OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of acupuncture at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Lingtai" (GV 10) on distribution taxis of paclitaxel in mice with lung cancer to discuss targeted relationship between acupoints and corresponding viscera.

METHODSAccording to randomized digital table, 315 SPF-grade BALB/C female mice were divided into 7 groups: blank group (group A), model group (group B), medication group (group C), acupuncture at non-acupoint group (group D), acupuncture at Feishu group (group E), acupuncture at Lingtai group (group F) and acupuncture at Feishu and Lingtai group (group G), 45 mice in each one. Except the blank group, the remaining groups were treated with N-nitroso-tris-chloroethyl urea (NTCU) to establish the model of squamous-cell carcinoma. After model establishment, group A, group B and group C were not treated with acupuncture; group A and group B were treated with intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% sodium chlorvde solution by 6 mL/kg while group C was treated with intraperitoneal injection of paclitaxel by 6 mL/kg. The group D, group E, group F and group G were treated with acupuncture at non-acupoint, "Feishu" (BL 13), "Lingtai" (GV 10) and "Feishu" (BL 13) plus "Lingtai" (GV 10), respectively, then were intraperitoneally injected with paclitaxel by 6 mL/kg. The treatment was all given once a day for continuous 10 days. 15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 8 h, 12 h and 24 h after the treatments, 6 mice in each group were randomly selected and sacrificed to collect samples of lung, liver, spleen, kidney and heart, etc. High performance liquid chromatography was applied to measure the concentration of paclitaxel in each organ (lung, liver, spleen, kidney and heart) at different time points.

RESULTS(1) The content of paclitaxel in lung, kidney and heart reached the peak at 2 h, then decreased significantly in group C, group D, group E, group F and group G; the content of paclitaxel in spleen showed downtrend at each time point. The content of paclitaxel in liver reached the peak at 2 h in group C and group D; the content of paclitaxel reached the peak at 8 h in group E, group F and group G. (2) The content of paclitaxel in lung in group E and group G was higher than that in group C and group D at each time point (all P < 0.01); the content of paclitaxel in lung in group F was higher than that in group C (P < 0.01) and group D (P < 0.01) only at time point of 2 h. The content of paclitaxel in lung in group G was higher than that in group F at each time point (all P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference between group G and group E (all P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Lingtai" (GV 10) could influ- ence the metabolism of paclitaxel in lung-cancer mice, leading to distribution change in each organ. As a result, it could cause targeting effects, which is more significant at "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Lingtai" (GV 10).

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacokinetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacokinetics ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; therapy ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Paclitaxel ; pharmacokinetics ; Taxus ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo observe early rehabilitation of two different acupuncture programs for hemiplegia due to stroke.

METHODSSeventy cases of early hemiplegia due to stroke were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group were treated by acupuncture at acupoints of both the healthy and affected sides, twice each day, respectively, and the control group by acupuncture at the affected side, once daily. Their therapeutic effects were evaluated by the brief Fugl-Meyer movement scale and the modified Barthel indexes.

RESULTSThe patients with over grade IV for FMA accounted for 68.6% and the good rate for ADL was 74.3% in the treatment group, and 31.4% and 42.8% in the control group, respectively, the therapeutic effect of the treatment group being better than that of the control group (P<0.01 or P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture program in which acupoints at both the healthy and affected sides are applied alternately is more beneficial to recovery of motor function and activity daily living (ADL) of the patient with hemiplegia due to stroke.

Activities of Daily Living ; Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Hemiplegia ; therapy ; Humans ; Stroke ; therapy

OBJECTIVETo investigate the constitution and health status of the Beijing residents, and the primary influencing factors on nutrition and health, as to finding out the epidemiological characters and the changing trend of chronic diseases and to establish scientific basis for the establishment of public health and disease prevention policies of Beijing.

METHODSA stratified multi-stage cluster randomly sampling method was used. In total, 18 districts were surveyed, and among them, 9 were conducted dietary survey. The investigation was based on household, and all family members were surveyed at their home. After having got the compliance from the family members, question asking, medical examination, laboratory test and dietary investigation were carried out in these people.

RESULTSThe incidence rate of hypertension was 25.0% for the resident > or = 15 year-old, and over 50% for middle-aged and elderly people (> or = 45 years old). The incidence of diabetes for those not younger than 15 years old was 7.7%. The over-weight rate and the obesity rate for adults were 35.1% and 20.6%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe following risk factors of chronic disease, such as unreasonable diet pattern, deficient intake of some micronutrients, over-weight and obesity, lack of physical examination, smoking and over-drinking, should be the important factors influencing the health of Beijing residents severely.

China ; epidemiology ; Diabetes Mellitus ; epidemiology ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Incidence ; Life Style ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Obesity ; epidemiology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo investigate the mechanical changes of the degenerated lumbar disc with finite element analysis.

