OBJECTIVETo compare the difference in the efficacy between acupuncture and oral administration of trazodone and the expressions of neurotransmitters in patients of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire.

METHODSSeventy patients of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire were randomized into an observation group and a control group, 35 cases in each one. In the observation group, acupuncture therapy was adopted at Shenmen (HT 7), Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Hegu (LI 4), Taichong (LR 3), etc. The needles were retained for 20 min each time. The treatment was given once a day, the treatment of 2 weeks made one session. In the control group, trazodone, 100 mg, oral administration, once a day, the treatment of 2 weeks made one session. Two sessions were required in the two groups. The scores in Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Asberg rating scale for side effects (SERS), the levels of neurotransmitters such as 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT) and norepinephrine (NE) and the expressions of protein kinase C (PKC) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in peripheral blood were observed before and after treatment in the two groups.

RESULTSPSQI score and SERS score after treatment were all decreased compared with those in both groups before treatment (both P<0. 05). After treatment, PSQI score and SERS score in the observation group were lower apparently than those in the control group (both P<0. 05). After treatment NE content and PKC level were decreased; 5-HT content and BDNF mRNA were increased compared with those in both groups before treatment (all P<0. 05). NE content and PKC level in the observation group were lower apparently than those in the control group (both P<0. 05). The serum 5-HT content and BDNF mRNA expression in the observation group were higher than those in the control group separately (both P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture therapy improves the sleeping quality of patients of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire, and reduces serum NE level and increases 5-HT content and BDNF expression, which achieves the better efficacy as compared with the oral administration of trazodone. It is one of the effective approaches to the treatment of insomnia differentiated as liver stagnation transforming into fire.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; genetics ; metabolism ; Norepinephrine ; genetics ; metabolism ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; genetics ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To observe effect of Liqiao Yizhi Decoction (Decoction for inducing resuscitation to improve cognition) on mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Methods Treatment group (32 cases) was treated with Liqiao Yizhi Decoction,and the control group was treated by Piracetam. Memory,congnition and related scores of both groups were observed. Results Both groups were improved in the scores of cognition,memory and behavioral ability of MCI patients (P

Small RNA (miRNA) can regulate post-transcriptional level of mRNA. miRNA is closely related to the occurrence and development of a variety of human diseases such as gastric cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, liver cancer, etc. Many kinds of miRNAs in human cancers are significantly abnomadly expressed. miRNA can be regarded as a marker for many human cancers diagnosis.

This study was to investigate the inhibitory effects of single-chain variable fragment of alpha fetopro-tein (scFv-AFP)in combination with doxorubicin on the proliferation of human hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines Huh7.Huh7 cells were treated with different concentration of scFv-AFP or doxorubcin alone or their combi-nation.The inhibitory effects were detected by MTT assay,and cycle arrest and apoptosis of Huh7 cells were ana-lyzed by flow cytometry in different groups using PI and Annexin V /PI-staining respectively.Results showed that scFv-AFP,doxorubicin alone or in combinations dose-dependently inhibited the proliferation of Huh7,and a syn-ergistic effect was observed in their combined action.The combination treatment resulted in significantly higher apoptosis than those in other groups (P <0.05).scFv-AFP (40 μg/mL)markedly blocked the Huh7 cell pro-gression by arresting the cells in the G0 /G1 phase,and the percentage of cells in S phase decreased dramatically (P <0.05);and scFv-AFP combined with doxorubicin blocked the Huh7 cell progression by arresting the cells in G2 /Mphase (P <0.01).

ObjectiveTo explore the value of acupuncture in treating insomnia due to stagnated liverqi transforming into fire and its theoretical foundation, by observing the treatment effect of acupuncture in treating insomnia due to stagnated liverqi transforming into fire and its influence on 5-hydroxy tryptamine (5-HT) content.MethodTotally 187patients with insomnia due to stagnated liver qi transforming into fire were selected and randomized into two groups. The 93 cases in the control group were intervened by orally taking Trazodone, 100 mg for each dose, twice a day, 10 d as a course, totallyfor 2 courses; the 94 cases in the observation group were intervened by acupuncture at Shenmen (HT7), Baihui (GV20), Yintang (GV29), Hegu (LI 4), and Taichong (LR 3), once a day, 10 d as a treatment course, totally for 2 courses. Peripheral blood was collected from the two groups before and after intervention to detect the change of 5-HT content. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD, 24-item version), Asberg Rating Scale for Side Effects (SERS), and clinicalefficacies were assessed.ResultThe difference in 5-HT content between the two groups was statistically insignificant before intervention (P>0.05); 5-HT contents were significantly increased in both groups after intervention (P<0.05), while the content in the observation group was markedly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05); after treatment, the PSQI and HAMD scores were decreasedin both groups (P<0.05), while the PSQI, HAMD, and SERS scores in the observation group were markedly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05);the total effective rate was 92.6% in the observation group, significantly higher than 81,7% in the control group (P<0.05). ConclusionAcupuncture can significantly down-regulate 5-HT content in insomnia patients, and its total effective rate is higher than that of medication.

