Objective: To investigate the effect of Qihuang herbal warm bag on primary dysmenorrhea. Methods: Thirty-two patients with primary dysmenorrhea were selected as subjects and treated by compression with the herbal warm bag for two months. The curative effect was evaluated, and prostaglandin F2a(PGF2a) and β-endorphin(β-EP) were measured before and after treatment. Results: The herbal warm bag had positive effects on dysmenorrhea at different degrees and could decrease the contents of blood PGF2a and β-EP. Conclusion: The herbal warm bag is quite effective for primary dysmenorrhea possibly by decreasing serum PGF2a and increasing serum β-EP.

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease. It covers a spectrum of liver diseases that range from hepatic steatosis to steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. The increase in its prevalence is linked to obesity and type 2 diabetes. More evidence shows a relation between overgrowth of gut microbiota with NAFLD and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Recently, many studies indicate that probiotics have very good effcts on improving NAFLD. Probiotics have been seen as a new way of treating NAFLD. But probiotics as treatment of NAFLD still need substantiation through more trials with a larger sample size and with longer-term clinical follow-up. Therefore, the research progress in probiotics treatment on animal experiments and clinical trials in NAFLD is reviewed in order to further understand the role of probiotics treatment, and provide the basis for the treatment of NAFLD.

Objective To investigate the effect of bicyclol on liver tissue proliferation in mice with tetracycline-induced fatty liver. Methods Fifty ICR mice were randomly assigned into 5 groups (10 each): normal group (control), tetracycline 6h group, bicyclol 6h group, tetracycline 24h group and bicyclol 24h group. Mice in the two bicyclol groups received bicyclol (300mg/ kg) by gavage for 3 times in 12h interval, meanwhile, those in the other groups received the equal amount of forming agents. Tetracycline (200mg/kg) was then injected intraperitoneally to the mice in bicyclol groups and tetracycline groups 1h after the last dose of bicyclol, and mice in control group received equal amount and pH of saline. The liver issues and blood samples from eyes were collected 6h and 24h after tetracycline injection for detection of the corresponding indicators. RT-PCR was performed to detect the gene expression of proliferation index (PCNA, cyclin D1 and c-myc), Western blotting was performed to detect the expression of Cyclin D1 in liver tissue, and immunohistochemistry was employed to detect the expression of PCNA and c-myc proteins. Results The expression level of PCNA gene 6h after tetracycline injection in mice of tetracycline group was 43% of that in control group, meanwhile the expression of protein also reduced obviously. Bicyclol remarkably inhibited the decrease of PCNA gene and protein expressions at early time (6h) of fatty liver. In addition, the expression of cyclin D1 gene in tetracycline 24h group was 59%, and the expression of c-myc was 5.7 folds of that in control group. Bicyclol remarkably up-regulated the gene expressions of cyclin D1 and c-myc 6h after tetracycline injection, and up-regulated the protein expression of cyclin D1 24h after tetracycline injection. Conclusion Bicyclol can enhance hepatocyte proliferation of mice with tetracycline-induced fatty liver by up-regulation of PCNA, cyclin D1 and c-myc expression.

Objective To analyze the electrocardiography(ECG)data of pressure overload-induced cardiac hy pertrophy rats.Methods Pressure overload cardiac hypertrophy was induced by abdominal aorta constriction. Echocardiogram and heart weight measurement demonstrated the occurrence of cardiac hypertrophy.Standardized ECG parameters of limb and chest were measured and statistically analyzed.Results Two weeks after hypertrophy models were established,echocardiogram showed greater LVPWTd,IVSTd,LVDd.ECG showed that left axis deviation and higher R waves in V_A,V_B,V_C(P

0.05). Conclusion The elimination half-life of magnesium isoglycyrrhizinate in patients with chronic hepatic impairment is 27 h,and the regiment of 100 mg once a day is recommended.

