Objective To study the protective effects of Astragalus membranaceus on renal damage induced by ESWL in rabbits. Methods 45 rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups:sham therapy (physiological saline) as group 1,verapamil (control) as group 2 and Astragalus membranaceus as group 3.These groups were intravenously given physiological saline (20 ml),verapamil (0.4 mg/kg) and Astragulus memebranaceus (2.4 g/kg),respectively,3 days before ESWL was applied (1500 shocks,18kV,MZ-V,made in China).Blood and homogenate ET-1,MDA,related to renal injury,and SOD,related to renal protection,and renal morphology were observed. Results After shocking,the increase of ET-1 and MDA in group 2 and group 3 was significantly lower than that in group 1(P0.05),and ET-1 was slightly elevated (P=0.132).After shocking,SOD in groups 2 and 3 was significantly higher than that in group 1,and its trough level in group 3 earlier appeared at 24 hours after shocking.Histopathology showed that renal damage in groups 3 and 2 was much milder than that in group 1;furthermore,renal damage was even milder and its recovery was even sooner in group 3 (Astragalus membranaceus) than in group 2 (verapamil). Conclusions The results demonstrate that Astragulus membranaceus has protective effects on renal damage induced by ESWL.

AIM:To compare the dissolution in vitro between Beimu Pills(Bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae,Radix et Rhizoma glycyrrhizae,Semen armeniacae amarum) and Beixinggan Buccal Tablet(70% alcohol percolate of Bulbus fritillariae cirrhosae;extract of Radix et Rhizoma glycyrrhizae and extract of semen armeniacae amarum) to evaluate the reform of the traditional solid preparation.METHODS:Verticine and verticinone were adopted as the reference substance for the calculation of cumulative dissolution percentage.RESULTS:Cumulative dissolution reached 95% of dissolution rate,it took 60 min for Beixinggan Buccal Tablet and it took 180 min for Beimu Pills at the same condition.CONCLUSION:Dissolution method applied to the control over TCM preparation quality and to the reform of preparation can be recognized as one of the quality standard.

AIM:The 50-Hz magnetic field (MF) is a potential health-risk factor.Its effects on the cardiovascular system have not been fully investigated .This study was conducted to explore the effects of long-term exposure to 50-Hz MF on the cardiovascular system . METHODS:In the study , an exposure system was constructed and the distribution of 50-Hz MF was detected .Sixty-four Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were exposed to 50-Hz MF at 100 μT for 24 weeks, 20 hours per day, while another 64 rats were sham exposed. During the exposure, blood pressure was measured every 4 weeks, and 24 weeks later, echocardiography, cardiac catheterisation and electrocardiography were performed .Moreover , heart and body weight were recorded , while haematoxylin-eosin staining and real-time PCR were conducted .RESULTS:The results showed that compared with the sham group , exposure to 50-Hz MF did not exert any effect on blood pressure, pulse rate, heart rate and cardiac rhythm.Further, echocardiography and cardiac catheterisation showed that there were no significant differences in the cardiac morphology and haemodynamics .In addition , histopathological examination showed that 50-Hz MF exposure had no effect on the structure of hearts .Finally, the expression of the cardiac hypertrophic relative genes did not show any significant differences between 50-Hz MF exposure group and the sham group .CONCLUSION: Taken together , in SD rats, exposure to 50-Hz/100-μT MF for 24 weeks did not show any obvious effects on the cardiovascular system .