A series of new coumarin-based benzotriazole derivatives were successfully synthesized via a multi-step sequence of cyclization, etherification and N-alkylation, and were confirmed by 1H NMR, IR, MS spectra as well as elemental analyses. All these synthesized coumarin compounds were evaluated for in vitro antimicrobial activities against four Gram-positive bacteria, four Gram-negative bacteria and three fungi by two fold serial dilution technique. The bioactive assay showed that all these prepared coumarin benzotriazoles could inhibit the growth of the tested bacterial and fungal strains. Title compounds 11a-11e and 13a-13c were more active than chloromycin on Proteus vulgaris ATCC 6896. Coumarin benzotriazoles 11a and 11b displayed comparable antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923 and Micrococcus luteus ATCC 4698 in comparison with reference drug chloromycin. Compared to fluconazole, compounds 11a-11d displayed stronger inhibition on Aspergillus fumigatus ATCC 96918. Moreover, coumarin-based benzotriazoles in combination with antibacterial chloromycin or antifungal fluconazole, showed notable antimicrobial efficacy with less dosage and broader antimicrobial spectrum. More importantly, fluconazole-insensitive A. fumigatus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus N 315 (MRSA) were sensitive to these combined drugs.

Gastric cancer incidence is one of the most common malignancies in our country and is the second most common in the worldwide,clinic doctors always emphasize early diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer patients,in order to reduce the mortality,however,most patients' condition often have been in the late fall and these patients were badly in efficacy.Looking for a new diagnosis way is a medical prddem,with molecular biology advance and gene chips was improved,it is possible for the early screening of gastric cancer.This assay aims to briefly analyse the role of gene chips in the research progress of early gastric cancer.

Objective To observe the therapeutic effect of Shen Wu Guanxin Granules(SWGG),a prescription with the actions of tonifying kidney,strengthening Qi and activating blood,for angina pectoris(AP) due to coronary heart disease(CHD) with kidney deficiency and blood stasis.Methods Ninety patients with AP due to CHD with kidney deficiency and blood stasis were randomized into two groups according to the double-blind and double-dummy principles.The two groups received routine western medicine,and the treatment group(N=60) received SWGG and the control group(N=30) received Di'ao Xinxuekang Capsules additionally.The treatment lasted 4 weeks.After treatment,the therapeutic effect on AP and electrocardiogram(ECG) was evaluated,and the changes of main symptoms as well as the laboratory parameters were observed before and after treatment.Results In the treatment group,the total therapeutic effect on AP and ECG was 91.7% and 85.0% respectively,higher than 73.3% and 66.7% in the control group(P

Objective To evaluate peak left ventricular(LV) apical rotation velocity during early diastole by speckle tracking echocardiography in normal peopleand patients with myocardial hypertrophy because of hypertension. Methods Two dimensional images of left basal and apical ventricular short axis view were recorded in 20 healthy people and 20 patients with hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy(LVH). Rotation velocity-time curves of six segments in LV apex and base were obtained using Qlab software. The peak rotation velocity in early diastole of LV apex(A-Vel) and base (B-Vel) were acquired through Excel software. Results In LVH group,A-Vel was significantly decreased(P<0. 05) while B-Vel appeared no difference (P = 0.58) compared with healthy individuals. Conclusions Peak LV apical rotation velocity in early diastole can evaluate the change of LV diastolic function in patients with hypertension and LVH.

Zuckerkandl tubercle is the extension of thyriod gland. For the past few years, more and more surgeons and anatomists have become interested in it. Clinically, surgeons usually rely on specified anatomical landmarks to avoid injuries to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including the laryngeal branches and the superior parathyroid in thyroid surgery, such as the bottom corner of the thyroid cartilage, the inferior thyroid artery, lower pole of thyroid, tracheoesophageal groove, suspensory ligament of thyroid gland and so on. As the specified landmarks, they have several common characteristics:on the one hand, their location should be constant; on the other hand, they should be easy to observe and touch, meanwhile convenient and practical.As a new anatomical landmark, Zuckerkandl tubercle is in accordance with the above characteristics and prevalent in the population. Therefore, Zuckerkandl tubercle could become an important landmark to identify the the recurrent laryngeal nerve, including the laryngeal branches and the superior parathyroid in thyroid surgery. This essay aims to briefly analyze the role of Zuckerkandl tubercle in thyroid surgery.