Nowadays more and more attention has been paid to the problems about housing and health in China. Some investigations showed that people spent almost fourteen hours in their homes every day so the houses become the major places of daily activities. It is very important to solve the problems of what is the relation between the housing and health and how the housing influences the health of the people living in it. In the present paper the author summarized the overseas and domestic researches on the housing and health and pointed out that the research on housing and health in China is just in the preliminary phase.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and adverse effects of letrozole for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with bone raetastases. Methods: Thity-six breast cancer patients with bone metstases received 2. 5 mg tablet letrozole every day. for at least two months. Results: In the 36 patients who were evaluable for efficacy and toxicity, the complete response rate (CR) , partial response rate ( PR) , disease stabilization rate ( SD) and progressive disease rate ( PD) were respectively 5.5% , 22. 2% , 55. 5% and 16. 6% . The clinical benefit rate ( CR + PR + SD ≥ 6 months ) was 58. 3% (21/36) with 11 patients (30. 5%) having SD for at least 6 months . Conclusions: Letrozole is a well tolerated agent with reasonable efficacy but low toxicity for postmenopausal breast cancer patients with bone metastases.

Adult ; Female ; Hamartoma ; complications ; pathology ; Humans ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome ; complications ; pathology ; Polyps ; complications ; pathology

Objective:To assess the clinical efficacy of abdominal acupuncture for subhealth insomnia.Methods:Eighty-two cases of subhealth insomnia were randomly divided into an observation group (41 cases) and a control group (41 cases).The control group was treated with conventional acupuncture.The observation group was treated with Bo's abdominal acupuncture on the basis of conventional acupuncture.Six treatments constituted one treatment course.The measuring scale of traditional Chinese medicine syndrome for subhealth state (MSSSHS) and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) scores were compared between the two groups after two courses,to estimate the efficacy of abdominal acupuncture for subhealth insomnia.Results:One case dropped out from the observation group,while 2 cases dropped out from the control group.The MSSSHS score and PSQI score both declined after the treatment in the two groups (all P＜0.05).The MSSSHS and PSQI scores in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group (both P＜0.05).Conclusion:The abdominal acupuncture is effective for subhealth insomnia,and it can enhance the effect of conventional acupuncture.

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kidney Diseases, Cystic ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Kidney Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Translocation, Genetic

There are reports about the chemical compounds of Ciwujia herbs, but with no study report about the chemical material basis of Ciwujia injection (CWJI). In this study, LC-MS(n) and LC-Q-TOF-MS techniques were adopted for a qualitative analysis on phenylpropanoids in CWJI. The Ultmate XB-C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 microm) was adopted and eluted with the mobile phase of 0.5% formic acid-water and acetonitrile, with the flow rate at 0.8 mL x min(-1) and the column temperature at 20 degrees C. Based on the data of high-resolution and multi-stage MS, control products and literatures, altogether 54 phenylpropanoids were identified in Ciwujia Injection, including 34 phenylpropanoids, 16 ligans and 4 coumarins. Among them, 28 were reported for the first time in Ciwujia, and 14 compound structures were identified in comparison with the control products. The method established in this study could be used to simply and rapidly identify phenylpropanoids in CWJI. The findings provide scientific data for defining the chemical material basis of CWJI.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Eleutherococcus ; chemistry ; Mass Spectrometry ; methods ; Molecular Structure

Hirudin is one of the most potent anti-coagulant protein ever found, and its C-terminus is a key domain for inhibiting thrombin.In order to enhance its specificity,a novel anti-coagulant protein was constructed via fusing the C-terminus of hirudin to Annexin V, which was expected to sustain both anti coagulant activity and phorspholipid affinity. The structure of the designed protein was predicted with both molecular mechanics and dynamics. Molecular dynamics was adopted to simulate the docking interaction between the fusion protein and thrombin. The results showed the inhibitory activity of the fusion protein to thrombin.

Objective To compare the therapeutic effect of inhaled aerosolized and intravenous milrinone,a phosphodiesterase-3 inhibitor in rats with oleic acid-induced acute lung injury (ALI) .Methods Forty male SD rats weighing 300-350 g were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=10 each) : group Ⅰ normal control: group Ⅱ ALI; group Ⅲ milfinone inhalation and group Ⅳ intravenous milrinone.The animals were anesthetized with intraperitoneal 2% pentobarbital 40 mg/kg,tracheostomized and mechanically ventilated (FiO2 30%,VT 10 ml/kg,RR 80 bpm,I:E=1:2).The chest was opened and the heart was exposed.Pulmonary artery was catheterized via fight ventricle.MAP,CVP,airway pressure and pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) were monitored.ALI was induced with 10% oleic acid 2 ml/kg administered through fight external jugular vein in group Ⅱ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ.In control group 0.1% BSA solution 2 ml/kg was administered iv instead of oleic acid.In group Ⅲ at 30 min after oleic acid administration aerosolized milrinone 1 mg/ml was inhaled 4 times at 60 min interval.Each time milrinone was inhaled for 10 min.In group Ⅳ at 30 min after oleic acid administration a bolus of 10 μg/kg milrinone was given iv followed by 10 min milrinone infusion at 1 μ·kg-1·min-1.The same procedure was repeated 4 times at 60 min interval.MAP and PAP were recorded and blood samples were taken from carotid artery and pulmonary artery for blood gas analysis at the 1st,2nd,3rd and 4th treatment.PaO2/FiO2 and Qs/Qt were calculated.The animals were sacrificed by exsanguination after the 4th treatment.The lungs were removed.The left lung was lavaged.Neutrophil count and protein content in broncho-alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined.W/D lung weight ratio and lung myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity were measured.The uhrastructure of the lung was examined with electron microscope.Results The MAP was significantly lower after oleic acid adminstration in group Ⅳ than in other 3 groups.PaO2/FiO2 was significantly decreased and Qs/Qt increased by iv oleic acid in group Ⅱ ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ.PAP was significantly increased after iv oleic acid in group Ⅱ ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ but was significantly lower in group Ⅲ and Ⅳ than in group Ⅱ .The neutrophil count and total protein content in BALF,W/D ratio and lung MPO activity were significantly increased in group Ⅱ ,Ⅲ and Ⅳ as compared with control group(Ⅰ) and were significantly higher in group Ⅳ than in group Ⅲ.The lung damage induced by oleic acid was less serious in group Ⅲ and Ⅳ than in group Ⅱ .Conclusion Inhaled aerosoLized milrinone has better therapeutic effect than intravenous milrinone in rats with oleic acid-induced ALI and is safer.

