Aging ; Health ; Humans ; Longevity

In this study, efforts were made to collect 88 traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) prescriptions for treating ADHD from public literatures, establish a medication database and conduct data mining on the efficacy, properties, tastes, meridian entries and compatibility regularity of TCMs by using frequency analysis, association rules analysis and cluster analysis. The results showed 33 herbs with a high frequency (≥ 10%). The top 12 frequently applied ADHD herbs were respectively Acori Tatarinowii Rhizome, Polygalae Radix, Prepared Rehmanniae Radix, Os Draconis, Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizome, Poria, Concha Ostreae, Testudinis Carapacis et Plastri, Paeoniae Alba Radix, Schisandrae Fructus Chinensis, Fructus Corni, Dioscoreae Rhizoma. The top seven types of frequently applied ADHD herbs by effect were respectively tonic herb, sedative herbs, livei-wind calming herbs, heat clearing herbs, astringent herbs, awaking herbs and damp clearing and diuresis promoting herbs. The top three properties were warm, cold and neutral, with warm as the dominance. The top three tastes were sweetness, bitterness and acridity, with sweetness as the dominance. The top three meridian entries were liver meridian, heart meridian and kidney meridian. The association rules analysis showed commonly used herbal pairs. Polygalae Radix-Acori Tatarinowii Rhizome, Concha Ostreae-Os Draconis, Prepared Rehmanniae Radix-Fructus Corni-Os Draconis. Eight highly frequent cluster prescriptions were summarized based on the cluster analysis. This study indicates that basic TCM prescriptions for treating ADHD were principally composed of tonics (nourishing liver and kidney, invigorating heart and spleen) and tranquilization, which were supplemented with herbs for calming liver, clearing heat, promoting qi-circulation, promoting blood-circulation, reducing phlegm and calming endogenous wind. The combination of multiple data mining techniques can reflect the clinical medication regularity of herbs for treating ADHD in an overall and objective manner.
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity ; drug therapy ; Data Mining ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Meridians

BACKGROUND: Adequate preparation of donors and recipients prior to living-related donor renal transplantation, short warm and cold ischemia time for donor kidney, good histocompatibility of human leukocyte antigen match, and low postoperative rejection incidence provide feasibility for use of low-dose immunosuppressive agents after living-related donor renal transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the safety and effectiveness of low-dose calcineurin inhibitors (CNI), an immunosuppressive agent, in living-related donor renal transplantation. METHODS: A total of 38 recipients who underwent living-related donor renal transplantation at the Center of Renal Transplantation of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2006 to June 2008 were randomized for treatment with mycophenolate mofetil (750 mg twice a day), prednisone, and either standard-dose CNI (n=18) or low-dose CNI (n=20) during 12 months post-transplantation. Ciclosporin A was given orally (starting dose, 6 and 4 mg/kg per day, respectively) in two divided doses to achieve the 12-hour whole blood concentration as measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. The starting dose of tacrolimus was 0.12 and 0.08 mg/kg per day respectively, and its whole blood concentration was measured by enzyme-multiplied immunoassay technique. After transplantation, patients were followed up. Renal function, pulmonary infection, liver dysfunction, and CNI nephrotoxicity at different time periods were compared between different regimens. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: During 12 months post-transplantation, patient death occurred in one of 18 patients (5.6%) in the CNI standard-dose group and none of 20 patients (0%) in the CNI low-dose group. There was no significant difference in renal function and acute rejection between CNI standard-dose and CNI low-dose groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of liver dysfunction and CNI nephrotoxicity was significantly lower in the CNI low-dose group than in the CNI standard-dose group (P < 0.05). In addition, a low-dose CNI regimen helped recipients to lessen the economic burdens. These findings indicate that it is effective, safe and economical to use a low-dose CNI regimen in living-related donor renal transplantation.

Objective:To observe the correlation of platelet activation and the inflammatory factors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD).Methods:A total of 150 patients with CHD were divided into three groups according to the guideline of ACC/AHA:Stable angina pectoris (SAP) group (n=47,aspirin 100 mg/d); Unstable angina pectoris(UAP) group (n=50,aspirin 100 mg/d+Dalteparin 5000 U Q12 h); Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) group (n=53,aspirin 100 mg/d+Dalteparin 5000 U Q12 h+Plavix 75 mg/d).53 healthy adults served as the Control group.The fast blood sugar,lipid,platelet count,platelet aggregation of plasma,fibrinogen,high sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP) of plasma,and 11-dehydro thromboxane B_2 (11-DH-TXB_2) of urine were detected upon patients' admission.Results:The level of plasma hs-CRP in groups of SAP,UAP and AMI(4.25±2.95 mg/l,7.61±6.11 mg/l,15.46±8.22 mg/l)were significantly higher than that in Control group(2.07±1.28 mg/l,P<0.05).The max rate of platelet aggregation induced by ADP in groups of UAP and AMI were significantly higher than that in Control and SAP groups(74.35±8.91%,73.88±8.35% vs.66.22±7.51%,68.67±6.87%,P<0.05).There were significant differences in the max rate of platelet aggregation induced by arachidonic acid (AA) and 11-DH-TXB_2 of urine in different groups (P<0.05).The level of plasma hs-CRP in all patients with CHD were significantly positively correlated with the max rate of platelet aggregation induced by ADP (r=0.473,P=0.000),AA(r=0.434,P=0.000) and 11-DH-TXB_2 of urine (r=0.554,P=0.000).Conclusion:There were significant relationship between the levels of plasma hs-CRP,11-DH-TXB_2 and the max rate of platelet aggregation,which indicating inflammation might induce platelet aggregation in CHD patients.

