Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of heat-sensitive moxibustion for adjuvant treatment of depression in Parkinson disease and explore its mechanism. Methods: A total of 80 patients with Parkinson disease coupled with depression were randomized into an observation group and a control group, with 40 cases in each group. The control group was treated with levodopa and benserazide hydrochloride tablets and paroxetine tablets, while the observation group was treated with heat-sensitive moxibustion on the basis of the medications in the control group. The treatment course was 2 months. The Hamilton depression scale-17 (HAMD-17), unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS) and Parkinson's disease quality of life questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39) were scored before and after the treatment, and the efficacy was evaluated after treatment. Levels of patients' serum dopamine (DA), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were detected before and after the treatment. Results: After treatment, the total effective rate of the observation group was higher than that of the control group (P<0.05). The HAMD-17 scores in the two groups decreased significantly after treatment (both P<0.05), and the score in the observation group was obviously lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). The component scores and total scores of UPDRS in both groups decreased significantly (all P<0.05), and the scores in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05). The score of PDQ-39 in the observation group decreased significantly (P<0.05), and was lower than that in the control group (P<0.05). After treatment, the serum DA and 5-HT levels in the observation group increased significantly (both P<0.05) and the TNF-α and IL-6 levels decreased significantly (both P<0.05), which were statistically different from those in the control group (all P<0.05). Conclusion: Heat-sensitive moxibustion has certain auxiliary effect in treating depression in Parkinson disease, significantly improving clinical symptoms and the quality of life, which may be related to the up-regulation of DA and 5-HT levels and down-regulation of TNF-α and IL-6 levels.

OBJECTIVETo observe the changes of electrocardiogram (ECG) and pregnancy outcome of the late pregnancy women.

METHODSLate pregnancy women were divided into two groups by age: over 35 group and under 35 group. The incidence of abnormal electrocardiogram was recorded when the patients were subjected to routine ECG examination. Then the pregnancy, delivery outcome and if there's low birth weight newborn were recorded later.

RESULTSThe incidence of abnormal ECG in over 35 group was significantly higher than that in under 35 group (P < 0.05). And the incidence of ST segment changes, arrhythmia in the group of former was higher than that in the group of latter (P < 0.05). Among the different type of arrhythmia, the incidence of sinus bradycardia and ventricular premature beat in the group of former were higher than those in the group of latter (P < 0.05). But the incidence of sinus tachycardia in the former group was obviously lower than that in the latter group (P < 0.05). The incidence of pregnancy loss in over 35 with abnormal ECG group was significantly higher than that in under 35 with normal or abnormal ECG groups (P < 0.05). The incidence of premature birth in over 35 with abnormal ECG group was significantly higher than that in over 35 with normal ECG group (P < 0.05). The incidence of low body weight in over 35 with abnormal ECG group was significantly higher than that in under 35 with normal ECG group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe late pregnancy women with the age of over 35 are more likely to have ECG abnormalities, such as arrhythmia, myocardial ischemia and so on. The older pregnant women with abnormal ECG easily suffer from pregnancy losing, premature birth and having a low birth weight baby.

Adult ; Age Factors ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; epidemiology ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo analyze the fungal composition in Massa Medicata Fermentata based on culture dependent method and independent PCR-SSCP technique.

METHODFungi were directly isolated from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. The obtained strains were identified according to morphology and DNA sequence. Meanwhile the total fungal DNA was extracted from Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, the cultural independent PCR-SSCP technique based on β-tubulin gene were used to identify the mycobiota.

RESULTAccording to cultural method, Aspergillus flavus and Rhizopus oryzae were present in Massa Medicata Fermentata samples, while A. flavus and A. niger were present in fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples. In contrast, 5 species were obtained by PCR-SSCP technique, A. flavus was overlapped with fungal taxa derived from culture dependent method; A. ambiguu and A. s ivoriensis were dominant with relative abundance of 57% and 35% respectively, while the relative abundance of A. flavus was as low as 4%. None species was obtained from fried Massa Medicata Fermentata samples.

CONCLUSIONPCR-SSCP based on β-tubulin gene could distinguish fungi into species, culture dependent method combined with culture independent method could better understand the fungal composition associated with Massa Medicata Fermentata fermentation.

