Critical Illness ; therapy ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans

Objective To investigate the effects of separate and direct bee sting punctures at acupoints on ESR and RF in rheumatoid arthritis. Method Seventy-two patients with rheumatoid arthritis were randomized to observation and control groups, 36 cases each. The observation group received separate bee sting puncture at acupoints and the control group, direct bee sting puncture at acupoints. In both groups, treatment was given once every other day, three times a week, one week as a course, for two courses. ESR and RF were measured in the two groups before treatment and at one and two weeks after. Result ESR and RF changed significantly in both groups after treatment compared with before (P<0.05). The effects of the two treatments on rheumatoid arthritis-related ESR and RF were equal and there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion Both separate and direct bee sting punctures at acupoints can reduce ESR and RF in rheumatoid arthritis. Separate bee sting puncture at acupoints is easy for the patients to accept.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the apoptosis of human acute leukemia HL-60 cell line and to analyze the role of the related apoptosis genes, such as Bcl-2 and Mcl-1, in the process of apoptosis of human acute leukemia cells.

METHODSHL-60 cells were treated with different concentrations of VEGF (2 microg/L, 20 microg/L or 100 microg/L ) or 20 mg/L of etoposide (VP16, an apoptosis inducter) alone or VEGF plus VP16. After 18 hrs of treatment, the apoptosis rate of HL-60 cells was detected by single-cell gel electrophoresis and flow cytometry. The expressions of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 of HL-60 cells were detected by RT-PCR. The Control group did not receive any treatment. Immunocytochemistry was used to detect the VEGF and Mcl-1 protein in bone marrow cells from 8 patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed leukemia, 14 leukemia patients in complete remission, and from 5 normal children.

RESULTSDifferent concentrations of VEGF markedly inhibited the apoptosis of HL-60 cells and decreased the apoptosis induced by VP16 exposure. The Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 mRNA and protein in HL-60 cells treated with VEGF were significantly higher than those in the Control group. The expressions of VEGF and Mcl-1 protein in bone marrow cells of the newly diagnosed and relapsed patients were significantly higher than in patients in complete remission.

CONCLUSIONVEGF can inhibit the apoptosis of HL-60 cells possibly through increasing the expressions of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 mRNA and protein, which may represent one of the mechanisms responsible for human acute leukemia. The expressions of VEGF, Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 might be used as the markers for the prognostic evaluation of leukemia.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Flow Cytometry ; HL-60 Cells ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Leukemia ; metabolism ; pathology ; Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein ; Neoplasm Proteins ; analysis ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; analysis ; genetics ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; pharmacology

Objective To explore the application of parents' presence induction program (PPIP) during anesthesia induction in children in the operation room and the nursing. Methods 86 children patients (1~11 years old) who would accept the operation were randomly divided into the observation and the control group (n=43 in each group). The observation group was accompanied by their parents when the children accepted the anesthesia induction under the instruction of nurses. But the patients were not present in the control group, and the patients were leaded into the operation room directly by the nurses to accept the anesthesia induction. Blood pressure and pulse changes before and after the anesthesia induction of these children patients were observed. The feeling of their heads of family before the operation and the satisfaction about PPIP were investigated. Results Blood pressure and pulses in the control group were significantly higher than those in the observation group before they were leaded into the operation room (P<0.01). 95% of heads of family hoped to accompany their children when they accepted the anesthesia induction, and 93.7% of heads of family wanted to take part in the PPIP. The satisfaction rate about PPIP was 95% after the completion of PPIP. Conclusions There are many profits about PPIP, such as mitigating the fear and anxiety of children and relaxing the unstable feeling of their heads of families before the anesthesia, and reducing the quantity of pre-anesthetic medications. These are helpful to the anesthesia induction and the cooperation of doctor patients. It is a best anesthesia induction mode worthy to be extended in the operation room.