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of compound bushen recipe (CBR) in improving the survival state of stress and the overall life span in C. elegans by simulating chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) under various stress states.

METHODSThe tolerance and the average survival time of adult larvae against heat stress (35 degrees C), oxidative stress (250 microg/mL juglone), and in vivo Abeta protein toxicity (Abeta(1-42) transgenic mutant CL4176) under the intervention of the high (500 mg/L), middle (250 mg/L), and low (100 mg/L) dose CBR were observed. The effect of CBR on the average live time (at 25 degrees C), movement distance in 20 seconds, the frequency of pharyngeal pump in 30 seconds, and the reproductive capability were assessed.

RESULTSCompared with the control group, the survival time of heat stressed C. elegans could be significantly increased in each CBR group (P < 0.01). The survival time of heat stressed C. elegans could be elongated, the protein toxicity be attenuated, and the live time prolonged in the high and middle dose CBR groups (P < 0.01, P < 0.05).The movement distance and the frequency of pharyngeal pump could also be increased in the high dose CBR group (P < 0.01). There was no statistical difference in the reproductive capability among all groups (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSCBR could significantly enhance the stress capacity of C. elegans against internal and external environment, and prolong their lifespan. It did not interfere their normal production, and also could improve the quality of life, thus laying a foundation for further mechanism studies and pharmacological researches on CBR in preventing and treating CFS.

Animals ; Caenorhabditis elegans ; drug effects ; Disease Models, Animal ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic ; drug therapy ; Longevity ; Stress, Physiological

OBJECTIVETo determine the expression of Skp2 in different prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines and tissues, and explore its influence on the androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathway and development of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

METHODSThe expression levels of Skp2 and AR in different PCa cell lines were detected by Western blot. After knockdown of Skp2 in the C4-2 and 22RV1 cells transfected with shRNA, the expressions of AR and P27 were determined and the activity of ARR3-Luc measured by dual-luciferase reporter gene assay following treatment with dihydrotestosterone (DHT). The expressions of AR and Skp2 in human naïve PCa or CRPC specimens were detected by immunohistochemical staining followed by analysis of their differences and correlation.

RESULTSThe Skp2 protein expression level was significantly higher in the C4-2 or 22RV1 cells than in the LNCaP cells. DHT treatment increased the expression of Skp2 in the C4-2 cells, but knock-down of Skp2 significantly up-regulated the expression of the well-known downstream protein P27 and down-regulated that of AR. Consistently, DHT treatment increased the activity of ARR3-Luc, while knockdown of Skp2 remarkably decreased it in the C4-2 and 22RV1 cells (P < 0.05). In addition, significantly higher expressions of Skp2 and AR were observed in the CRPC than in the naïve specimens (P < 0.05), with a positive correlation between the two proteins (r = 0.658 1, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSkp2 can enhance the expression and transcription activity of the AR protein in CRPC cells or tissues and is promising to be a critical molecular therapeutic target.

Androgens ; pharmacology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Dihydrotestosterone ; pharmacology ; Disease Progression ; Gene Knockdown Techniques ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasm Proteins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms, Castration-Resistant ; metabolism ; Receptors, Androgen ; genetics ; metabolism ; S-Phase Kinase-Associated Proteins ; physiology ; Transcriptional Activation ; Up-Regulation

Objective To investigate the effect of chemotherapy regimen of rituxmab combined with CHOP (R-CHOP) on the survival of patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Methods One hundred and fifty-six cases of DLBCL diagnosed according to the WHO 2008 classification were collected from the haematopathological laboratory, the department of pathology, and Beijing University Health Science Center. Standard two-step method of immunohistochemical staining with Envision was used to assess the expression of CD10, MUM-1, bcl-6, and bcl-2. The different classification models were made according to the immuaohistochemical staining results. Hans algorithm classifies the patients into two subgroups originating from germinal center B cell-like cell (GCB) and non-germinal center B cell-like cell (non-GCB), and Muris model were classfied the DLBCL patients into the good-survival groupl and the poor-survival group2. Thirty patients with treatment of R-CHOP were set as study group and the other 126 patients without Retuxmab were defied as control group. The data were analyzed with X2 test, log-linear model and Life Table survival analysis by the SAS 8.2 statistical package. Results The 3-year survival rate of the study group was 78.3 %, but was 53.4 % in the control group. The over-all survival of the study group was obviously better than the control group with the significant difference (P <0.05). Hans algorithm showed no implication of survival for any group. The survival of different groups in Muris model has no difference in study group but was obvious in control group. The expression of bcl-2 protein has no association with survival in study group but acted as a worse implication of survival in control group. Conclusion R-CHOP chemotherapy regimen could improve the remission rate and over-all survival of DLBCL. Rituxmab could weaken the effect of bcl-2 expression in the prognosis, and the implication of survival by Muris model has diminished.

