Dendritic cells(DCs) are known as the most efficient antigen-presenting cells that are potent stimulators of both B and T cell immune responses.The biological characteristics and culture in vitro of DCs,preparation of DC vaccines,experimental and clinical studies in tumor immunotherapy by DC vaccines are reviewed in this article.

Objective To evaluate the effect of TBL (team-based learning) method in pharmacology teaching for the foreign students of clinical medicine. Methods In the course of pharmacology teaching of the foreign students of clinical medicine, TBL method was performed in the 2012-year students and tradi-tional teaching method was performed in the 2011-year students. After the teaching, students' grades in the ordinary performance, their final exam scores and their evaluation of the two teaching methods were com-pared. Graph pad 5 was used to analyze the data and the t test was performed. Results The average ordi-nary performance of the students with TBL was significantly higher than that with the traditional teaching [(84.94 ±12.66) vs. (72.30 ±4.90), P=0.000] and the final examination scores were significantly im-proved [(74.00±6.76) vs. (69.00±6.20), P=0.023]. The survey showed students were more satisfied with the TBL teaching mode than traditional teaching mode [(8.40±0.71) vs. (7.12±1.07), P=0.000]. Conclusion TBL teach-ing mode can effectively improve the pharmacology teaching effect of foreign students.

Animals ; Embryo Culture Techniques ; Embryo, Mammalian ; Female ; Ganglia, Spinal ; cytology ; drug effects ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; pharmacology ; Male ; Motor Neurons ; drug effects ; Neurons, Afferent ; drug effects ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Objective To describe the structure and the level of the stress of nursing students in clinic practice,and supply reference for reform of clinical teaching method.Methods Totally 100 undergraduate nursing students in clinic practice,who would graduate from nursing school and begin to work in 2013,were interviewed and investigated.Results The main stress sources were divided into five aspects:recognition,clinical nursing ability,career development,field response and exhaustion of body and mind.Conclusions The structure and level of the stress of nursing students changed a lot.Some new appropriate reform should be introduced into clinic education,in order to help nursing students to complete psychological change and role adaptation.

Objective To discuss the value of color Doppler ultrasonography in the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of urinary tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC).Methods Color Doppler ultrasonography exam was practiced in 84 UTUC patients preoperatively.According to ultrasound characteristics,lesions was classified into nodular type,wall thickening type and solid mass type,which were confirmed by pathology in all cases postoperatively.Results In the total of 84 cases (76 transitional-cell carcinoma,5 adenocarcinoma and 3 epidermoid carcinoma),lesions infiltrated laminae propria and surrounding tissue in 65 cases.In the nodular type of UTUC,there were nodules raising into lumen.Wall thickening type of UTUC was characterized by irregularly wall thickening,lumen narrowing,truncating and breaking.Similarly,obstruction broke off the ureteral lumen suddenly in solid mass type of UTUC.A clear demarcation could be found between the pipe wall and surrounding tissue in nodular type.However,such clear demarcation could not be found in wall thickening type and solid mass type.The accordance rate of ultrasonographic located diagnosis were 92.9 ％ (78/84),with 6 missed diagnosis cases.The accordance rate of qualitative diagnosis were 89.7％ (70/78).Conclusions As result of color Doppler ultrasonography,there were different relationship between lesion and the peripheral tissue in different types of UTUC.In types of wall thickening and solid mass,the demarcation was unclear and it is easier to violate the surrounding tissue.Color Doppler ultrasonography can provide more effective information for diagnosis and therapy UTUC.

BACKGROUND: Moxibustion can improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis and reduce inflammation, but there are no uniform operation standards. The moxibustiondistance becomes one of factor influencing the therapeutic efficacy.OBJECTIVE: To compare the effects of different moxibustion distances on rheumatoid arthritis, and to explore the optimal distance.METHODS: The 8 of 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomlyselected as controls. The other 32 were used to make animal modes of collagen type Ⅱ-induced ankle arthritis, and then given moxibustion at Shenshu (BL23) and Zusanli (ST36) at an interval of 1, 2 and 3 cm, respectively, once daily, 10 minutes at each point, 6 days per course for three courses, with a course interval of 1 day. Model rats with no treatment acted as model group.RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the control group, the toe volume, arthritis index and serum levels ofinterleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α except the body mass were significantly increased in the model group (P < 0.01).After moxibustion treatment, these indexes were significantly decreased in the three treatment groups (P < 0.01), especially in the 1 and 2 cm groups (P < 0.01). Narrowed articular cavity, intra-articular inflammation and pannus formation were observed in the model group, while only moderate inflammatorycell infiltration and few pannus formation were found in the 1,2, 3 cm groups. These results indicate that moxibustion improvesjoint functions and regulates immune reaction by downregulating the levels of interleukin-1β and tumor necrosisfactor-α, as well as reducing synovial hyperplasia. In addition,the optimal distance for moxibustion is 1 or 2 cm, which is amomentous proposition to improve therapeutic efficacy.

