Adult ; Endocarditis, Bacterial ; complications ; diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; diagnosis ; etiology

Objective To assesse the quality of life of patients after cardiac pacemaker implantation using the Chinese version of SF-36.Methods Ninety-eight patients with permanent cardiac pacemaker implantation were investigated before and after the operation in terms of quality of life by using the Chinese version SF-36.Results Successful surgery was performed on all the 98 patients.The previous symptoms of the patients were improved to vari- ous extend after the operation.The quality of life of the patients was significantly improved after operation as demon- strated by the significant difference of the scores in 9 domains of SF-36 when compared with those before the operation (P

Objective To explore the clinical characteristics and treatment of Caroli′s disease in children.Methods The clinical data,laboratory examination and radiological feature of 8 children with Caroli′s disease between Feb.1998 and Dec.2007 were analyzed retrospectively.All children underwent CT and abdominal ultrasonogram.Results Five cases of the 8 children were male and 3 cases were female.The mean age was 6.3 years old.The cases′ history were from 5 days to 4 months.The clinical symptoms showed that 3 cases had hematemesis,5 cases had hepatosplenomegaly,and 1 case had fever and turbid urine.Of the total 8 cases,5 cases were hepatic fibrosis and liver cirrhosis and hepatosplenomegaly,3 cases were portal hypertension,and 1 case had cholangitis.The other 3 cases were simple types.One case had infantile polycystic kidney disease.Laboratory analysis revealed 2 cases had dysfunction of liver and 1 dysfunction of renal.The imaging characteristics showed multiplied irregular dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts in enlarged liver,with central dot sign on CT scan.One case presented enlarged gastroesophageal vein.The 8 cases undertook conservative treatment,with no surgery.Conclusions The symptoms of Caroli′s disease are highly variable.Caroli′s disease should be focused especially on children with abdominal pain and hepatomegaly.CT is important for diagnosis of Caroli′s disease at earlier stage.The disease can be conservatively treated,and(or) surgically operated.

Formula granule of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been characterized as a safe medication with the advantages of accurate dosage and easy to carry.In this study,references over current status of the development of TCM formula granule were retrieved,so were those of the market situation and its application to intelligent pharmacy of TCM.Then the key problems restricting the development of the application of TCM granules were discussed,in hope of providing a reference for the development and its application to the intelligent pharmacy of TCM.

To observe the effects of total flavones of Metasequoia glyptostroboides Hu et Cheng (TFM) on volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy and the expression of c-Fos protein in rat. Methods　Volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy of rat was induced by aortocaval shunts. The rats were given ig TFM (400, 40 and 4 mg/kg/d). c-Fos protein in the ventricles were measured by immunocytochemical study. Results　TFM at the above dosage decreased heart weight and contents of RNA and protein in the myocardium, inhibited the expression of c-Fos protein in the ventricles. Conclusion　TFM can prevent volume-overload cardiac hypertrophy in rats. The inhibitory effects on the expression of c-Fos protein may be its mechanism in the molecular level.

The dosage-efficacy/toxicity relationship of the 50% alcohol extracts of Polygonum multiflorum was comparatively investigated on either normal or CCl4-induced chronic liver injury rats, by determining the general condition, serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology, coupled with the factor analysis. The dosages were 10 and 20 g raw materials per kg body weight. Compared with the normal control group, the normal high dose group showed significant increases of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well the frequent incidences of inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic sinus enlargement and fiber stripes formation in histopathological sections. Compared with the model control group, the model low dose group showed significant declines of serum ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST) and total bile acid (TBA) (P < 0.05), as well the alleviation of vacuoles of hepatocytes, but no amelioration of the inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia; moreover, the model high dose group showed significant degeneration declines of serum HMGB-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well the evident alleviation of vacuoles degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis degree. The factor analysis showed that the low dosage treatment had almost neither injuring effect on the normal rats nor protective effect on the model rats; while the high dosage treatment showed observable injuring effect on the normal rats, expressed by the significant increases of the factor-1 (HMGB-1, TNF-α and IL-1β as the main contributors) and factor-2 (TBIL, ALT and TBA as the main contributors) relative to the normal control group. The liver protective effect of the high dosage treatment could be observed with the significant reduction of the factor-1, indicating the effective alleviation of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, it could illustrated the phenomenon of symptom-based prescription theory of Polygonum multiflorum on rat livers: the high dosage of the herb had either an injuring effect on normal rats, or a therapeutic effect on the rats with chronic liver injury.

To explore the growth and development and analyze the quality of the parthenocarpy fruit induced by exogenous hormones of Siraitia grosvenorii. the horizontal and vertical diameter, volume of the fruit were respectively measured by morphological and the content of endogenous hormones were determined by ELISA. The size and seed and content of mogrosides of mature fruit were determined. The results showed that the fruit of parthenocarpy was seedless and its growth and development is similar to the diploid fruit by hand pollination and triploid fruit by hand pollination or hormones. But the absolute value of horizontal and vertical diameter, volume of parthenocarpy fruit was less than those of fruit by hand pollination, while triploid was opposite. The content of IAA, ABA and ratio of ABA/GA was obviously wavy. At 0-30 d the content of IAA and ABA of parthenocarpy fruit first reduced then increased, content of IAA and GA parthenocarpy fruit was higher than that of fruit by hand pollination. Mogrosides of parthenocarpy fruit was close to pollination fruit. Hormones can induce S. grosvenorii parthenocarpy to get seedless fruit and the fruit shape and size and quality is close to normal diploid fruit by hand pollination and better than triploid fruit by hormone or hand pollination.
Cucurbitaceae ; chemistry ; drug effects ; genetics ; growth & development ; Diploidy ; Fruit ; chemistry ; genetics ; growth & development ; Plant Growth Regulators ; pharmacology

