Adolescent ; Cough ; complications ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Fever ; complications ; Humans ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; complications ; diagnosis

Adult ; Brain Abscess ; Cholesteatoma ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Maxillary Sinus ; surgery

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Maxillary Sinus ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of catecholamine hormone on the blood and brain of heroin addicts.

METHODSRats were divided into three groups and treated with the glucose (control group), the heroin (im) (heroin group), and the combination of the intramuscular injection of reserpine and heroin (reserpine group). Changes in the levels of the dopamine (DA), cAMP, and cGMP were detected by the radioimmunoassay (RIA) method in the blood and brain tissue.

RESULTSNo significant withdrawal symptoms were observed in the reserpine group. Compared with the control and heroin groups, the blood cAMP levels were increased by 35.36% and 15.53% in the reserpine group, respectively; the cAMP levels in the midbrain ventral tegmental area (VTA), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and hippocampus (Hipp) were increased by 24.08% & 8.53%, 15.66% & 8.13%, and 21.95% & 8.40%, respectively. While compared to the control and heroin groups, the DA levels of the PFC, Hipp, striatum, and nucleus accumbens (NAc) were significantly reduced in the reserpine group, decreasing by 74.09% & 82.86%, 81.06% & 82.23%, 91.62% & 86.55% and 84.35% & 90.63%, respectively. The concentrations of cGMP of the brain tissues in the reserpine group were lower than those in the control group. In addition, the neural electrophysiological testing showed that the electroencephalogram (EEG), electrocardiogram (ECG), and muscle spindle discharge diagram of rats in both the reserpine and heroin groups were apparently changed.

CONCLUSIONCatecholamine hormone plays an important role in heroin addiction.

Animals ; Brain ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Catecholamines ; physiology ; Cyclic AMP ; blood ; metabolism ; Cyclic GMP ; blood ; metabolism ; Dopamine ; blood ; metabolism ; Heroin Dependence ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar

Seven compounds were isolated from Onychium japonicum by macroporous resin, silica gel, ODS, Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography and semi-preparative HPLC. Their structures were identified by NMR, MS and other spectroscopic methods as onychone A (1), quercetin (2), quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (3), kaempferol-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (5), (-)-prunin (6), and norathyriol (7). Compound 1 is a novel macrocyclic flavonoid, and all the others are reported from this plant for the first time. In vitro cytotoxic activities of compounds 1-7 were evaluated by MTS testing with five cancer cell lines. Compound 7 exhibited weak cytotoxicity against tumor cell lines A549, SMMC-7721, and SW480.

OBJECTIVETo prepare the long-circulating nanoliposomes of curcumin.

METHODThe long-circulating nanoliposomes were prepared by ethanol infusion and the encapsulation efficiency was determindated by the mini-column centrifugation. The effect of some factors on the encapsulation efficiency, such as the buffer solutions, the weight ratio of curcumin to SPC, the weight ratio of SPC to Chol, the pH of buffer solution and the iron strength of water phase, was investigated respectively. Then the formulation was optimized by orthogonal design.

RESULTThe encapsulation efficiency of the curcumin liposomes was (88.27 +/- 2.16)%, and the average diameter of the liposomes was (136 +/- 18) nm. There was no change on encapsulation efficency within 30 d.

CONCLUSIONThe preparation of curcumin liposomes was easy and practicable and the pharmaceutical characterization showed that the curcumin liposomes are stable.

Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; Curcumin ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Liposomes ; blood ; chemistry ; Molecular Weight ; Nanostructures ; analysis ; Particle Size ; Sodium Chloride ; chemistry

OBJECTIVETo provide endoscopic anatomic bony structures of pterygopalatine fossa for skull base surgery.

METHODSThe bony structures of the pterygopalatine fossa were observed in ten dry skulls under endoscope.

RESULTSThe pterygopalatine fossa showed a long and narrow cleft composed of the body and pterygoid process of sphenoid bone, the lamina perpendicular of palatine bone, and the posterior wall of maxillary sinus. The pterygopalatine fossa is (21.4 +/- 0.8) mm x (5.2 +/- 0.3) mm x (3.2 +/- 0.3) mm, with seven paths communicating with nasal cavity, mouth cavity, pharynx, orbit, infratemporal fossa and middle cranial fossa. Under endoscope,the whole pterygopalatine fossa could be observed.