A 77-year-old man was admitted to our hospital at July 5th,2010 with an unexplained massive pericardial effusion for 10 years.With dyspnea for one month and normal vital signs without pulsus paradoxus,other physical examination included a small amount of moist rale,normal heart sounds,jugular vein engorgement,positive hepatojugular reflux,hepatosplenomegaly and pitting edema of the extremities.The patient had a complex past history with lymph node tuberculosis,primary artertial hypertension,polycythernia vera,chronic renal insufficiency and hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis),and moreover,received a high dose radiation of 31p in 1967. Family history is negative.The patient had no cardiac tamponade or pericardial constriction during 10 years,he received pericardiocentesis twice,and pericardial effusion was exudative with a high proportion of monocyte.There was no evidences of tuberculosis infection,hypothyroidism,malignant tumor,severe heart failure,uremia,trauma,severe bacterial or fungus infection,chronic myeloid leukemia or bone marrow fibrosis during the admission. The patient refused anti tuberculosis,indwelling catheter drainage or surgical therapy.In this rare case,the aetiology of chronic massive pericardial effusion is most probably chronic idiopathic recurrent pericarditis.

Objective To observe the effects of ischemic postconditioning (IPTC) on myocardial infarction sizes (IS) and protein kinase Cα (PKCα) expression in aged rats with post-ischemia reperfusion injury,and to explore the mechanism.Methods A total of 120 male Wistar rats were divided into aged group and adult group.The aged group was randomly divided into control group (n=12,30-min ischemia and 3-h reperfusion),5 s,10 s,30 s and 60 s IPTC groups [n= 12,each;after 30 min occlusion of left coronary artery (LCA),three cycles of 5 s,10 s,30 s,60 s reperfusion respectively followed by the same interval LCA re-occlusion were applied at the beginning of reperfusion].The IS was measured with TTC dye,and PKC expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry.Results Different IPTC intervals had different effects on IS and PKC expression,10 s and 30 s IPTC could reduce IS both in aged rats and adult rats [(55.9±6.0)% and (47.4±5.5)%],IS in 10 s IPTC group in aged rats was (48.1±5.3)%,in adult rats was (39.2±5.7) %;IS in 30 s IPTC group in aged rats was (48.8 ± 6.8) %,in adult rats was (40.2 ± 6.1 ) %.PKCα expression increased in aged and adult rats (all P<0.05).5 s IPTC could increase IS [IS in 5 s IPTC group in aged rats was (63.5±5.4)%,and PKCα expression reduced in aged rats (all P<0.05)].Conclusions IPTC has cardio-protective effect in aged rats suffering from acute myocardial injury during reperfusion,the effect of IPTC is related to reperfusion-reocclusion interval.

Objective To evaluate a new system,Vitek 2 Compact,for antimicrobial susceptibility testing(AST)of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria.Methods Eighty-nine clinical isolates of Peking Union Medical College Hospital,including 48 gram-negative strains and 41 gram-positive strains,and 66 reference strains kept in our laboratory,including 41 gram-negative strains and 25 gram-positive strains, were studied.The antimicrobial susceptibility of these strains were tested by Vitek 2 Compact with AST- GN09(for gram-negative bacteria),AST-P536(for Staphylococci),AST-P534(for Enterococci and S.agalactiae),and AST-P533(for S.pneumoniae)susceptibility cards.The Etest was used as the reference method for comparision.Thirty-two ESBL-producing strains assessed with the confirmatory tests for ESBLs of CLSI(16 strains of them had been confirmed by PCR amplified and sequencing)were detected for ESBLs by Vitek 2 Compact.Results According to the breakpoints of Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI),for the 1 626 microorganism-antibiotic combinations,Vitek 2 Compact gave 90.83% strains with category agreement(CA),4.91% strains with very major errors(VME),2.09% strains with major errors (ME),6.40% minor errors(MIE).The AST for more than 90% of Enterobacteriaceae,nonfermenting bacteria,micrococci and streptococci were completed within 11h,13h,11h and 12h,respectively.The ESBLs tests for thirty-two strains by V-itek 2 Compact are all positive.Conclusions Vitek 2 Compact system can give rapid,reliable and reproducible result with high sensitivity and specificity in assessment of antimicrobial susceptibility testing for clinically relevant gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria,and would become a powerful tool in clinical microbiology laboratory.

