Objective To establish the quality standard for Sanyuan Rupixiao Gel Paste. Methods Sparganii Rhizoma, Gleditsiae Sinensis Fructus, Cyperi Rhizoma and Impatientis Semen were identified by TLC method. The content of tetrahydropalmatine was determined by HPLC. Waters symmetry column was used with the mobile phase of acetonitrile-0.1% phosphatic acid in a gradient manner (pH was adjusted to 6.4 by triethylamine) (55:45) at the detection wavelength of 280 nm. The flow rate was 1.0 mL/min at the column temperature of 30 ℃. Results The spots in TLC were clear without any interference;tetrahydropalmatine showed a good linear relation in the range of 0.092–1.84 μg;the average recovery was 100.15%with RSD of 1.58%(n=6). Conclusion The method is simple and accurate with high reproducibility, which can be used for the quality control of Sanyuan Rupixiao Gel Paste.

OBJECTIVETo investigate risk factors associated with peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer.

METHODSClinicopathological data of 873 patients with colorectal cancer treated at the Nanfang Hospital of Southern Medical University from January 2003 to December 2008 were retrospectively analyzed. The associations between peritoneal metastasis and clinicopathological factors were evaluated by univariate analysis including independent-samples t test and χ(2) test, and multivariable logistic regression analysis.

RESULTSUnivariate analysis showed that age(P=0.032), tumor size(P=0.001), tumor differentiation(P=0.008), depth of bowel wall invasion(P=0.000), lymph node metastasis(P=0.000), serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level(P=0.003), and serum carbohydrate antigen 19-9(CA19-9) level(P=0.009) were associated with peritoneal metastasis. On multivariable logistic regression analysis, depth of bowel wall invasion, lymph node metastasis, serum CEA level and CA19-9 level remained as significant risk factors(all P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONDepth of bowel wall invasion, lymph node metastasis, serum CEA level, and CA19-9 level are risk factors for peritoneal metastasis in colorectal cancer.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chi-Square Distribution ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Peritoneum ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVETo construct a clinical database for laparoscopic colorectal surgery in Chinese population using computerized technique.

METHODSA clinical database system was constructed and used in multi-/single-center studies on laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

RESULTSThe data of more than 1200 cases in the Nanfang Hospital during the past year were collected retrospectively. The database was used as the platform for "Southern China Laparoscopic Colorectal Surgery Study Group (SCLCSG)" and was used in the first stage of the clinical research of "Multicenter retrospective study of laparoscopic and open procedure for colorectal cancer" among 11 hospitals in Southern China. In order to test the system, the database was also used in "comparative study on oncologic results of laparoscopic versus open radical resection for rectal carcinoma".

CONCLUSIONSThe evaluation system is reliable and efficient. This system has established a clinical database for laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery and can be widely applied for the clinical research for colorectal cancer.

Colectomy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; surgery ; Colorectal Surgery ; Data Mining ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To explore the associations between vitamin D receptor ( VDR) Fok- Ⅰ and Apa- Ⅰ polymorphisms and myasthenia gravis (MG) in Chinese Han population.Methods Polymorphisms of VDR Fok- Ⅰ and Apa-Ⅰ were determined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method.The frequencies of genotypes and hyplotypes were compared among 286 normal controls and 267 MG patients in different subgroups classified by gender,age of onset,presence of thymoma,and Osserman classification sat maximal severity in the follow-up.The association between the genotypes and maximal severity of MG and short-term glucocorticoid treatment were also investigated.Results There were no significant differences in frequencies of genotypes and hyplotypes of both Fok-Ⅰ and Apa-Ⅰ between MG group and control group,and among subgroups of MG.The Fok- Ⅰ showed no statistical difference between the patients with better and less improvement after short-term treatment of glucocorticoid.The frequency of Apa-Ⅰ alleles in the patients with better improvement (55/186,29.6% ) significantly differed from the less improved group ( 7/48,14.6%,OR = 2.46,95% CI 1.04-10.43,x2 = 4.400,P = 0.036).The patients with the genotype A A/Aa were more likely to improve better after the treatment(48/93,51.6%) than in the worse group(7/24,29.2%,OR =2.59,95% CI 0.98-14.60,x2 =3.858,P= 0.049).Conclusions Alleles and genotypes of VDR-Fok- Ⅰ and Apa-Ⅰ were not found to be related with MG onset and severity.MG patients with VDR-Apa-A allele may have better improvement short-term treatment of glucocorticoid.