CONCLUSIONSEndoscopic anatomic study of the pterygopalatine fossa is important to endoscopic endonasal skull base surgery. Under endoscope,the whole pterygopalatine fossa can be observed.

Adult ; Anatomy, Regional ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cranial Fossa, Middle ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Endoscopy ; Humans ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; Pterygopalatine Fossa ; anatomy & histology ; surgery ; Skull Base ; anatomy & histology ; surgery

BACKGROUNDThe recruitment maneuver (RM) has been shown to improve oxygenation in some patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. But there is a lack of standardization and lack of clinical studies to prove the improvement on clinical outcome. We conducted this study to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of the RM in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) using low tidal volume ventilation.

METHODSWe randomly assigned 110 patients with ARDS from 14 Chinese intensive care units (ICUs) at the tertiary teaching hospitals. Patients with PaO2 ≤ 200 mmHg at FiO2 1.0 and PEEP ≥ 10 cmH2O were included in the study. Patients were randomized into two groups: control group and RM group. The tidal volume was set to 6 - 8 ml per kilogram of predicted body weight (PBW) in both groups. RM was performed by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) of 40 cmH2O maintained for 40 seconds. RMs was conducted every eight hours for the first five days, or stopped within five days if the patient reached the weaning standard.

RESULTSOne hundred and ten patients had completed the requirements for the primary study goals, 55 from the RM group and 55 control patients. Baseline characteristics remained similar in the two groups. In the RM group the PaO2/FiO2 was significantly increased compared to baseline at 120 minutes after RM on day one and day two (P = 0.007 and P = 0.001). There were no significant differences between the RM and control group in hospital mortality (41.8% vs. 56.4%, P = 0.13), 28-day mortality (29.1% vs. 43.6%, P = 0.11) and ventilator-free days at day 28 (10.8 ± 10.1 vs. 7.4 ± 10.0, P = 0.08). ICU mortality (32.7% vs. 52.7%, P = 0.03), the rate of survival with unassisted breathing for at least 48 consecutive hours at day 28 (58.2% vs. 36.2%, P = 0.02), and nonpulmonary organ failure-free days at day 28 (17.4 ± 11.1 vs. 13.0 ± 12.0, P = 0.03) favored the RM group. There was no significant difference in mean blood pressure and heart rate before RM and at 30, 60, 120 minutes after RM. There was no incidence of barotraumas.

CONCLUSIONSRM was safe and useful for improving oxygenation in patients with ARDS who were ventilated with a low tidal volume, with a beneficial impact on their clinical outcome.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Respiration, Artificial ; adverse effects ; methods ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; therapy ; Tidal Volume ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo prepare Form A and Form B of benazepril hydrochloride and to compare the differences in spectrums, thermodynamics and crystal structure between two polymorphic forms.

METHODSForm A and Form B of benazepril hydrochloride were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TG), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), powder x-ray diffraction (PXRD) and single crystal x-ray diffraction (SCXRD).

RESULTSPreparation method, crystal structure and polymorphic stability of Form A and Form B of benazepril hydrochloride were obtained. Based on the analysis of crystal structure of both polymorphs, Form A belonged to monoclone space group P2(1) with a=7.8655(4)Å, b= 11.7700(6)Å, c= 13.5560(7)Å, β= 102.9470(10)°, V=1223.07 (11)Å(3) and Z=2, while Form B belonged to orthorhombic space group P212121, with a=7.9353(8)Å, b=11.6654(11)Å, c=26.6453(16)Å, V=2466.5(4)Å(3) and Z=4. From the DSC and XRD results, Form B of benazepril hydrochloride could be transformed into Form A after heating treatment.

CONCLUSIONForm A and Form B of benazepril hydrochloride are both anhydrous and displayed different polymorphs due to different molecular configuration. Furthermore, Form A exhibits more stable than Form B at high temperatures.

Benzazepines ; chemistry ; Crystallization ; Drug Stability ; Molecular Conformation

Animals ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Division ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Flow Cytometry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Liver ; cytology ; drug effects ; ultrastructure