METHODSA three dimensional finite element model of a human lumbar spine at the L3-L4 disc was established by the software MIMICS and ABAQUS based on computer tomography images. Degeneration was modeled by changes in geometry and material properties. The model was loaded with 0.3 MPa in axial plane. The von Mises stress on the annulus fiber, nucleus pulposus, endplate and facet joints in healthy and degenerated discs was compared.

RESULTCompared with healthy discs, the von Mises stress of disc distributed in the side of annulus fiber, the stress of nucleus pulposus decreased remarkably, the stress of endplate distributed in the posterior part, and the stress of facet joints increased for the degenerated disc.

CONCLUSIONThe finite element models can provide a method of understanding the relationship between biomechanical performance of the disc due to disc degeneration.

Biomechanical Phenomena ; Finite Element Analysis ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; diagnosis ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Stress, Mechanical ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

To explore the genetic characteristics of viral quasispecies in HIV-1 CRF07_BC infections among intravenous drug users (IDU), the gp120 fragments of HIV-1 env gene were amplified from plasma samples collected from 6 CRF07_BC infected persons using single genome amplification and sequencing (SGA/ SGS) method, and 11 to 28 sequences were obtained from these samples, respectively, A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was reconstructed to describe the genetic characteristics of viral quasispecies. The Simplot, segments' phylogenetic trees and diversity plots based on average pairwise distance (APD) were used to identify the recombination events between quasispecies. The SGA sequences derived from single specimen formed a large monophyletic cluster in the neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree and showed the complex topologic structures of viral quasispecies. Of the 6 CRF07_BC infected patients, only one possessed the high genetic homogeneity, whereas the other five individuals showed high heterogeneity, with two to four subclusters inside the monophyletic cluster for each specimen. In addition, the recombinant events were identified among viral quasispecies from 3 cases. The results show SGA technique and phylogenetic analyses are useful tool to investigate the intrahost CRF07_BC gp120 complex quasispecies variation and high genetic diversity.
Adult ; Drug Users ; Female ; HIV Infections ; virology ; HIV-1 ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Male ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Substance Abuse, Intravenous ; virology ; Young Adult

Objective:To study diagnostic value of combined detection of heart type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) for chronic heart failure (CHF) in aged patients.Methods:A total of 178 aged CHF patients hospitalized in our hospital from Jul 2015 to Jun 2016 were selected.According to NYHA cardiac function classification,they were divided into class Ⅱ group (n＝70) and class Ⅲ ～ Ⅳ group (n＝48).An-other 52 aged healthy subjects undergoing physical examination were selected as healthy control group simultaneous-ly.Plasma BNP,H-FABP levels,LAD,LVESd,LVEDd,IVST and LVEF were measured and compared among three groups.Correlation among plasma BNP,H-FABP levels and above cardiac function indexes were analyzed.Results:Compared with healthy control group,there were significant rise in plasma levels of BNP [ (50.65 ± 5.86) ng/L vs.(212.65 ± 17.12) ng/L vs.(1264.73 ± 119.74) ng/L] and H-FABP [ (1.68 ± 0.36) ng/ml vs.(3.34 ± 0.56) ng/ml vs.(9.64 ± 1.27) ng/ml],LAD [ (3.25 ± 0.29) cm vs.(4.98 ± 0.23) cm vs.(5.48 ± 0.51) cm],LVESd [ (28.68 ± 2.7) mm vs.(40.98 ± 4.55) mm vs.(58.63 ± 5.75) mm],LVEDd [ (43.22 ± 4.29) mm vs.(56.63 ± 5.23) mm vs.(61.33 ± 6.07) mm] and IVST [ (8.15 ± 0.68) mm vs.(11.87 ± 1.03) mm vs.(15.93 ± 1.43) mm],and significant reduction in LVEF [ (64.84 ± 6.39)% vs.(49.76 ± 4.76)% vs.(35.76 ± 3.62)%] in NYHA class Ⅱ group and NYHA class Ⅲ ～ Ⅳ group;compared with NYHA class Ⅱ group,there were significant rise in plasma levels of BNP and H-FABP,LAD,LVESd,LVEDd and IVST,and significant reduction in LVEF in NYHA class Ⅲ ～ Ⅳ group,P＝0.001 all.Spearman correlation analysis indicated that plasma BNP,H-FABP levels were significant positively correlated with LAD,LVESd,LVEDd and IVST (r＝0.53～0.71,P＝0.001 all),and significant inversely correlated with LVEF (r＝ -0.54,-0.65,P＝0.001 both);plasma BNP level was signifi-cantly positive correlated with H-FABP level (r＝0.36,P＝0.04).Conclusion:Combined detection of BNP and H-FABP contributes to diagnosing CHF in aged patients and assessing its severity.

