OBJECTIVETo search for a more effective penetration needling method for peripheral facial paralysis.

METHODSThe patients were divided into a treatment group and a control group according to visiting sequence. The treatment group of 50 cases were treated with Yangbai (GB 14)-through-Touwei (ST 8), Yangbai (a little above the original point)-through-Shangxing (GV 23), Sizhukong (TE 23)-through-Yuyao (EX-HN 4), Qianzheng-through-Yingxiang (LI 20), Dicang (ST 4)-through-Jiache (ST 6) and Jiache-through-Yingxiang, at an angle about 45 degrees between the penetration needling direction and local paralysis muscle bundle, and the control group (n=45) with Yangbai-through-Yuyao, Zanzhu (BL 2)-through-Yuyao, Dicang-through-Jiache, Jiache-through-Dicang, Qianzheng-through-Dicang, Sibai (ST 2)-through-Yingxiang.

RESULTSThe cured rate and the cured and markedly effective rate were 76.0% and 92.0% in the treatment group, and 55.6% and 75.6% in the control group respectively, with significant differences between the two groups in the cured rate, the cured and markedly effective rate and the therapeutic times for cure.

CONCLUSIONThe penetration needling method at an angle about 45 degrees between the penetration needling and paralysis muscle bundle is more beneficial to recovery of facial paralysis.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Facial Paralysis ; therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Objective To summarize the clinical characteristics and diagnosis and treatment of hemangioma of small intestine in children.Methods Location,pathology,clinical manifestation,diagnosis and treatment of 3 cases from our hospital and 44 cases reported in our courtry with hemangioma of the small bowel were analyzed from 1994 to 2004.Results These tumors locating in jejunum,ileum,duodenum as well as parts small intestine were 31.9%,42.6%,4.2% and 21.3%,respectively.Solitary and multiple tumors were 29.8% and 70.2% separately.The histopatholical report of 10 cases revealed that capillary,cavernous,mixed type hemangioma and hematolymphangioma were 2,6,1 and 1 cases,respectively.Thirty nine children presented with recurrent black stool.Five patients manifest in the form of intussusception.One child passed a bloody stool so massive as to cause shock.Small-bowel obstruction occurred in 5 cases.The hemoglobin of 38 patients were lower than 90 g/L.The incidence of preoperative diagnosis was only 10.6%.All of patients were performed operation.Conclusions The frequent locations of hemangioma of small intestine are in ileum and jejunum,and multiple tumors are common.The diseases are characterized as recurrent hematochezia with painlessness.Preoperative diagnosis of a small bowel hemangioma can be very difficult.The segments of small bowel with hemangioma resection are the most method of the treatment.

Objective To summarize the clinical features,neuroimaging findings and pathological characteristics of demyelinating pseudotumors(DPT)of the brain,and to differentiate it from glioma. Methods The clinical features,neuroimaging findings and pathological characteristics of 35 patients with demyelinating pseudotumors of the brain were summarized,and the diagnosis for 18 of them was confirmed by bioscopy.Results Demyelinating pseudotumors affected adults of both sexes.The onset age of patients ranged from 9 to 69 years old.There was no definite antecedent,and the clinical syndromes were atypical. Neuroimaging scans showed multiple lesions in cerebral hemisphere,while the lesion in brain stem and spinal cord was single.The symptom and neuroimaging were not parallel.While with many or large lesions, the symptoms and signs were less.The lesions were not enhanced on CT scan,but appeared round or patch enhancement on MRI scan.Nine patients with DWI all appeared high density.The myelin basic protein was useful for diagnosis.The typical pathological changes were demyelination,perivascular inflammatory infiltration and reactive gliosis.The Creutzfeuldt cells were also found in these patients.The lesions might become small or disappear after treatment,but could not serve as the criterion to exclude brain neoplasm. Conclusions DPT is a distinct demyelination disease entity,which is confusable with brain neoplasm.It is difficult to distinguish DPT from brain neoplasm with the clinical features and conventional neuroimaging scan.But DWI scan is useful.The pathological changes accord with demyelination,and Creutzfeuldt cells are also found.It is important to apply corticosteroid treatment or biopsy rather than being anxious to excise the lesions.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the three-dimensional ultrasound locatization in endoscopic thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter (MG). METHOD: Thirty two patients with MG underwent ET via bilateral areolar approach. Preoperative ultrasonography were used to locate lesions and marked in the 3-D map designed by us. Dur ing ET procedure, surgery skills were adopted to expose inferior pole of thyroid, glands in the area of Berry ligament or (and) upper pole were retained according to the preoperative location map. RESULT: According to the preoperative ultrasonic orientation, 3 lobectomy were performed in 15 cases of unilateral lesions, 12 subtotal thyroidectomy were performed in 17 cases of bilateral lesions, and 5 patients performed unilateral lobectomy add partial thyroidectomy. All patients had successful ET using bilateral areola approach. No conversions to open surgery, no complication occurred, and no nodules were found missing in the postoperative ultrasonography examinations. CONCLUSION Preoperative ultrasonic orientation and intraoperative operating skills are contributing to a successful ET for MG.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy ; methods ; Female ; Goiter, Nodular ; diagnostic imaging ; surgery ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thyroidectomy ; methods ; Ultrasonography ; Young Adult

Objective: To study the recombinant epitope antigens of hepatitis C virus (HCV), in order to fulfil the requirements of recombinant immunoblot assay kit. Methods: An expressing vector pBVIL1 for expression of recombinant antigens in a fusion manner with IL-1β was constructed. A series of selected genes from the HCV antigens including the C, NS3, NS4 and NS5 were amplified from HCV gene-containing plasmids using PCR and the expression plasmids for these genes were constructed in pBVIL1, respectively. The activity of the purified recombinant antigens were tested against an identified HCV antibody positive and negative panel with ELISA. Results and Conclusions: All the cloned genes of chosen antigen epitopes were highly expressed in pBVIL1 in E.coli. The activity of the C and NS4 antigens were slightly higher than the RIBA3.0 antigens, while the activity of NS3 was slightly lower than the RIBA3.0 antigen. But the total evaluation for the panel was same as RIBA3.0. That means the cloned antigens were suitable for the use in RIBA test kit.

