of S. ningpoensis seedlings was scientific and feasible, and provides the basis for the standardized cultivation of S. ningpoensis.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; standards ; Quality Control ; Scrophularia ; chemistry ; classification ; growth & development ; Seedlings ; chemistry ; growth & development

The studies have demonstrated that arsenic trioxide (ATO) in combination with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) takes effects in treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) through different underlying mechanisms. This has established the molecular foundation of ATO plus ATRA therapy. Currently, ATO plus ATRA has also been widely used in clinical practice.

Objective: To systematically review the efficacy and safety of arsenic trioxide (ATO) in treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Methods: The Cochrane Library (Issue 1, 2009), Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (from 1970 to January 2009), MEDLINE (from 1978 to October 2008), EMBASE (from 1950 to March 2009), Chinese Biological Medical Literature Database (from 1978 to December 2008), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI, from 1994 to December 2008), and China Medical Academic Conference Database (from 1994 to December 2008) were electronically searched. We also searched the Meta-Register of controlled trials, Conference Proceedings of American Society of Hematology (from 1946 to December 2008) and Conference Proceedings of American Society of Clinical Oncology (from 1946 to December 2008) on the internet for grey literature. The related journals in the library of Third Military Medical University were hand-searched. The randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of ATO in treatment of APL were included. We adopted complete remission, overall survival rate, disease free survival rate, time to complete remission, relapse rate, mortality and adverse reactions as outcome indicators. Data were entered and analyzed with the Cochrane review manager software 5.0 (RevMan 5.0). Results: After merger of the included trials, five eligible RCTs with 328 cases were included. All the RCTs focused on the comparison of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) plus ATO regimen with ATRA monotherapy. Meta-analysis showed that the effect indexes for time to complete remission, two-year disease free survival rate, relapse rate, incidence of edema and incidence rate of QT interval prolongation were -1.20 [-1.68, -0.72], 8.64 [1.66,45.00], 0.21 [0.09,0.47], 4.16 [1.46,11.79] and 22.10 [2.75,177.49], respectively. The influences on other outcome indicators such as complete remission and leukocytosis were statistically non-significant. Conclusion: ATO can prolong disease free survival and reduce the time to complete remission and relapse rate of newly diagnosed APL patients, and increase the incidence of edema and prolongation of corrected QT interval during the treatment. Due to limitation of the included trials, this conclusion needs to be validated by further studies.

Objective To assess the clinical significance of three-dimensional speckle tracking imaging (3D-STI) in the evaluation of left ventricular myocardial function in breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy.Methods A total of 51 breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy were recruited and 31 female healthy volunteers as the controls.Conventional echocardiography and 3D-STI derived parameters [including global longitudinal strain (GLS) and global area strain (GAS)] were measured before and at 3 and 6 anthracycline-based chemotherapeutic cycles.The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve was constructed to determine optimal sensitivity and specificity of 3ID-STI derived parameters for the prediction of future cardiotoxicity.Results In comparison with the controls and baseline cases,GLS and GAS deteriorated significantly (P ＜ 0.05 for both).No statistical difference in GCS and conventional parameters showed before and after the initiation of chemotherapy (P ＜0.05,respectively).The ROC curves showed that GAS as the best 3D-STI predictor of patients who develop cardiotoxicity during the follow-up.The area under ROC(AUC) of GAS was 0.894,and its optimal cut-off value was-28.4％,with a specificity of 88.0％ and a sensitivity of 82.9％.AUC of GLS was 0.802,and its optimal cut-off value was-14.3％,with a specificity of 62.0％ and a sensitivity of 85.4％.Conclusions Early decreases in GAS and GLS based on 3D-STI may allow the prediction of subsequent cardiotoxic development accurately in breast cancer survivors with postoperative anthracycline-based chemotherapy.

Objective To determine the in vitro effects of the traditional Chinese medicines, berberine, matrine and baicalin, on the proliferation and lipid synthesis of human immortalized sebocyte SZ95, and to investigate their possible mechanisms of action on sebaceous glands at the cellular level. Methods Inverted microscopy was used to observe cell morphology and determine toxic concentrations of the compounds. The MTT method was adopted to examine the effects of different concentrations of berberine, matrine and baicalin on SZ95 cell proliferation after 24 h, 48 h and 72 h of incubation. Lipid contents in the SZ95 cells were labeled with Nile red and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results The toxic concentrations were 1?10-3 mol/L, 1?10-4 mol/L, 1?10-3 mol/L for baicalin, berberine and matrine, respectively. Berberine reduced sebocyte proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner, with an inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) of 2.9?10-5 mol/L and 1.4?10-5 mol/L after 48 h and 72 h of incubation, respectively. When the concentration of matrine was 0.05). Lipogenesis of SZ95 cells showed a 26.9% increase with 1?10-3 mol/L matrine. Conclusions Our results indicate that berberine and baicalin can inhibit proliferation and lipid synthesis of SZ95 sebocytes in vitro, which suggests a possible clinical role in treating acne.