Xuefu Zhuyu decoction (XFZYD) is a famous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) formula, is widely used in the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in China over one hundred years. But its effect on antioxidant and drug-metabolizing enzymes are unknown. This study was to observe the effects of Xuefu Zhuyu decoction (XFZYD) on the activities of antioxidant and drug metabolism enzymes (DMEs) in liver of rats. Male SD rats, treated with XFZYD at the dosage of 3.51, 7.02 and 14.04 g x kg(-1) per day for 15 days, serum were collected, tissue fluid, cytosols and microsomes isolated from liver tissues were prepared by centrifugation according to the standard procedure, the activities of antioxidant enzymes and drug-Metabolizing Enzymes were determined by UV-V is spectrophotometer. In serum, the activities of AST was not significantly affected by the treatment with XFZYD, at the high- est dose, the levels of ALT, Cr and BUN were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). GPX were significantly increased at the dose of 7.02, 14.04 g x kg(-1) (P < 0.05), CAT were significantly increased at the highest dose (P < 0.05). T-SOD was not significantly af- fected by this treatment. In the liver tissue, GPX was significantly increased at the dose of 3.51, 7.02 g x kg(-1) (P < 0.05), GST, CAT and T-SOD were not significantly affected following this treatment. In cytosols, GST was significantly increased at the dose of 3.51 g x kg(-1) (P < 0.05), T-SOD was remarkable induced at the dose of 3.51 and 7.02 g x kg(-1) (P < 0.05). In microsomes, XFZYD had no significant effect on Cytochromeb5, NADPH-Cytochrome P450 reductase, CYP3A, CYP2E1 and UGT, XFZYD significantly in- duced GST at the dose of 3.51 and 7.02 g x kg(-1) (P < 0.05), and the level of GSH were significantly increased by XFZYD at the dose of 3.51, 7.02 and 14.04 g kg(-1) (P < 0.05). These findings suggest XFZYD can induce the activities of GPX, CAT, SOD, GST and increase GSH level in liver of rats, which indicate XFZYD may have detoxification and antioxidant functions.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Inactivation, Metabolic ; drug effects ; Liver ; drug effects ; enzymology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To investigate the effects of CD24 on CCl4-induced murine liver fibrosis and to analyze the possible molecular mechanism.Methods Wild type (WT) and CD24 knockout (CD24-/-) C57BL/6 mice were treated with CCl4 through intraperitoneal injection.Levels of ALT in serum samples were detected and liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) to assess liver tissue injury.Sirius Red staining was used to observe liver fibrosis.Real-time PCR was performed to detect the expression of α-SMA (α-smooth muscle actin), Col1a1 (Collagen, typeⅠ, alpha 1), TGF-β1 (transforming growth factor-β1) and CD24 at mRNA level in liver tissues.Western blot was performed to analyze the expression of α-SMA and Col1a1 at protein level.Flow cytometry analysis was used to detect the macrophages in liver tissues.ELISA was used to detect the expression of TGF-β1 in the culture supernatants of M1 and M2 macrophages.Results The expression of CD24 at both mRNA and protein levels were up-regulated in mice with CCl4-induced liver fibrosis.HE staining showed that liver inflammation in CD24-/-mice was more severe than that in WT mice after treated with CCl4.Sirius Red staining of paraffin-embadded liver sections revealed that compared with WT mice, CD24-/-mice presented with more severe liver fibrosis.Moreover, α-SMA and Col1a1, indicators of liver fibrosis, in CD24-/-mice were significantly higher than those in WT mice.Flow cytometry analysis showed that murine hepatic macrophages significantly increased in CD24-/-mice than in WT mice following CCl4 treatment.Real-time PCR analysis also confirmed that significantly enhanced expression of TGF-β1 at mRNA level in liver tissues was observed in CD24-/-mice than in WT mice.TGF-β1 secreted in the culture supernatant of M2 macrophages derived from CD24-/-mice group was more than that of the WT mice group.No significant difference in TGF-β1 secretion in culture supernatant of M1 macrophages was observed between the two groups.Conclusion Taken together, these data suggest that CD24 plays an important role in attenuating CCl4-induced chronic inflammation and hepatic fibrosis in mice.The mechanism of CD24 in alleviating liver fibrosis might be through regulating intrahepatic macrophages, inhibiting the secretion of TGF-β1 by M2 macrophages and suppressing the activation of hepatic stellate cells.