The dosage-efficacy/toxicity relationship of the 50% alcohol extracts of Polygonum multiflorum was comparatively investigated on either normal or CCl4-induced chronic liver injury rats, by determining the general condition, serum biochemical indices and liver histopathology, coupled with the factor analysis. The dosages were 10 and 20 g raw materials per kg body weight. Compared with the normal control group, the normal high dose group showed significant increases of the serum alanine transaminase (ALT), total bilirubin (TBIL), high mobility group box 1 (HMGB-1) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), as well the frequent incidences of inflammatory cell infiltration, hepatic sinus enlargement and fiber stripes formation in histopathological sections. Compared with the model control group, the model low dose group showed significant declines of serum ALT, aspartate transaminase (AST) and total bile acid (TBA) (P < 0.05), as well the alleviation of vacuoles of hepatocytes, but no amelioration of the inflammatory cell infiltration and fibrous tissue hyperplasia; moreover, the model high dose group showed significant degeneration declines of serum HMGB-1, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-1β (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), as well the evident alleviation of vacuoles degeneration of hepatocytes, inflammatory cells infiltration and fibrosis degree. The factor analysis showed that the low dosage treatment had almost neither injuring effect on the normal rats nor protective effect on the model rats; while the high dosage treatment showed observable injuring effect on the normal rats, expressed by the significant increases of the factor-1 (HMGB-1, TNF-α and IL-1β as the main contributors) and factor-2 (TBIL, ALT and TBA as the main contributors) relative to the normal control group. The liver protective effect of the high dosage treatment could be observed with the significant reduction of the factor-1, indicating the effective alleviation of the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In conclusion, it could illustrated the phenomenon of symptom-based prescription theory of Polygonum multiflorum on rat livers: the high dosage of the herb had either an injuring effect on normal rats, or a therapeutic effect on the rats with chronic liver injury.
Alanine Transaminase ; blood ; Animals ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; blood ; Bile Acids and Salts ; metabolism ; Bilirubin ; blood ; Chemical and Drug Induced Liver Injury ; drug therapy ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Fallopia multiflora ; chemistry ; HMGB1 Protein ; metabolism ; Hepatocytes ; drug effects ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Liver ; drug effects ; pathology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Objective To find the changes of haemagglutination inhibition ( HI ) antibody level against A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) within one month after pandemic A/H1N1 influenza vaccine (A/H1N1InfV) vaccination, and to provide data for drawing up immunization protocols against novel influenza . Methods The HI antibodies against A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) in sera from the inoculated subjects were tested by HI test .The geometric mean titer ( GMT) , geometric mean increase ( GMI) , seroconversion (SC) rate, seroprotection (SP) rate of HI antibodies were compared among the sera collected on day 3, 7, 14, 30 post vaccination .Results 961 participants were injected with A/H1N1InfV.In subjects aged 3 to 11 years, the antibody level peaked on day 14 post vaccination, but neither on day 14 nor on day 30, the lower bound of the two -sided 95%CI for the SP rate could fulfill the criteria of the FDA for influenza vac-cine.In subjects aged 12 to 60 years, the antibody level peaked on day 14 post vaccination and the SC rate , SP rate and GMI fulfilled the criteria of the European Medicines Agency ( EMEA) and the FDA for influenza vaccine. In subjects aged more than 60 years, the antibody level peaked on day 30 post vaccination , and the SC rate, SP rate and GMI on day 30 fulfilled the criteria of the EMEA and the FDA .Conclusion One dose A/H1N1InfV vaccination was able to induce enough protection on day 14 for subjects aged 12 to 60 years, on day 30 for subjects aged more than 60 years;however , for subjects aged 3 to 11 years who were antibody-negative at baseline , the lower bound of the two-sided 95%CI for the SP rate on day 14 and day 30 couldn′t fulfill the criteria of the FDA for influenza vaccine .

The present study evaluated the effect of non-thermal plasma on skin wound healing in BalB/c mice. Two 6-mm wounds along the both sides of the spine were created on the back of each mouse (n=80) by using a punch biopsy. The mice were assigned randomly into two groups, with 40 animals in each group: a non-thermal plasma group in which the mice were treated with the non-thermal plasma; a control group in which the mice were left to heal naturally. Wound healing was evaluated on postoperative days (POD) 4, 7, 10 and 14 (n=5 per group in each POD) by percentage of wound closure. The mice was euthanized on POD 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28 and 35 (n=1 in each POD). The wounds were removed, routinely fixed, paraffin-embedded, sectioned and HE-stained. A modified scoring system was used to evaluate the wounds. The results showed that acute inflammation peaked on POD 4 in non-thermal plasma group, earlier than in control group in which acute inflammation reached a peak on POD 7, and the acute inflammation scores were much lower in non-thermal group than in control group on POD 7 (P<0.05). The amount of granular tissue was greater on POD 4 and 7 in non-thermal group than in control group (P<0.05). The re-epithelialization score and the neovasularization score were increased significantly in non-thermal group when compared with control group on POD 7 and 10 (P<0.05 for all). The count of bacterial colonies was 10(3) CFU/mL on POD 4 and <20 CFU/mL on POD 7, significantly lower than that in control group (10(9) CFU/mL on POD 4 and >10(12) CFU/mL on the POD 7) (P<0.05). It was suggested that the non-thermal plasma facilitates the wound healing by suppressing bacterial colonization.