Objective: To observe the effect of different moxibustion durations on rats with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to evaluate the relationship between moxibustion amount and moxibustion efficacy.Methods: Eight rats were randomly selected as a normal group from the 40 male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, and the other 32 rats were used to establish typeⅡ collagen-induced RA models. After successful modeling, the 32 rats were randomly divided into a model group, a moxibustion for 20 min group, a moxibustion for 40 min group and a moxibustion for 60 min group, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in the normal group did not receive modeling and moxibustion intervention; rats in the model group did not receive moxibustion after modeling; rats in the moxibustion for 20 min group, the moxibustion for 40 min group and the moxibustion for 60 min group were treated with moxibustion at Shenshu (BL 23) and Zusanli (ST 36) for 20 min, 40 min and 60 min, respectively. Six days were a course of treatment, with a total of 3-course treatments and a 1-day rest between the courses of treatment. After treatment, the serum levels of interleukin (IL)-1β and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, arthritis index (AI) scores, toe volumes and pathological score of synovitis were evaluated in the rats.Results: Compared with the normal group, the serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels, and the toe volumes in the model group were increased, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.01), before the treatment. Compared with the model group, the serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels, toe volumes and arthritis index (AI) scores were significantly decreased in the moxibustion for 20 min group, the moxibustion for 40 min group and the moxibustion for 60 min group (P<0.05 orP<0.01 ). Compared with the moxibustion for 20 min group and the moxibustion for 60 min group, serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels, toe volumes and AI scores were decreased more significantly in moxibustion for 40 min group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0.05 orP<0.01). There were no significant differences in serum IL-1β and TNF-α levels, AI scores and toe volumes between the moxibustion for 20 min group and the moxibustion for 60 min group (allP>0.05). The synovial histopathological improvement was the most obvious in the moxibustion for 40 min group, when the synovial histopathological changes were compared among the moxibustion for 20 min group, moxibustion for 40 min group and moxibustion for 60 min group.Conclusion: The therapeutic efficacy of moxibustion for 40 min in RA rats was more significant than that of moxibustion for 20 min and moxibustion for 60 min, indicating that the duration of moxibustion is the main factor affecting its therapeutic efficacy.

The epilepsy symptom and the pia microcirculatory blood flow volume (PMBFV) were investigated in epilepsy rat model induced by strychnine and the changes after treatment by using faradized frequency spectrum therapeutic equipment were observed. The epilepsy symptom was improved and the PMBFV increased after treatment. The convulsion seizure time was delayed, the seizure frequency and convulsion time were reduced, and the epilepsy even was not appeared in some cases. Results suggested that this improvement might be related to the change of PMBFV.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of different concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), interleukin-6 (IL-6), dexamethasone (Dex), and insulin on the mRNA and protein expressions of GPR54 in the MCF7 cell line in vitro.

METHODSMCF7 breasr cancer cells were cultured and treated with different concentrations of LPS (10 and 20 µg/ml), TNFα (20 and 100 ng/ml), IL-6 (10 and 20 ng/ml), Dex (10(-6) and 10(-7) mol/L), and insulin (0.01 and 0.1 IU/L). Those treated with culture fluid only served as controls. The mRNA and protein expressions of GPR54 were measured by real-time PCR and Western blot, respectively, after 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours of treatment.

RESULTSCompared with the blank con- trol, LPS (10 and 20 µg/ml), TNFα (20 and 100 ng/ml), IL-6 (10 and 20 ng/ml), Dex (10(-6) and 10(-7) mol/L), and insulin (0.01 and 0.1 IU/L) significantly increased the expressions of GPR54 mRNA (P < 0.05) and protein (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONLPS, TNFα, IL-6, Dex, and insulin evidently increase the expression of GPR54 in the MCF7 cell line, indicating their influence on the function of gonads by regulating the GPR54 level.

Blotting, Western ; Dexamethasone ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Glucocorticoids ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Gonads ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Insulin ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Interleukin-6 ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Lipopolysaccharides ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; MCF-7 Cells ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; drug effects ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Kisspeptin-1 ; Time Factors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology

Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; complications ; diagnosis ; therapy ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pulmonary Edema ; etiology ; Radiography, Thoracic