Animals ; Calcium ; metabolism ; Cell Hypoxia ; Cells, Cultured ; Hippocampus ; cytology ; Neurons ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; omega-Conotoxins ; pharmacology

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; methods

Objective To develop a simple, rapid, accurate method to determine selenium in human hair. Methods Digested in the superior grade pure nitric acid, Ni(NO3)2?6H2O was used as the improver and the content of selenium in the hair samples was determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer. Results Under the designed standard conditions, the detection limit was 0.004 mg/L, in the range of 0.008-0.04 mg/L, the linearity relevance coefficient of absorbency and concentration was 0.996 9, the RSD was 3.7%. At the level of 0.01 mg/L, the recovery rates were 93.8%-98.8%. Conclusion The method is simple, rapid, accurate and is suitable for the determination of selenium in the hair.

Objective To determine the influence of total glucosides of paeony (TGP) on bone density, protein level of skeletal muscle and relative cytokine of osteoporotic rats. Methods Six-month-old SD rats were shamed as control (8 rats) or were ovariectomized (24 rats). The ovariectomized (16 rats) +TGP low dose and high dose group were treated with 50 mg/(kg?d) TGP and 150 mg/(kg?d) TGP respectively for 12 weeks. After the animals were sacrificed, IL-6, TNF-?, IGF-1, TGF-? in serum, protein level of skeletal muscle in right quadriceps femoris, and bone density of right femur and lumbar vertebra were determined. Results Compared with the ovariectomized group, the bone density and the protein level of skeletal muscle in TGP group increased significantly from the baseline (P

The directed molecular evolution of enzyme in vitro can not only improve the efficiency of evolution, but also evolve enzyme according to the investigator's desire. This review summed up the feasible methods of this novel technique.

OBJECTIVETo observe the correlation between constitution of yin deficiency syndrome (YDS) and polymorphism of HLA-DQA1/treatment response of Peg-lFNalpha therapy in HBeAg positive chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, and to explore constitution of Chinese medicine (CM) in response of interferon therapy.

METHODSTotally 120 HBeAg positive CHB patients who were treated with Peg-IFNalpha were enrolled, and assigned to YDS group (59 cases) and non-YDS group (61 cases) according to classification of CM constitutions. All patients were subcutaneously injected with Peg-IFNalpha-2b (1.0 microg/kg body weight) or Peg-IFNalpha-2a (180 microg), once per week. Effective efficacy was primarily judged when complete response (CR) or partial response (PR) was obtained at month 6. Those with CR or PR completed 1 year therapeutic course. HLA-DQA1 gene types were detected by polymerase chain reaction sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP). The distribution difference of CM constitutions in patients with CR or PR and their inter-group HLA-DQA1 allele frequency were compared.

RESULTSDifferent treatment responses of Peg-IFNalpha were observed in CHB patients of two different CM constitutions. The ratio of CR + PR was 61.0% (36/59) in YDS group, obviously lower than that in NYDS group [78.7% (48/61), P < 0. 05]. Patients with CR had a lower allele frequency of HLA-DQA1 * 0501 than those with no-response [14.8% (8/54) vs. 30.6% (22/72)] with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Patients with CR had a higher allele frequency of HLA-DQA1 * 0601 than those with no-response [18.5% (10/54) vs. 5.6% (4/72)] with statistical difference (P < 0.05). The allele frequency of HLA-DQA1 * 0301 was lower in YDS group than in non-YDS group [2. 5% (3/118) vs. 9.8% (12/122)] with statistical difference (P < 0.05). The allele frequency of HLA-DQA1 * 0501 was higher in YDS group than in non-YDS group [33.9% (40/118) vs. 18.9% (23/122)] with statistical difference (P < 0.05). Yet statistical significance was lost after adjustment (Pc > 0.05 for both).

CONCLUSIONSBoth constitutions of CM and HLA-DQA1 gene polymorphism af- fect HBeAg positive CHB patients' response to Peg-INFalpha. Constitutions of YDS and HLA-DQA1 * 0501 was not favorable to response, their association needed to be further studied.

Antiviral Agents ; therapeutic use ; Gene Frequency ; HLA-DQ alpha-Chains ; genetics ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; drug therapy ; genetics ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; therapeutic use ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Polyethylene Glycols ; therapeutic use ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Recombinant Proteins ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Yin Deficiency ; genetics

Accidents, Occupational ; Construction Industry ; Humans ; Occupational Health

Adult ; Aluminum Silicates ; toxicity ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Mining ; Occupational Exposure ; Prevalence ; Silicosis ; epidemiology

Objective To study the diagnostic value of double-balloon endoscopy (DBE) and capsule endoscopy (CE) for small intestinal bleeding. Methods Overall detection rates of small intestinal bleeding with DBE, CE and the whole alimentary tract barium meal were compared. Positive rates of bleeding detection with DBE and CE were compared within the same patients. Influence of CE on one-procedure rate of DBE was analyzed. Results In 105 cases of small intestine bleeding, DBE detected 24 cases of Crohn's disease, 15 adenocarcinoma, 12 chronic nonspecific inflammation, 10 small intestinal ulcer of unknown reason, 8 entero-mesenchymoma, 8 polypus, 6 vascular deformation hemorrhage, 5 ancylostomiasis, 5 Mechel's diverticula ( including multiple diverticula), 3 lymphoma and 9 of no evident abnormalities. The positive detection rate of DBE is 91.4% (96/105). Disease detection rates of CE and whole alimentary tract barium meal were 75.0% (30/40) and 33.3% (25/75), respectively. The one-procedure rate of DBE is 90% (36/40) based on CE results, but it was only 69. 2% (45/65) according to clinic features and the whole alimentary tract barium meal. Conclusion The main causes of small intestinal bleeding are benign ulcers (including Crohn's disease) and tumor, as well as chronic inflammation. Polyps, vascular deformation, parasitosis, Mechel's diverticulum and lymphoma are the secondary causes.DBE is superior to CE in diagnosis of small intestine bleeding, but CE can increase the one-procedure rate of DBE.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the injury stress responses caused by ischemia reperfusion and its effects on the salivary secretory function of rat submandibular glands.

METHODSAn in situ ischemia reperfusion experimental model of rat submandibular glands was developed. The rat submandibular glands were subjected to 90 min of ischemia without denervation followed by reperfusion for 1, 12, 24, and 72 h. Salivary secretion, histological changes, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and cellular apoptosis of the involved submandibular glands were detected after reperfusion.

RESULTSThe secretory function of the glands decreased at 1 and 12 h, and the saliva secretion gradually had the same value as that of the control sample 72 h after reperfusion. Increasing inflammatory cells infiltration, cellular atrophy, and tissue edema were observed especially after reperfusion for 12 h. The level of ROS and the number of apoptotic cells exhibited the same tendency, and higher ROS levels and more apoptosis cells 1 and 12 h after reperfusion were observed.

CONCLUSIONOur study suggests that ischemia reperfusion can cause a series of injury stress responses in submandibular glands, which might have an important function in the early phase dysfunction of transplanted submandibular glands.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; Rats ; Reperfusion Injury ; Submandibular Gland