BACKGROUNDAlthough severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been controlled, the subsequently emerging sporadic cases in 2004 emphasize the necessity of developing a rapid diagnostic method, which would be of great help in clinical diagnosis and also wild host screening. This study aims to establish an effective and rapid serological tool for the diagnosis of SARS-CoV by comparison among whole viral, N and N199 proteins by ELISA.

METHODSSARS-CoV N and N199 (a truncated nucleocapsid gene) genes were cloned, expressed, identified by Western blotting, and applied in screening of human and swine samples. Sera of SARS convalescent-phase patients, normal human sera, sera of patients with other respiratory diseases, and swine sera were screened by ELISA, with whole SARS-CoV F69, N and N199 proteins as antigens.

RESULTSThe sensitivity and specificity of N and N199 proteins in human sera diagnosis were approximate (P = 0.743), which was higher than whole viral protein but the difference was not significant (P = 0.234). The N199 protein proved to be more specific in swine sera screening than whole viral and N protein (P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONN199 protein is feasible in both clinical diagnosis and SARS-CoV reservoir screening.

Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Cloning, Molecular ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; methods ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Nucleocapsid Proteins ; blood ; genetics ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; diagnosis ; Swine

Objective:To investigate the influence of rosuvastatin combined ticagrelor on therapeutic effect,cardiac func-tion and inflammatory factor levels in patients with acute myocardial infarction(AMI).Methods:A total of 288 AMI pa-tients admitted in our hospital were randomly and equally divided into rosuvastatin group(received rosuvastatin therapy)and combined treatment group(received rosuvastatin combined with ticagrelor).After two-month treatment,therapeu-ticeffect,cardiac function,inflammatory index levels and incidence rate of adverse reaction were compared between two groups.Results:Total effective rate of combined treatment group was significantly higher than that of rosuvastatin group(96.53%v.s 86.81%,P=0.003).Compared with before treatment,there were significant improvements in cardiac function and inflammatory factor levels in two groups after treatment,P=0.001 al.l Compared with rosuvastatin group af-ter treatment,there were significant reductions in left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDd)[(44.86±5.25)mmv.s(30.94±4.02)mm],left ventricular end-systolic diameter(LVESd)[(28.83±3.02)mmv.s(21.27±2.86)mm],interventricular septal thickness(IVST)[(9.82±1.51)mmv.s(9.09±1.46)mm],levels of interleukin-6(IL-6)[(4.62±0.68)pg/mlv.s(3.85±0.59)pg/ml]and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)[(1.25±0.22)pg/mlv.s(0.93±0.18)pg/ml],and significant rise in 6 min walking distance(6MWD)[(398.63±50.58)m v.s(436.35±52.03)m]and LVEF[(54.11±6.32)%v.s(60.24±7.88)%]in combined treatment group,P=0.001 al.l There was no signif-icant difference in total incidence rate of adverse reactions during treatment between two groups,P=0.444.Conclusion:The combination of rosuvastatin and ticagrelor possesses significant therapeutic effect in the treatment of AMI patient.s It can improve cardiac function and reduce levels of inflammatory factors with good safety.

Objective:To observe the effect of Qiyu Sanlong decoction （QYSL） on the expressions of key molecules in signal axis of mammalian rapamycin target protein （mTOR）/yeast Atg6 homologous （Beclin1）/ microtubule-associated protein1 light chain3 （LC3） in A549 cells. Method:With A549 cells as the research object， the effect of QYSL medicated serum on cell viability of A549 cells were detected by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） method. The effect of QYSL decoction on A549 cell apoptosis， autophagosome formation and the expression of autophagy markers were detected by Terminal-deoxynucleoitidyl transferase mediated nick end labeling （TUNEL） method， transmission electron microscope （TEM）， Real-time polymerase chain reaction （Real-time PCR） and Western blot. Result:QYSL medicated serum could inhibit the viability of A549 cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Compared with the blank serum group， the number of apoptotic A549 cells in the QYSL medicated serum group was significantly increased （P<0.01）， and the formation of autophagosome was significantly increased. Compared with the blank serum group， the mRNA and protein expressions of mTOR in A549 cells in the QYSL serum group were significantly decreased （P<0.01）， while mRNA and protein expressions of Beclin-1， autophagy related genes 5 （ATG5）， autophagy related genes 13 （ATG13） were significantly increased （P<0.01）. Conclusion:QYSL decoction can induce autophagy in A549 cells， and its specific mechanism may be related to the down-regulation of mTOR expression， the up-regulation of Beclin1， ATG5， ATG13 and LC3 expression， and the promotion of LC3Ⅰ conversion to LC3Ⅱ.