Functional targets are the objects that Chinese herbal medicines act directly upon. If the relationships between the properties of Chinese herbs and their functional targets were analyzed clearly, it would benefit the overall understanding of the holistic mechanisms of Chinese herbal treatments. In this paper, data regarding the properties of Chinese herbs and their functional targets were collected from the 2005 edition of The People's Republic of China Pharmacopoeia. After analyzing and assessing the data, the relationships were defined between the four qi, meridian entry and medicinal functional targets and between the four qi, five flavors and mode of function. Then the relationships between a single herbal medicine and a prescription were analyzed, and the results conformed with the traditional knowledge of Chinese herbal nature and efficacy. This demonstrated that the holistic mechanisms of the properties of Chinese herbs adhere to the findings, which may be beneficial for the development and compatibility of Chinese herbal medicines.

Objective To explore the mechanism of neuropmtective effects of puerarin for the treatment of acute spinal ischenia-reperfusion injury in a rat model.Methods Acute spinal ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced via aortic occlusion in 28 male Sprague-Dawley rats.The animals were randomly divided into four groups,as follows:group negative contrast (NC sham operation),group positive control group (IR+ S ischemia/reperfusion + saline),group puerarin (IR+P ischemia/reperfusion + puerarin),group mscovitine (IR+R ischemia/reperfusion + roscovitine).The motor function,spinal infarction volume,apoptosis indices,and CDK5 and P25 activities were examined.Results Spinal ischemia-reperfusion caused the injury of the spines and was associated with motor deficit,elevation of CDK5 and P25 activities,and increase in the spinal apoptosis and spinal infarction volume.Puerarin improved motor function and decreased apoptosis,spinal infarction volume,and CDK5 and P25 activities.Conclusion The findings of the present study indicated that puerarin treatment-mediated reduction of spinal injury was associated with the inhibition of CDK5 and P25,and that the inhibition was one among the neuroprotective mechanisms of puerarin against acute ischemia/reperfusioninduced spinal injury in rats.

Objective To investigate the risk factors of pulmonary fungal infection in intensive care unit(ICU),and discuss the strategy of prevention and treatment.Methods Forty children with pulmonary fungal infection in ICU of Wuhan Children's Hospital from Jan.2003 to Jan.2007 were analyzed retrospectively,including primarily diseases,application of antibiotics,adrenal cortical hormone and virulence operation,therapy and turnover.Results All children were accepted the therapies of broad spectrum antibiotics and glucocorticoids for long time before definite diagnosis of pulmonary fungal infection.Seventy-five percent children were received invasive operations or therapies.Their average time of stayed in hospital was 37.8 d.The clinical symptoms and imaging examinations were untypical.Blastomyces albicans was the main pathogen.After the antifungal agents and supportive treatment used in time,35 cases(87.5%) were cured and 5 cases(12.5%) died.Conclusions The major risk factors of children pulmonary fungal infection are long-time use of broad spectrum antibiotics and glucocorticoids.The pulmonary fungal infection can decrease by rational use of broad spectrum antibiotics and glucocorticoids,decreasing the unnecessary invasive operations,strengthening the supportive therapies of micro-ecosystem,and applying the antifungal agents in time.

0.05).But after the treatment,there were significant increases in pa(O2),SaO2 and PCIS(Pa0.05).Conclusions Early application of hyperoxia liquid could decrease multiple organ anoxia and the damage of lipid peroxidation.It has obviously protective effects on multiple organ damage during ischemic reperfusion in infants with muggy syndrome.

Cartilage ; diagnostic imaging ; Ectodermal Dysplasia ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Radiography

OBJECTIVETo observe therapeutic effects of locking titanium plate for the treatment of comminuted proximal humeral fracture in elderly.