Fermentation ; Fungi ; isolation & purification ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; methods ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Tubulin ; genetics

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of physicochemical properties of drug on its permeability through buccal mucosa.

METHODSBenzoic acid, caffeine and hydrocortisone were selected as model drugs and their permeability coefficients through isolated porcine buccal mucosa were determined.

RESULTThe permeability coefficients of benzoic acid, caffeine and hydrocortisone through isolated porcine buccal mucosa were (1.01 x 10(-4)+/-1.64 x 10(-5))cm.s(-1)ì(2.75 x 10(-5)+/-1.79 x 10(-6))cm.s(-1) and (2.49 x 10(-5)+/-6.32 x 10(-6))cm.s(-1), which were 14,989 and 389 times as those through human skin, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe permeability of drugs through buccal mucosa seems to be much better than that through human skin.

Animals ; Benzoic Acid ; pharmacokinetics ; Caffeine ; pharmacokinetics ; Hydrocortisone ; pharmacokinetics ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mouth Mucosa ; metabolism ; Permeability ; drug effects ; Swine

This thesis aimed at the Bacillus natto TK-1 screened out from Natto.The lipopeptide was purified using Thin-Layer Chromatography(TLC),and investigated its anti-tumor activity.After acid precipitation and methanol extraction,the lipopeptide was separated on TLC.Then the authors get the monomer surfactin which molecular weight is 1036Da through the High performance liquid chromatography(HPLC),electro spray ionization-mass spectrometry(ESI-MS) and infrared(IR).MTT method was implied to testify the anti-tumor activity of the purified sample from TLC.The results indicated a concentration and time-dependent relationships.After 48h,their IC50 were 40 mg/L.The detection with inverted microscope fluorescence microscope displays that the surfactin will cause a series of Morphological changes to the cells.In TUNEL experiment,the authors noticed that surfactin has the ability to induce apoptosis,besides this inhibition shows an obvious time-dependent relationship.

The study was to develop cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum(DDP)-loaded formulations using a novel type of self-assembled compound composed of block copolymers synthesized by poly(?-glutamic acid)(?-PGA).For the potential of targeting liver cancer cells,D-galactose was conjugated on the prepared ?-PGA.In vitro,DDP can be released from the resulting conjugate in PBS:there was a burst release during the first 8 h,then followed by sustained release.DDP could be easily incorporated into poly(?-glutamic acid)-D-galactose esterifiable derivative through a covalent bond.The yield of DDP incorporation into the esterifiable derivative was 9.4%～10.2%.In vitro experiments conclusively established that the poly(?-glutamic acid)-D-galactose esterifiable derivative-Cisplatin Complex Compound(?-D+-DDP)was much less toxic to normal cell lines than DDP only.The surviving rate of cells treated with ?-D+-DDP compound is higher than those treated with free DDP.Also it has obvious antitumor efficiency on human liver tumor BEL-7402 cells.HE staining indicated that the ?-D+-DDP compound make the BEL-7402 apoptosis.These results indicated that the conjugation of DDP to the esterifiable derivative reduced its cytotoxicity activity,but retains its antitumor activity in vitro.In conclusion,the ?-D+-DDP compound could be used as a potential clinic antitumor drug.The ?-PGA obtained by fermentation can be used as a valuable drug carrier system.

DDP could be easily incorporated into poly (?-glutamic acid)-D-galactose esterifiable derivative through a covalent bond. The yield of DDP incorporation into the ?-PGA was 9.4%～10.2%. The DDP was released in the initial 8h in a burst manner,and thereafter in a sustained manner. The results that the conjugation of DDP to poly (?-glutamic acid)-D-galactose esterifiable derivative not only reduced the toxicity of the DDP but also enhanced antitumor activity and the targeting ability. The vivo experiments conclusively established that the ?-D+-DDP compound was much less toxic to animals than DDP alone. A direct evaluation showed that mice treated with ?-D+-DDP compound at a dose of 7.5 mg/kg displayed significant tumor regression. Furthermore,the implanted solid tumors disappeared completely from 35% of the H22 tumor-bearing mice after ?-D+-DDP compound administration. The aforementioned results of biodistributions of the prepared ?-D+-DDP compound in various organs in normal mice demonstrated that the ?-D+-DDP compound had a specific interaction with liver's parenchymal cells and H22 hepatocellular carcinoma tumor cells via ligand receptor recognition. In conclusion,the results indicated that the ?-D+-DDP compound prepared can effectively target the site of hepatoma tumor via the recognition and significantly reduce its size. The ?-D+-DDP compound was less toxic than the free DDP,and could effectively reduce xenografted H22 hepatocellular carcinoma cells in KM mice and prolong the survival of KM mice grafted with H22 hepatocellular carcinoma tumor cells. Therefore,the prepared ?-D+-DDP compound may be used as a potential drug delivery system for the targeted delivery to liver cancers or other liver diseases.