AIM: To clarify the effect of the specific sodium-hydrogen antiporter HOE642 on ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) injury including apoptosis, and the relationship between its effect and the time of HOE642 administration. METHODS: The isolated rat heart model were randomly divided into group A and B. Furthermore, the rat hearts in group A were divided into four subgroups including I/R, HOE-Pr+I/R, HOE-Is+I/R and HOE-Re, also the rat hearts in group B were divided into the following subgroups including control, I/R and HOE642+I/R. The LVDP, LVEDP, arrythmia coronary flow and the enzymatic activity in myocardium were measured in group A, and TUNEL method was applied to probe apoptosis in group B. RESLUTS: It was found that the LVEDP, arrythmias and the enzymatic activity including CK-MB and LDH were significantly lower in group HOE-Pr+I/R than that in group I/R, while the LVDP was obviously higher in HOE-Pr+I/R than that in I/R. The administration of HOE642 during ischemia could decrease LVEDP, arrythmias and enzymatic activity in myocardium, but not the LVDP. Furthermore, the results showed that HOE642 could inhibit apoptosis induced by ischemic/reperfusion injury. CONCLUSIONS: HOE642 is an effective cardio-protector in case of ischemic/reperfusion injury especially when it is applied before ischemia. The inhibition of apoptosis might be involved in the mechanisms underlying the protective effect of HOE642.

Objective To investigate the influence of a multifaceted stroke telehome-care (THC) on extremities function, activities of daily living (ADL) and quality of life in stroke patients with hemiplegia. Methods A total of 52 stroke survivors in department of neurology were randomized to the THC intervention or usual care. The patients in the control group received conventional care, while those in the intervention group were additionally given a THC program over 3 months. The THC intervention includes motor imagery and adaptive strategies. Data collection was undertaken using the Fugl-Meyer Motor Assessment Scale (FMA), the Barthel Index (BI), the Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Results At baseline, the scores of FMA, BI, and SIS in the intervention group were 53.62 ± 23.52, 54.04 ± 17.44, 179.96 ± 28.51, and while the scores of the control group were 50.96 ± 19.52, 49.46 ± 15.09, 169.23 ± 28.48. There were no pre-existing differences on any scale between the two groups (t=0.443, 1.012, 1.358, P > 0.05). At 3 months, the scores of FMA, BI, SIS in the control group were 53.54 ± 17.45, 50.77 ± 14.47, 76.19 ± 27.78, and were significantly lower than 78.38 ± 12.54, 74.62 ± 11.22, 228.54±22.63 in the THC group (t=5.895, 6.641, 7.449,P<0.01). At 6 months, the scores of FMA, BI, SIS in the control group were 57.88±17.89, 59.08±13.85, 183.92±26.56, and were significantly lower than 90.58 ± 9.60, 86.54 ± 9.88, 252.19 ± 20.10 in the THC group (t=8.211, 8.233, 10.451, P < 0.01). Conclusions A telehome-care program that provide distance training and education of disabled persons resulted in greater improvements in physical functioning, ADL and quality of life.

Objective To compare the efficacy and safety of arsenic trioxide ( ATO) with all-trans retinoic acid ( ATRA) for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia ( APL) . Methods We searched the database of Cochrane Library ( Issue 1,2009) ,CENTRAL ( 1970 to 2009) ,Medline ( 1978 to 2008) ,EMBASE ( 1950 to 2009) ,CBM ( 1978 to 2008) ,CNKI ( 1994 to 2008) and CMAC ( 1994 to 2008) . We also searched the Meta register,Conference Proceedings of American Society of Hematology ( 1946 to 2008) and American Society of Clinical Oncology ( 2004 to 2008) on the internet for grey literature. We had searched the related journals in the library of Third Military Medical University,too. We included randomized controlled trials which compared ATO with ATRA for the treatment of APL. We adopt complete remission rate,overall survival rate, disease-free survival rate,time to complete remission,relapse rate,mortality and adverse reactions as result indicators. Data were entered and analyzed with the Cochrane review manager software ( Revman 5. 0) . Results Four eligible randomized controlled trials ( RCTs) were included ( n =243) . All the RCTs were methodologically graded as B. They all are focusing on the comparison of ATO monotherapy with ATRA monotherapy in treating newly diagnosed APL patients. Meta analysis showed that effect index for complete remission,2-year disease-free survival,time to complete remission,relapse rate and mortality was 0. 96 ( 0. 50,1. 86) ,2. 76 ( 0.71,10.66) ,-1.30 d ( -1.83,-0.78) ,0.86 ( 0.45,1.63) ,and 1.15 ( 0.45,2.95) ,respectively. All indicated no statistically significant difference. Effect index for incidence of liver dysfunction was 3. 03 ( 1. 25, 7. 37) ,which showed statistically significant difference between ATO group and ATRA group. Conclusion ATO is not superior to ATRA in treating newly diagnosed APL patients regarding complete remission,diseasefree survival rate,time to complete remission,relapse rate and mortality. What is worse,it will increase the incidence of liver dysfunction during treatment. Due to limitation of included trials,this conclusion need to be validated by further studies.