The aim of the present research was to investigate and analyze the hunting intentions of medical students for rural grassroots in Gansu and to provide a reference for decision-making on rural health human resource . A questionnaire is the research tool which was used to investigate the views of the senior students from six medical schools , and we studied their employment willingness to rural healthcare institutions .Chi-square test and non-condi-tional logistic regression analyses were used for data analysis .A sample of 600 medical graduates was involved in this investigation.The results of this study show that more than a half (55.6%) of the students would like to work in ru-ral, but only 13.8%of which were “very willing” to work at the rural healthcare institutions .According to the out-comes of this investigation , the number of junior college students who would like to work at the grassroots was 2.3 times the number of the undergraduate students .Medical students whose monthly salary expectations were not high ,with the household registration in rural areas , and having a better understanding of the policy of rural grass-roots em-ployment were more likely to work at the rural healthcare institutions .Based on the findings of this investigation , it can be concluded that the grassroots medical career intention of medical students is not only influenced by its own fac -tors, such as education and household registration , but also the policy of the government , school employment guid-ance and social atmosphere play an important role .The above-mentioned factors should be considered by decision-making and management departments of public healthcare .The departments should introduce a reasonable recruit-ment policy and strengthen the construction of grass-roots medical technology , equipment , and infrastructure , im-prove the grass-roots of employment environment and career development opportunities and strengthen the medical students'employment guidance work to make medical students more willing to work at rural healthcare institutions .

Objective To investigate the incidences, risk factors, genotypes and epidemiology of community-acquired blood stream infection caused by extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs)-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia strains and to analyze the sensitivity of those ESBLs producing strains to commonly used antibiotics. Methods Forty-two patients who were diagnosed with community-ac-quired blood stream infection caused by Escherichia coli or Klebsiella pneumonia strains in Sichuan Provincial People′s Hospital were recruited in this study. Disc diffusion method was used for the phenotypic confirmato-ry test of ESBLs. Agar dilution method was performed to measure the antimicrobial susceptibility of the ESBLs-producing strains to 13 clinically commonly used antibiotics. Genotypes of the ESBLs-producing strains were identified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) was used to analyze the epidemiology of ESBLs-producing strains. Logistic regression analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for community-acquired blood stream infection. Results The ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli strains accounted for 56. 3% (18 / 32) and the ESBLs-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae strains accounted for 20% (2 / 10). All of the 20 ESBLs-producing strains were sensitive to imipenem, meropenem, ertapen-em, nitrofurantoin and moxalactam. The ESBLs-producing strains sensitive to amikacin, piperacillin-tazobactam and fosfomycin accounted for 95% , 90% and 85% , respectively. Drug resistance rates of the 20 strains to cefotaxime, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and cefepime were relatively high accounting for 100% , 80% , 80% and 75% , respectively. Among the 20 ESBLs-producing strains, 7 strains only carried the CTM gene, while the other 13 strains were all positive for two genotypes of ESBLs, mainly identified as TEM+CTM-M-14 and TEM+CTM-15 genotypes. The 18 Escherichia coli strains were classified into 10 ST types, most of which were ST131 type, followed by ST10 and ST38 types. This study indicated that malignant tumor might be a possible risk factor. Conclusion The prevalence of community-acquired blood stream infection caused by ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli strains was becoming increasingly serious. Malignant tumor might be the risk factor associated with the producing of ESBLs in Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia strains. TEM+CTX-M-14 was the predominant genotype of ESBLs-producing strains and the prevalent clone was ST131 type. Carbapenems and enzyme inhibitor compounds were ideal drugs for the treatment of commu-nity-acquired blood stream infection caused by ESBLs-producing Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumonia strains. This study was limited by the small sample size. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further resear-ches based on a large number of samples.

Objective To assess the clinical values of MR angiography(MRA)in the detection of deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs.Methods Two-dimensional time of flight(2D TOF)MRA was performed in thirty patients who were suspected of having deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs.The findings of MRA were compared to that of digital subtraction angiography(DSA).Results twenty-five cases showed deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs,the MRA findings included venous filling defect (14 cases),occlusions and interruptions of veins(8 cases),venous recanalizations(3 cases),collateral veins(25 cases).Taking the results of DSA as a golden standard,MRA detected all of the affected cases with only one case as the false positive.Conclusion 2D TOF MRA is a method of choice in the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis of the lower limbs.