Objective To investigate the potential role of CD4+CD25high in the generation of juvenile idiopathic arthritis(JIA).Methods Expression of CD4 and CD25 on T cells in peripheral blood and synovial fluid were examined by flow cytometry,and the FoxP3 expression was detected through intracellular staining.Peripheral blood from 7 healthy children matched in age and gender served as normal control.Results Compared with normal control,there were increased number of CD4+CD25high T cell in JIA synovial fluid which expressed high level FoxP3,but decreased number in peripheral blood.Conclusion Accumulation of natural regulatory T cells in local tissue of JIA may contribute to the pathological process of such disease.

Objective • To explore the features of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) image of adrenal cortical adenoma and cortical hyperplasia nodules (size greater than 10 mm) and its diagnostic value. Methods • Fifty cases of adrenal cortical adenoma and 22 cases of cortical hyperplasia nodules which were confirmed by pathology were retrospectively analyzed. The conventional ultrasound and CEUS features were recorded, including the size, border, arrival time, peak time, wash-out time, enhancement degree [hypo, hyper (iso-)], enhancement pattern (peripheral to central, overall, and nonspecific), etc. Results • There was no significant differences between two groups among conventional ultrasonic features. Multi-parameters of CEUS images analysis results showed that the wash-out time of cortical adenomas were significantly longer than the cortical hyperplasia nodules (P=0.002), the under area of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was 0.694, had the 75.7% sensitivity and 53.3% specificity with the cutoff of 42 s. Conclusion • There is no significant difference between the adrenal cortical adenoma and cortex hyperplasia nodules in CEUS pattern, but it still can provide certain information for differentiation.

OBJECTIVETo observe the effectiveness and safety of external applying Compound Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F. (TwHF) in relieving joint pain in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients.

METHODSIn this double-blinded, randomized multicenter trial, a total of 174 moderately active RA patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the treatment group (treated with Compound TwHF, 87 cases) and the placebo control group (87 cases). Compound TwHF or placebo was externally applied in painful joints, 20 g each time, once per day for 8 weeks. Self-reported joint pain relief was taken as a primary effective indicator. Visual analogue scale for pain (VAS), disease activity score of 28 joints (DAS28), VAS for general health (GH) were evaluated before treatment, at week 4 and after treatment. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and hypersensitive C reactive protein (hs-CRP) were tested before and after treatment. Menstrual changes in females were observed during treatment. Skin irritation occurred during the recording process was assessed using skin irritation strength. Intention to treat (ITT) was statistically analyzed.

RESULTSThe joint pain relief rate in the treatment group was 90.8% (79/87 cases), higher than that in the placebo control group (69.0%, 60/87 cases; P = 0.001). VAS pain score, DAS28, VAS for GH score were significantly improved in the two groups at week 4 of treatment and after treatment, as compared with before treatment (P < 0.01). ESR and hs-CRP levels significantly decreased in the treatment group after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). No difference was found in post-treatment VAS pain score, DAS28, VAS for GH score, ESR, or hs-CRP between the two groups (P > 0.05). Eight adverse events occurred in the treatment group (5 skin allergy, 1 intolerance of medical odor, and 2 mild liver injury), while 3 adverse events occurred in the placebo control group (2 skin allergy, 1 mild liver injury). There was no statistical difference in adverse event between the two groups (P > 0.05). No menstrual change occurred in the treatment group.

CONCLUSIONExternal applying Compound TwHF was an effective and safe way to relieve-joint pain of RA patients, which could be taken as an adjuvant therapy.

Arthralgia ; drug therapy ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; drug therapy ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Phytotherapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Tripterygium