BACKGROUND:Compared with the normal intervertebral disk, the density of nerve fibers and number of nerve endings and neuropeptides appear to be more in the degenerated intervertebral disk. However, this phenomenon does not occur in the normal y aged disk.
OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the axonal growth and induction of a painful neuropeptide and substance P using rat dorsal root ganglion neurons and degenerated human disc cells in vitro.
METHODS:The human intervertebral discs were harvested from patients with discogenic low back pain and normal people. And extracelluar matrix extracted from human degenerative intervertebral discs was cultured with rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. The promotion of axonal growth and induction of substance P of dorsal root ganglion neurons in extracted medium were evaluated through morphology observation and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:Compared with the normal group, the content of nerve growth factor in the degenerative group was significantly higher and the average length of neuritis was significantly longer in the experimental group (P<0.05). After intervention with anti-nerve growth factorβ, the average length of neuritis became remarkably shorter. The percentage of substance P-immunoreactive cells was significantly higher in the degenerative group compared with the normal group (P<0.001). Nerve growth factors that highly express in the extracellular matrix from the degenerative intervertebral dick can promote neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion neurons and induce release of neuropeptides related to pain transmission.

Diterpenes, Abietane ; therapeutic use ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Genital Neoplasms, Female ; drug therapy ; Humans

Action Potentials ; Animals ; Female ; Heart ; physiology ; Male ; Membrane Transport Proteins ; genetics ; Mice ; Mice, Knockout ; Myocardium ; metabolism ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Sodium Channels ; physiology

Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Mice ; Microscopy, Electron ; Sputum ; drug effects

Animals ; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; genetics ; Cells, Cultured ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Neurons ; drug effects ; Phenylalanine ; toxicity ; Phenylketonurias ; complications ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; rho GTP-Binding Proteins ; genetics

Objective To evaluate the security and biocompatibility of a new kind of absorbable high-strength PDLLA-CPP composite, which is used for internal fracture fixation. Methods According to the national standard of the procedure of appraise in food security and toxicology, micronucleus test of bone marrow cell, spermatic aberration test, chromosomal aberration test, and teratogenic test were measured with IP maximal tolerance dose of maceration extract from PDLLA-CPP composites. Meanwhile, chondrocyte culture with PDLLA-CPP composite was used to evaluate the effect of PDLLA-CPP composite on cartilage cell proliferation. Results Micronucleus test of bone marrow cell, spermatic aberration test, chromosomal aberration test, and teratogenic test were not affected by IP maximal tolerance dose of PDLLA-CPP maceration extract. PDLLA-CPP composite also had no cytotoxicity on cartilage cell proliferation. Conclusion PDLLA-CPP is a new and safe medical material with good biocompatibility and absorbability.

Parkinson′s disease(PD),the second neurodegenerative disease in the world,is characterized by a combination of motor symptoms(rest tremor,bradykinesia,rigidity,postural instability,stooped posture and freezing of gait)and non-motor symp?toms(including psychiatric and cognitive disorders). The core neuropathological features of PD are the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the deposition of iron and cytoplasmic protein aggregates(Lewy bodies)inside neurons. Currently,clinical treatment for PD is symptomatic and there is no effective treatment to restore neuronal degeneration. In the PD therapy ,medication re?mains dominant. Anti-PD drugs are mainly based on the critical signal pathways or some specific targets which play a key role in the pathogenesis of PD to relieve the symptoms of PD. Research and development in novel drugs to prevent or treat PD have been a crucial subject,and some novel candidates are under development. In this paper,we summarize and analyze the anti-PD drugs,and make a brief discussion about its pharmacological targets.

By using the method of philology, 65 Hui prescriptions for treating cough were been collected to compare Arabic and Chinese names of pennisetum, anemarrhenae, honey, pease, white mustard, perilla and towel gourd stem. The Countif function in Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to count frequency of drugs in the prescriptions and summarize eight common Hui medicine for treating cough, namely sugar, honey, almond, fritillaria, liquorice, orange peel, white mulberry root-bark and lily. According to the commonly used drugs, philological studies and theories of Hui medicines, pathology and therapy of Hui medicines for treating cough were preliminarily inferred. In this study, 35 practical prescriptions and 30 simple and convenient Halal dietary prescriptions were summarized from collected prescriptions according to relevant literatures. On the basis of the long-lasting unique dietary therapy culture developed for Hui people, the simple and practical dietary prescriptions were defined according indications, therapy, prescription name and composition, and eight types of drug-admixed foods were summarized to relieve pains and improve health awareness and quality of life. Meanwhile, this study could also enrich and perfect the prescriptions, provide new ideas for improving health of patients, and lay a certain realistic foundation for further study of Hui medicines.
China ; ethnology ; Cough ; drug therapy ; ethnology ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

BACKGROUND: Properties of cancellous bone is significant for metabolic diseases, fracture and joint retrograde diseases.OBJECTIVE: To study the biomechanical properties of cancellous bone.DESIGN: Experimental observation based on femur specimens as the single sample.SETTING: Laboratory of Orthopaedic Biomechanics Ninth Affiliated Hospital Shanghai Second Medical University.PARTICIPANTS: The study was completed in the Laboratory of Orthopaedic Biomechanics, Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital from May to July in 2001,totally 19 male cadaveric femoral heads were selected.METHODS: Totally 19 cadeveric cancellouce bone specimens(about 30years old) from the bearing area of fresh femur head were tested by compression test.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Yield load limiting stress, limiting strain, energy value and elastic modulus of specimens.RESULTS: The compressive data of cancellous bone were measured, the average value of yield load was (410.64 ± 190.29) N , limiting stress was (8.69 ± 3.75) MPa, limiting strain was (10. 84 ±6.58)%, energy value was (2.54 ± 1.89)J, modulus of elasticity was (40.77 ± 32. 12)MPa, At the early time of loading, the cancellous bone showed elastic deformation, then CONCLUSION: The trial indicates that biomechanical properties lighten the pressure of external compression.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anthracosis ; complications ; microbiology ; Cerebral Infarction ; etiology ; Cross Infection ; complications ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; complications