To investigate the prevalence of drug-resistance mutations, resistance to antiretroviral drugs, and the subsequent virological response to therapy in treatment-naive and antiretroviral-treated patients infected with HIV/AIDS in Henan, China, a total of 431 plasma samples were collected in Queshan county between 2003 and 2004, from patients undergoing the antiretroviral regimen Zidovudine + Didanosine + Nevirapine (Azt+Ddi+Nvp). Personal information was collected by face to face interview. Viral load and genotypic drug resistance were tested. Drug resistance mutation data were obtained by analyzing patient-derived sequences through the HIVdb Program (http://hivdb.stanford.edu). Overall, 38.5% of treatment-naive patients had undetectable plasma viral load (VL), the rate significantly increased to 61.9% in 0 to 6 months treatment patients (mean 3 months) (P＜0.005) but again significantly decrease to 38.6% in 6 to 12 months treatment patients (mean 9 months) (P＜0.001) and 40.0% in patients receiving more than 12 months treatment (mean 16 months) (P＜0.005). The prevalence of drug resistance in patients who had a detectable VL and available sequences were 7.0%, 48.6%, 70.8%, 72.3% in treatment-na(1)ve, 0 to 6 months treatment, 6 to 12 months treatment, and treatment for greater than 12 months patients, respectively. No mutation associated with resistance to Protease inhibitor (PI) was detected in this study. Nucleoside RT inhibitor (NRTI) mutations always emerged after non-nucleoside RT inhibitor (NNRTI) mutations, and were only found in patients treated for more than 6 months, with a frequency less than 5%, with the exception of mutation T215Y (12.8%, 6/47) which occurred in patients treated for more than 12 months. NNRTI mutations emerged quickly after therapy begun, and increased significantly in patients treated for more than 6 months (P＜0.005), and the most frequent mutations were K103N, V106A, Y181C, G190A. There had been optimal viral suppression in patients undergoing treatment for less than 6 months in Queshan,Henan. The drug resistance strains were highly prevalent in antiretroviral-treated patients, and increased with the continuation of therapy, with many patients encountering virological failure after 6 months therapy.

OBJECTIVETo study the protective effect of early application of lytic cocktail on small intestine of severely scalded rats.

METHODSSixty-six male SD rats were divided into sham injury group (SI, n=6), scald group (S, n=30) and scald+lytic cocktail group (SL, n=30) according to the random number table. After anesthesia, rats in the latter 2 groups were inflicted with 30% full-thickness scald, while rats in S group were sham scalded with 37 degrees C water. Resuscitation was carried out by intraperitoneal injection with 2 mLxkg(-1)x%TBSA(-1) lactated Ringer's solution in all rats; meanwhile 12 mL/kg lytic cocktail [1 mL pethidine (50 mg/mL)+1 mL chlorpromazine (25 mg/mL)+1 mL promethazine (25 mg/mL)+125 mL saline] was hypodermically injected to rats in SL group, while 12 mL/kg saline was injected into rats in the other 2 groups. Samples of blood and small intestine were harvested from S and SL groups at post scald hour (PSH) 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and from SI group at PSH 3, with 6 rats in each group at each time point. Pathological changes in intestine were observed, and the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and CD68 were determined with immunohistochemistry at PSH 24 for S and SL groups and at PSH 3 for SI group. Plasma levels of D-lactate, diamine oxidase (DAO), IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-10 were determined with ELISA. Data were processed with one-way analysis of variance.

RESULTS(1) At PSH 24, mild hemorrhage, inflammatory cell infiltration and epithelial cell shedding were observed in small intestinal mucosa of rats in S group. Compared with S group, the intestinal villi of SL group were arranged regularly without obvious hyperemia and edema. (2) Expression levels of ICAM-1 and CD68 [(1.69+/-0.27)%, (0.80+/-0.09)%] in S group were significantly higher than those in SI group [(0.77+/-0.10)%, (0.30+/-0.05)%, with F value respectively 77.303 and 66.933, P<0.05 or P < 0.01] and SL group [(0.53+/-0.09)%, (0.32+/-0.06)%, with F value respectively 77.303 and 66.933, P values all below 0.01]. (3) D-lactate levels of rats in SL group were significantly lower than those of rats in S group at PSH 12, 24 (with F value respectively 20.936 and 19.854, P values all below 0.01), while DAO levels of rats in SL group were significantly lower than those of rats in S group at PSH 3, 12 (with F value respectively 21.930 and 11.342, P values all below 0.05). (4) The levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in S group were significantly higher than those of SI group at each time point (P values all below 0.01). The levels of IL-1beta and TNF-alpha in SL group were significantly higher than those of S group at PSH 6, 12 and 24 (with F value respectively 96.517, 17.365, 79.715 and 21.328, 17.682, 28.424, P<0.05 or P<0.01). IL-10 level in SL group was higher than that in S group at each time point, and the differences were statistically significant at PSH 6 and 24 (with F value respectively 8.668, 19.634, P < 0.05 or P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONSEarly administration of lytic cocktail can attenuate edema and injury of intestinal mucosa in severely scalded rats. The mechanism may lie in that it can reduce the expression of ICAM-1 in intestinal mucosa, decrease the number of intestinal inflammatory cells and regulate the levels of inflammatory cytokines.