METHODSFrom June 2011 to May 2013, 72 elderly patients with comminuted proximal humeral- fractures were divided into locking titanium plate group and anatomical plate group, 36 cases in each group. In locking titanium plate group, there were 16 males and 20 females aged from 60 to 79 years old with an average of (69.55±5.62) years old; 10 cases were type Neer II, 18 were type Neer III and 8 cases were type Neer IV in accordance with Neer classification; treated with locking titanium plate. In anatomical plate group, there were 15 males and 21 females aged from 60 to 81 years old with an average of (69.76±5.70) years old; 9 cases were type Neer II, 20 were type Neer III and 7 cases were type Neer IV; and treated with anatomical plate. Clinical effects, preoperative and postoperative Neer scoring, operative time, bone healing time and incidence of complications between two groups were compared.

RESULTSAll patients were followed up from 1 to 3 years with an average of 15 months. The excellent and good rate of locking titanium plate group (91.7%) was significantly higher than anatomical plate group (75.0%). Postoperative Neer score of two groups were improved obviously, but locking titanium plate group (92.51±7.85) was higher than anatomical plate group (83.64±8.56); there was no significant differences between two groups in operative time (P>0.05); bone healing time in locking titanium plate was (18.6±3.4) weeks, and shorter than anatomical plate group (24.3±3.9) weeks; incidence of complications in locking titanium plate was (5.6%) shorter than anatomical plate group (22.2%), and had obviously differences between two groups.

CONCLUSIONLocking titanium plate for the treatment of comminuted proximal humeral fracture in elderly plays an important role in good rate, bone healing time and Neer score. It has advantages of early rehabilitation exercise, less shoulder pain, rapid recovery of shoulder joint, less complications, safe and effective, and be worthy of clinical application, especially for senile osteoporosis patients.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bone Plates ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Fractures, Comminuted ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Shoulder Fractures ; surgery ; Titanium

Acute Disease ; Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; genetics ; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Leukemia ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vault Ribonucleoprotein Particles ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo explore the correlation of the gene polymorphisms of Toll-like receptor 2 ( TLR2) and TLR4 with the susceptibility and recurrence of condyloma acuminatum (CA).

METHODSUsing Snapshot, we detected the gene polymorphisms of TLR2 597(T/C), 1350(T/C), 15607(A/G), and 2258(G/A) and TLR4 896(A/G) and 1196(C/T) in the peripheral blood of 140 CA patients and 105 HPV-negative controls. We made comparisons between the CA patients and controls as well as between the cases of recurrent CA and those of non-recurrence at 6 months after treatment.

RESULTSThere were 72, 48, and 20 cases of genotype TT, TC, and CC of TLR2 597 (T/C), respectively, in the CA patients, as compared with 71, 31, and 3 cases in the controls. The gene frequency of mutant C was 31. 43% in the patients, significantly higher than 17.62% in the controls (χ2 = 12.04, P < 0.01), and it was 38.68% in the recurrent cases, remarkably higher than 27.01% in the non-recurrent cases (χ2 = 4.16, P < 0.05). There were 74, 49, and 17 cases of genotype TT, TC, and CC of TLR2 1350( T/C), respectively, in the CA patients, as compared with 73, 29, and 3 cases in the controls. The gene frequency of mutant C was 29. 64% in the patients, significantly higher than 16. 67% in the controls (χ2 =11.05, P < 0.01), and it was 36.79% in the recurrent cases, markedly higher than 25. 29% in the non-recurrent cases (χ2 = 4.18, P < 0.05). There were 44, 66, and 30 cases of genotype AA, AG, and GG of TLR2 15607(A/G), respectively, in the CA patients, as compared with 26, 58, and 21 cases in the controls. There was no significant difference in the gene frequencies of mutant G between the two groups (χ2 = 0.33, P > 0.05). No mutant genes of TLR2 2508 (G/A) or TLR4 896(A/G) and 1196(C/ T) were detected in either the CA patients or the controls. Linkage disequilibrium analysis showed a tight linkage between TLR2 597 (T/C) and 1350(T/C) (D' = 1, r2 = 0.93).