OBJECTIVETo observe the therapeutic effects on pricking blood along meridians combined with electroacupuncture for treatment of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

METHODSOne hundred cases were randomly divided into an observation group (50 cases) and a control group (50 cases). The observation group was treated with pricking blood along meridians combined with electroacupuncture. The main points for pricking blood were collaterals with blood stasis around Weizhong (BL 40) on the affected side, and collaterals with blood stasis on corresponding meridians such as Foot Shaoyang Meridian, Foot Taiyang Meridian and Foot Yangming Meridian according to body parts syndrome differentiation could also be used. The points for electroacupuncture included Ashi point (1 cun away from the spinal space of segmental lesions), Dachangshu (BL 25), Guanyuanshu (BL 26), Zhibian (BL 54), Huantiao (GB 30) and so on. The control group was only treated with electroacupuncture and treatment was same as the observation group. The therapeutic effects and scores of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) of two groups were compared.

RESULTSThe cured rate of observation group (68.0%, 34/50) was higher than that of control group (46.0%, 23/50, P < 0.05). The cured and markedly effective rate of observation group (92.0%, 46/50) was also higher than that of control group (74.0%, 37/50, P < 0.05). The scores of VAS after treatment in both groups decreased obviously (both P < 0.01), and the decreasing degree of VAS in observation group was more obvious than that in control group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONPricking blood along meridians combined with electroacupuncture has outstanding effect for treatment of prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Aged ; Bloodletting ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Electroacupuncture ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; therapy ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Meridians ; Middle Aged ; Pain Measurement ; Young Adult

Flavonol synthase (FLS) is one of the key enzymes in flavonoids metabolic pathways. In this study, middle sequence was obtained from Carthamus tinctorius transcriptome sequencing results. Full-length cDNAs of FLS was cloned from petals of C. tinctorius to FLS by using RT-PCR and RACE technology. Its full-length cDNA was 1,201 bp, with an open reading frame of 1,101 bp and 336 encoded amino acids. The phylogenetic analysis showed that, FLS gene encoded amino acids in C. tinctorius were highly homologous with amino acids in congeneric Compositae species, especially Rudbeckia laciniata. The pBASTA-FLS plant expression vector was successfully built by the molecular biology method, which lays a foundation for further studying biology functions of the gene and biosynthesis mechanism of flavonoids.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Carthamus tinctorius ; classification ; enzymology ; genetics ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary ; genetics ; metabolism ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Open Reading Frames ; Oxidoreductases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Phylogeny ; Plant Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo prepare and characterize monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the recombinant nucleocapsid (N) protein of 3 human coronaviruses SARS-CoV, 229E and OC43 and study the antigenic relationship between the 3 N proteins.

METHODSBALB/c mice were immunized with the recombinant N proteins of SARS-CoV, 229E and OC43 to obtain the mAbs by means of hybridoma. Screening and identification of the mAbs were performed using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence assay. Cross-reactivity between the N proteins of the 3 coronaviruses was analyzed with the prepared mAbs.

RESULTSThe mAbs against the recombinant N proteins of SARS-CoV, 229E and OC43 were obtained, which reacted specifically with the corresponding viral N protein as shown by indirect ELISA, Western blotting and indirect immunofluorescence assay. No cross-reactivity was found between the 3 N proteins.

CONCLUSIONThe prepared mAbs against the recombinant N proteins may provide valuable assistance in studying antigenic relationships of N proteins between the 3 human coronaviruses.

Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; immunology ; Blotting, Western ; Coronavirus 229E, Human ; genetics ; immunology ; Coronavirus OC43, Human ; genetics ; immunology ; Cross Reactions ; immunology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Nucleocapsid Proteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Recombinant Proteins ; immunology ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; immunology

OBJECTIVETo investigate the distribution of tetracycline-arginine-glycine-aspartate-tyrosine (T-RGDY) in mice and its effect on bone.

METHODS125-labeled T-RGDY was studied for its distribution in mice and for its effects on bone by histomorphometry in ovariectomized rats.

RESULTSThe 125I-labeled T-RGDY was more concentrated in the osteoporotic bone than in the normal bone. Compared with ovariectomy group, the morphologic index such as trabecular bone volume/total tissue volume (TBV/TTV), TBV/sponge bone volume (SBV), and mean trabecular plate thickness (MTPT) in T-RGDY group significantly increased (P < 0.05). As compared with sham operation group, MTPT significantly increased in T-RGDY group (P < 0.05), while TBV/SBV and mean trabecular plate density significantly decreased (P < 0.05), and TBV/TYV and mean trabecular plate spacing were almost the same as those in sham operation group (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONT-RGDY may concentrate in bone tissue to a certain degree, which is closely related with the status of bone remodeling. T-RGDY may inhibit the bone loss caused by ovariectomy.

Animals ; Bone Density ; drug effects ; Bone Remodeling ; drug effects ; Female ; Mice ; Oligopeptides ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Osteoporosis ; metabolism ; prevention & control ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tetracycline ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology ; Tissue Distribution ; Tyrosine ; pharmacokinetics ; pharmacology

Animals ; Cadherins ; metabolism ; Catenins ; metabolism ; Estradiol ; pharmacology ; Estrogen Receptor Modulators ; pharmacology ; Female ; Ovariectomy ; Rats ; Uterus ; drug effects ; metabolism