Animals ; Burns ; therapy ; Chlorpromazine ; pharmacology ; Drug Combinations ; Intestinal Mucosa ; metabolism ; pathology ; Intestine, Small ; metabolism ; pathology ; Male ; Meperidine ; pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo develop an simple and sensitive method for detecting anti-coronavirus IgG antibodies in bat sera based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

METHODSA commercial ELISA kit for detecting SARS-CoV antibody was modified for detecting coronavirus antibodies in bat serum samples. The second antibody in the kit was replaced with horseradish peroxidase-conjugated protein-A (HRP-SPA) based on the characteristics of binding between Staphylococcus aureus protein A (SPA) and mammal IgG Fc fragment. The sera of 55 fulvous fruit bats (Rousettus dasymallus) were tested using the SPA-ELISA.

RESULTSThe test results of the positive and negative controls in the kit and the serum samples from convalescent ;patient were consistent with expectation. Coronavirus antibody was detected in 2 out of the 55 bat serum samples. Serum neutralization test confirmed the validity of the SPA-ELISA method.

CONCLUSIONThis SPA-ELISA method is applicable for detecting coronavirus antibody in bat sera.

Animals ; Antibodies, Viral ; blood ; Chiroptera ; virology ; Coronavirus ; immunology ; isolation & purification ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; methods ; Immunoglobulin G ; blood

Objective To investigate the association between cutaneous adverse drug reactions (CADRs) caused by antiepileptic drugs and HLA-B*1502 allele. Methods In 31 epileptic patients presented to the Epilepsy Clinic of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical College between January 2007 and May 2008, 13 had CADR to carbanazepine (CBZ) including 6 with Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and 7 with mild maculopapular exanthona (MPE);15 were CBZ-tolerant, and 3 had lamotrigine (LTG)-indueed MPE. All the patients underwent examinations using polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific palmers to analyze HLA -B*1502 allele frequencies, with 30 healthy subjects without a history of using CBZ or LTG as the control. Results HLA-B*IS02 allele frequency was 100% (6/6) in patients with CBZ-SJS, 57% (4/7) in patients with CBZ-induced MPE, and 33% (1/3) in patients with LTG-induced MPE. The frequency was 7% (1/15) in CBZ-tolerant patients and 10% (3/30) in the control subjects. Compared with the CBZ-tolerant patients and the control subjects, the patients with CBZ-induced SJS and MPE had significantly increased HLA -B*1502 allele frequency (P<0.05). Conclusions HLA-B*1502 allele is associated with CADRs to CBZ in epileptic patients.

Objective To explore the relativity between anxiety of patients with liver cancer and personality characteristics．Methods Questionnaires were distributed to a total of 300 liver cancer patients who were admitted into hospital for the first time，such as SAS (Serf-rating Depression Scale),EPQ(Eysenck Personality Questionaire) and so on．Results The score of SAS of liver cancer patients Was (45.12±8.91),which was much higher than that of the normal people (P<0.01)．The score of SAS of liver cancer patients with unstable introvert personality characteristics was (50.05±9.63),which was much higher than that of those with stable extrovert personality characteristics(P<0.01)．The score of SAS of liver cancer patients with unstable introvert personality characteristics was (49.12±8.91),which was much higher than that of those with stable introvert personality characteristics(P<0.01)．Conclusions The level of anxiety differs among liver cancer patients．As an independent risky factor,the unstable personality characteristics tend to cause anxiety of liver cancer patients．Paramedics should adopt active methods to lessen their anxiety.

Objective To describe the level of cancer related fatigue (CRF) in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after surgery,and to explore its related factors so as to provide the basis for making effective intervention measures.Methods 100 lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after surgery from two tertiary-level hospitals were recruited in this study by convenient sampling.The study adopted a descriptive correlation method.The level of CRF and depression,and sleep quality were investigated with the Revised Piper Fatigue Scale,Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS),and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).Results 87％of lung cancer patients had a middle level of CRF,; 83％ of them had depression,the higher the level of depression,the higher the level of CRF.The total score of fatigue before the operation was (4.72 ± 0.88),(5.44 ± 1.26) after the operation; there was significant difference between the score of fatigue before and after the operation( t =11.98,P ＜ 0.01 ).Patients' total score of PSQI was ( 11.00 ± 3.85 ) ; their sleep quality was poor,and it also influenced the levels of CRF、The total score of CRF is positively related with the sleep quality (r =0.234,P ＜ 0.05 ).Conclusions CRF prevails in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after surgery,the medical care staff shall pay much attention to their emotion and sleep quality so as to lessen their fatigue as much as possible.