Objective To explore the value of MRI in assessing regional invasion and neural spread of sinonasal and nasopharyngeal adenoid cystic carcinoma(ACC).Methods A retrospective collection of MRI and clinical data was analyzed in 22 patients with sinonasal and nasopharyngeal ACC confirmed by pathology.Results A total of 22 patients were included in the study.Invasion of the pterygopalatine fossa was observed in 15 cases,involvement of the masticatory muscles in 13 cases,skull base involvement in 13 cases,infiltration of the cavernous sinus in 9 cases,involvement of the infraorbital fissure in 9 cases,orbital involvement in 5 cases,and intracranial involvement in 6 cases.Only 3 patients presented with cranial nerve symptoms.MRI revealed thickening and enhancement of cranial nerves in 10 cases,with involvement of the maxillary and mandibular(V2,V3)branches of the trigeminal nerve(V)in 9 cases,and muscle denervation caused by nerve damage in 6 cases.Among the 12 patients who underwent surgery,9 cases were confirmed to have neural invasion by pathology,with MRI showing cranial nerve alterations in 7 cases of them,one case showed tumor involvement from the pterygopalatine fossa and medial pterygoid muscle to the cavernous sinus and Meckel cavity,while the other case showed tumor involvement from the pterygopalatine fossa to the sphenopalatine foramen.During the follow-up after treatment,4 of 11 patients experienced recurrence,all of which were accompanied by lung metastasis and pre-treatment neural invasion.Conclusion Sinonasal and nasopharyngeal ACC is characterized by a tendency for neural spread,extensive local invasion,and a high risk of recurrence.MRI is helpful in determining the extent of invasion and neural spread.

Objective To describe the distribution of medication costs of rheumatoid arthritis patients, and to analyze the factors that may affect the costs. Methods Data were obtained from a 12-month retrospective investigation of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) across China. Department of Rheuma-tology of 18 hospitals were randomly selected. The data about their social conditions, clinical conditions, medications associated with RA such as disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs), non -steroidal anti -inflammtory drugs (NSAIDs), steroids, biologic agents were collected, and the costs of drugs were calculated. A non-parameter test and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed. Results Six hundred and forty six patients were enrolled into the study, 435 completed data were chosen for analysis. The results demonstrated that the average costs per patient for medications in the past year was 8018 . The total medication costs were further subdivided into the following parts: DMARDs, (represented 20% of the total costs), biologic drugs (49%), NSAIDs (4%), herbal drugs (22%), steroids (1%). Data analysis showed that patients with higher education and higher incomes, with medical insurance,better health function status and outpatients paid more on DMARDs. Extra-articular manifestations increased the odds of the high-cost group (OR: 2.180, 95%CI: 1.335～3.558, P=0.002), while poor health function status increased the probability of paying high costs (OR: 1.373, 95%CI: 1.012～1.863, P=0.041). Conclusion High medication costs in RA do exist in RA patients. The costs of medication is associated with health function status and the presence of extra-articular manifestations.

【Objective】 To evaluate the predictive value of isoform [-2] proprostate-specific antigen, p2 PSA (p2PSA) and its derived indexes for prostate cancer in a Chinese cohort with PSA 4-20 ng/mL. 【Methods】 A total of 139 males scheduled for biopsy were enrolled in the prospective study from Nov.2021 to Jun.2022. The total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA), fPSA/tPSA (f/t) and p2PSA were collected, and the percentage of p2PSA(%p2PSA) and prostate health index(PHI) were calculated. The predictive value of p2PSA and its derived indexes were compared with traditional indexes with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and Logistic analysis. 【Results】 Prostate cancer was found in 54 cases (38.8%). There were significant statistical differences in tPSA(10.68 vs.8.14, P=0.021), f/t(0.13 vs.0.16, P=0.006), p2PSA(30.25 vs.19.81, P<0.001), %p2PSA(21.52 vs.13.15, P<0.001) and PHI(64.3vs.38.2, P<0.001) between prostate cancer patients and non-prostate cancer patients. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) of tPSA, fPSA, %fPSA, p2PSA, %p2PSA and PHI were 0.63, 0.51, 0.63, 0.71, 0.73, and 0.80, respectively. The inclusion of %p2PSA and PHI significantly increased the prediction efficiency of the basic prediction model (AUCbase+PHI=0.81, AUCbase+%p2PSA=0.78, AUCbase=0.67). With 35 as the recommended cut-off value of PHI, the incidence of meaningless puncture was reduced by 25.8%(36/139). 【Conclusion】 The application of p2PSA and its derived indexes have good predictive value for patients with PSA 4-20 ng/mL. The combined detection of %p2PSA and PHI can significantly increase the detection efficiency of prostate cancer and reduce the incidence of meaningless prostate puncture by 25.8%.