BACKGROUNDClinical practice guidelines (CPGs) play an important role in healthcare in China as well as in the world. However, the current status and trends of Chinese CPGs are unknown. The aim of this study was to systematically review the present situation and the quality of Chinese CPGs published in the peer-reviewed medical literature.

METHODSTo identify Chinese CPGs, a systematic search of relevant literature databases (CBM, WANFANG, VIP, and CNKI) was performed for the period January 1978 to December 2010. We used the AGREE II instrument to assess the quality of the included guidelines.

RESULTSWe evaluated 269 guidelines published in 115 medical journals from 1993 to 2010 and produced by 256 different developers. Only four guidelines (1%) described the systematic methods for searching and selecting the evidence, 14 (5%) guidelines indicated an explicit link between the supporting evidence and the recommendations, only one guideline used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. Thirty-one guidelines (12%) mentioned updates and the average frequency of update was 5.5 years; none described a procedure for updating the guideline. From the assessment with the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Ecaluation II (AGREE II), the mean scores were low for the domains "scope and purpose" (19%) and "clarity of presentation" (26%) and very low for the other domains ("rigour of development" 7%, "stakeholder involvement" 8%, "applicability" 6% and "editorial independence" 2%).

CONCLUSIONSCompared with other studies on the quality of guidelines assessed with the AGREE instrument in other countries, Chinese CPGs received lower scores, which indicates a relatively poor quality of the guidelines. However, there was some increase over time.

China ; Humans ; Practice Guidelines as Topic ; standards ; Quality Control ; Time Factors

BACKGROUNDSleep disturbance is common in patients with emphysema. This study aimed to develop a novel model of sleep-related hypoxemia (SRH) in emphysema (SRHIE) with rats, and to explore the inflammatory status of SRHIE in lung, liver, pancreas, carotid artery and whole blood.

METHODSSeventy-five male Wistar rats were assigned to 5 groups with 15 per group according to the exposure conditions. The protocols varied with the degree of hypoxia exposure and severity of pre-existing emphysema caused by cigarette smoke exposure: (1) SRH control (SRHCtrl) group, sham smoke exposure (smoke exposure, exposed to smoke of 15 cigarettes twice everyday, 16 weeks) and SRH exposure (12.5% O2, 3 hours, SRH exposure, divide total hypoxia time (1.5 hours or 3 hours) into 4 periods evenly (22.5 minutes or 45 minutes) and distribute these hypoxia periods evenly into physiological sleep time of rats identified by electroencephalogram, week 9 to week 16); (2) Emphysema control (ECtrl) group, smoke exposure and sham SRH exposure (21% O2, 3 hours); (3) Short SRH in emphysema (SRHShort) group, smoke exposure and short SRH exposure (12.5% O2, 1.5 hours); (4) Mild SRH in emphysema (SRHMild) group, smoke exposure and mild SRH exposure (15% O2, 3 hours); (5) Standard SRH in emphysema (SRHStand) group, smoke exposure and SRH exposure (12.5% O2, 3 hours). ECtrl, SRHShort, SRHMild and SRHStand groups were groups with emphysematous rats. Two days before the end of exposure, 5 rats in each group were randomly selected for arterial blood gas analysis. In the rest 10 rats in each group, we obtained blood samples and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for routine tests. We also obtained tissue blocks of lung, liver, pancreas, and right carotid artery for pathologic scoring and measurements of liver oxidative stress (measuring hepatic oxidative stress enzymes, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, catalase (CAT) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration).