Objective To investigate the effects of iodine excess on mitochondrial superoxide production and mitoehondrial membrane potential(△ψ)changes in Fisher rat thyroid cell line(FRTL)cells.Methods FRTL cells were treated with 10-4mol/L potassium iodine(KI),10 U/L thyrotropin(TSH),10-4 mol/L KI+10 U/L TSH respectively for 24 h.Effects on cell proliferation were assayed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium(MTT)colorimetric method.Changes of mitochondrial superoxide production and △ψ were measured by live cell imaging and spectrofluorometer using MitoSOX and rhodamine 123(rh123)respectively.Results Absorbance(A)in the KI group (0.794±0.144)showed a significant decline compared to the control group(1.000 ±0.183,P<0.05),whereas a significant elevation was observed in the TSH group(1.215±0.156,P<0.05).No significant differences was found between the KI+TSH group(1.025±0.254)and the control group(P>0.05),but the former was marked higher than the KI group(P<0.05).Compared to the control group(9.74±3.24).MitoSOX mean fluorescence intensity (MFI)in the KI and KI+TSH groups(18.16±6.57,13.33±2.92)were significantly increased(all P<0.05),which was a significant decline in the TSH group(6.64±2.15,P<0.05).MitoSOX MFI in the KI+TSH group was lower than the KI group(P<0.05).Rh123 MFI in the KI and KI+TSH groups(210 593±31 328,295 525±34 243)showed significant decline than the control group(407 824±37 198,all P<0.05).Compared with the KI group.the KI+TSH group pronouncedly attenuated the reduction of Rh 123 MFI(P<0.05).No significant differences of Rh 123 MFI were found between the TSH group(411 187 ± 72 852) and the control group(P > 0.05). Conclusion Iodine excess (10-4 mol/L KI) may lead to peroxide damage on the mitochondria of FRTL cells, and cell proliferation is inhibited. Combining treatment with 10 U/L TSH may attenuate mitochondrial peroxide damage and inhibition of cell proliferation caused by iodine excess.

OBJECTIVETo study the radiosensitizing effect of resveratrol on hypopharyngeal carcinoma cell line FADU in vitro.

METHODSHypopharyngeal carcinoma cell line FADU was cultured in in vitro DMEM. Its inhibition on cell proliferation was detected using cytotoxicity test (MTT assay). The cell survival curve was drawn using clone formation to obtain sensitive enhancement ratio (SER). Changes of the cell cycle and cell apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry (FCM).

RESULTSResults of MTT showed the inhibition of resveratrol on FADU cells increased along with its concentrations (P < 0.05). Results of clone formation indicated the surviving fraction at 2 Gy (SF2) was 0.717 ± 0.062 in the irradiation group, and 0.426 ± 0.035 in the resveratrol plus irradiation group (with SER ranged 1.684 ± 0.178) with statistical difference (P = 0.007). Results of FCM showed that after radiation of 4 Gy radiation, cells at G2/M phase arrest increased, but cells at G1 decreased. After radiation of resveratrol for 24 h, cells at G1 decreased, but cells at G2/M phase and S phase arrest increased. When 4 Gy radiation combined resveratrol was used, cells at G2/M phase arrest significantly increased, but cells at G1 significantly decreased. The apoptosis rate was 1.94% ± 1.65% in the control group, 4.56% ± 0.92% in the irradiation group, 2.03% ± 1.46% in the resveratrol group, and 23.11% ± 7.22% in the resveratrol plus irradiation group. There was statistical difference between the resveratrol plus irradiation group and the rest 3 groups (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONResveratrol could enhance the radiosensitivity of hypopharyngeal carcinoma FADU cells in vitro possibly by inducing cell apoptosis and causing changes in the cell cycle distribution.

Apoptosis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Cycle ; drug effects ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Hypopharyngeal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Radiation Tolerance ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; therapeutic use ; Stilbenes ; therapeutic use