CONCLUSIONTLR2 597(T/C) is tightly linked to 1350(T/C), which is correlated with both the susceptibility and the recurrence of condyloma acuminatum.

Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Condylomata Acuminata ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genetic Linkage ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Genotype ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Recurrence ; Toll-Like Receptor 2 ; genetics ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of curcumin on the injury in hippocampal neurons and the expression of regulated upon activation nonnal T-cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) in hippocamp during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in rats with spontaneous hypertension (SH).

METHODSMale Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneous hypertension rats (SHR) were randomly divided into five groups (n = 6): sham group (W-Sham and S-Sham group), ischemia/reperfusion group (W-/R and S/R group), curcumin group (S-Cur group) . Each group was splitted into 5 subgroups of 3 h,12 h, 1 d, 3 d and 7 d according to the time interval before reperfusion. Global brain ischemia/reperfusion model was established by 4-VO method. Hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE staining) was used to observe the vertebral cell morphology in hippocampal CA1 region. Nissl staining was applied to detect the average density of cone cells in hippocampal CA1 region. The expression of RANTES in hippocamp was determined by ELISA. The behavior of the rats was evaluated at 7 days after reperfusion. Results: Compared with the sham group rats, the ability of learning and memory was significantly decreased in ischemia/reperfusion group rats, the number of injured neurons were greatly elevated , the protein expression levels of RANTES was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Compared with W-I/R group rats, the ability of learning and memory in S-I/R group rats was greatly reduced, the number of injured neurons increased extremely, the protein expression level of RANTES was significantly enhanced( P <0.05). The number of injured neurons declined significantly in S-Cur group rats, the ability to learn and remember of these rats was improved and the RANTES protein content decreased significantly (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSHR are more susceptible to ischemia/reperfusion induced hippocampal neuronal injury which may be improved by curcu min. Its underlying mechanism is possibly associated with the inhibition of RANTES protein expression level.

Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Chemokine CCL5 ; metabolism ; Cognition ; drug effects ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hypertension ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Male ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Rats ; Rats, Inbred SHR ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Reperfusion Injury ; metabolism

Objective To investigate changes in serum levels of antinuclear antibody(ANA), anti?double?stranded DNA(dsDNA)antibody and anti?extractable nuclear antigen(ENA)antibody before and after anti?tumor necrosis factor?α(TNF?α)therapy in psoriatic patients. Methods Clinical data obtained from 32 patients with psoriasis were analyzed retrospectively. Of the 32 patients, 13 received intravenous injection of 5 mg/Kg infliximab at week 0, 2, 6 for 3 sessions, then once every 8 weeks(infliximab group), while other 19 received subcutaneous injection of 25 mg etanercept twice every week(etanercept group). The treatments in the 2 groups both lasted more than 3 months. Serum levels of ANA, anti?dsDNA antibody and anti?ENA antibody and changes of clinical symptoms were detected and observed respectively before each treatment in the infliximab group, as well as every 3- 6 months in the etanercept group. The 75%reduction in psoriasis area and severity index(PASI75)and disease activity score of 28 joints(DAS28) were used to evaluate clinical efficacy. Serum levels of ANA, anti?dsDNA antibody and anti?ENA antibody were measured by indirect immunofluorescence(IIF)assay, Western blot analysis combined with enzyme?linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA), and Western blot analysis, respectively. Results After 3?month treatment, the 32 patients achieved clinical remission to different extents. Of 32 patients receiving anti?TNF?αtherapy, 7(21.9%)developed new autoantibodies. Concretely speaking, 4 patients in the infliximab group developed autoantibodies in 8.3 ± 5.1 months, including 3 cases positive for ANA and 3 for anti?ENA antibody. Three patients in the etanercept group developed autoantibodies in 9.0 ± 3.0 months, including 3 cases positive for ANA and 1 for anti?ENA antibody. Conclusion Partial patients with psoriasis may develop autoantibodies after anti?TNF?αtherapy.