RESULTSEmphysematous groups had higher mean linear intercept (MLI) and mean alveolar number (MAN) values than SRHCtrl group. MLI values in SRHStand group were the highest (all P < 0.05). O2Sat in SRHStand rats when SRH exposure was (83.45 ± 1.76)%. Histological scores of lung, liver, pancreas and right carotid artery were higher in emphysematous groups than SRHCtrl group, and SRHStand group were the highest (all P < 0.05) (SOD and CAT values were lower and MDA values were higher in groups with emphysema than without and in SRHStand group than in ECtrl group (all P < 0.05)). MDA values were the highest in SRHStand group (all P < 0.05). Total cellular score in BALF and White blood cell (WBC) in whole blood were the highest in SRHStand group (all P < 0.05). Lymphocyte ratios were the highest in SRHStand group both in BALF and blood (all P < 0.05). Red blood cell (RBC) and hemoglobin in emphysematous groups were higher than that in SRHCtrl group, and SRHStand group were higher than ECtrl group (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWith a proper novo model of SRHIE with Wistar rats, we have demonstrated SRH may aggravate the degree of emphysematous changes, polycythemia, oxidative stress and systematic inflammation. SRH and emphysema may have a synergistic action in causing systematic damages, and lymphocyte may be playing a central role in this process. Longer duration and more severe extent of SRHIE exposure also seem to result in more serious systematic damages. The mechanisms of all these concerned processes remain to be studied.

Animals ; Emphysema ; complications ; Hemoglobins ; analysis ; Hypoxia ; complications ; Inflammation ; etiology ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sleep ; physiology

Adult ; Humans ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear ; metabolism ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; genetics ; Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-1 ; genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVETo determine the spatio-temporal expression of p70S6k activation in hippocampus in mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

METHODSTemporal lobe epilepsy model was established by stereotaxically unilateral and intrahippocampal injection of kainite acid (KA) in adult male C57BL/6 mice. Latent and chronic epileptogenesis were represented by mice 5 days after KA injection (n = 5) and mice 5 weeks after KA injection (n = 8), respectively. Control mice (n = 5) were injected with saline. Immunohistochemical assays were performed on brain sections of the mice.

RESULTSHippocampus both ipsilateral and contralateral to the KA injection displayed significantly up-regulated pS6 immunoreactivity in dispersed granule cells in 5-day and 5-week model mice.

CONCLUSIONThe activation of p70S6k is mainly located in the dentate gyrus in KA-induced mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy, indicating that the activation may be related with the disperse degree and hypertrophy of granule cells.

Animals ; Epilepsy, Temporal Lobe ; enzymology ; Hippocampus ; enzymology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Phosphorylation ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70-kDa ; analysis ; metabolism

China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Hepatitis E ; blood ; epidemiology ; Hepatitis E virus ; immunology ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; blood ; Male ; Middle Aged

OBJECTIVETo compare the serum miR-663 levels in renal transplant patients with and without acute rejection (AR) and explore the role of miR-663 acute renal graft rejection.

METHODSReal time-PCR was used to determine serum miR-663 levels in renal transplant recipients with and without AR. MTT assay and Annexin V-FITC assay were employed to examine the viability and apoptosis of human renal glomerular endothelial cells (HRGEC) treated with a miR-663 mimic or a miR-663 inhibitor, and ELISA was performed to detect the expression of inflammation-related cytokines including IL-6, IFN-γ, CCL-2 and TNF-α in the cells. Transwell assay was used to examine the effect of miR-663 mimic and miR-663 inhibitor on the chemotactic capability of macrophages.

RESULTSSerum miR-663 level was significantly higher in renal transplant recipients with AR than in those without AR. The miR-663 mimic significantly inhibited the viability of HRGECs and increase the cell apoptosis rate, while miR-663 inhibitor suppressed the cell apoptosis. The miR-663 mimic increased the expression levels of inflammation-related cytokines and enhanced the chemotactic capability of macrophages.

CONCLUSIONmiR-663 might play important roles in acute renal graft rejection and may become a therapeutic target for treating AR.

Apoptosis ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Endothelial Cells ; cytology ; Graft Rejection ; blood ; Humans ; Kidney Glomerulus ; cytology ; Kidney Transplantation ; Macrophages ; cytology ; drug effects ; MicroRNAs ; blood