Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of a new drug for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), ticagrelor in treating the patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and to compare the effect between ticagrelor and clopidogrel in order to obtain the prospective information of ticagrelor in clinical practice.
Methods: A total of 307 STEMI patients were divided into 2 groups, Treatment group, the patients received ticagrelor with aspirin, n=157 and Control group, the patients received clopidogrel with aspirin, n=150. With a period of treatment, the major adverse cardiac events (MACE), rate of thrombosis re-formation and routine blood test result were compared between 2 groups.
Results: Treatment group presented the better LVDD, LVEF, platelet level and ST-segment recovery than those in Control group, P<0.05 or P<0.01. Treatment group showed slightly higher rate of side effect such as dififcult breathing and bleeding, while those reaction did not affect the treatment or special management for the patients.
Conclusion: The clinical effect of ticagrelor is similar to clopidogre for improving the platelet level and cardiac function in STEMI patients, while the clinical advantage reported in abroad should be further studied.

At present, the etiology and pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis are unclear. RIG-Ⅰ-like receptors are a new-ly discovered pattern recognition receptors (RLRs), which are located in cytoplasm. They can recognize the helicase of viral dsRNAs, and interact with interferon beta promoter stimulator (IPS)-1 through their caspase activation recruitment domain (CARD), then form IPS-1 signalsome and induce the expression of interferon typeⅠ(Ⅰ-IFN), thereby initiate innate im-mune response and induce antiviral response. Recent studies have found that mice lacking IPS-1 would develop exacerbated disease and accompanied by markedly higher inflammation, increasing axonal damage and demyelination. Furthermore, initi-ating the RIG-Ⅰ-like helicase receptor on the immune cells can alleviate inflammation and myelin fracture in multiple scle-rosis of mouse model, thus limit the incidence of paralysis. This paper is a review about the research progress on RLRs in the treatment of multiple sclerosis.

0.05),but all were lower than those of the control group(P

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Azithromycin ; pharmacology ; Bacteremia ; microbiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Culture Media ; Drug Resistance, Bacterial ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Escherichia coli ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Methicillin Resistance ; Middle Aged ; Penicillin G ; pharmacology ; Salmonella paratyphi A ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Staphylococcus aureus ; drug effects ; isolation & purification ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; drug effects ; isolation & purification

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction on Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression.

METHODThirty-two NOD mice were randomly divided into the model group, the traditional Chinese medicine group (TCM group, orally given 0.4 mL nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction as per 100 g x kg(-1) everyday), the hydroxychloroquine group (given 0.4 mL hydroxychloroquine as per 60 mg x kg(-1) everyday), the traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine group (TCM WM group, given nourishing Yin, Strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction 50 g x kg(-1) and hydroxychloroquine 60 mg x kg(-1), 0.4 mL everyday), with eight mice in each group. Eight Balb/C mice were selected as the normal control group (normal group). All of mice were killed after eight weeks, and their submaxillary glands were dissected. The expression levels of Fas/FasL were examined by immunohistochemical method, and the FasL mRNA was detected by RT-PCR.

RESULTThe expression levels of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of the model group were higher than that of other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL of the normal group was much lower than that in the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05). The relative expression level of Fas mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in other groups, but the control group was notably lower than other groups (P < 0.05). The expression level of FasL mRNA in salivary glands of the model group was higher than that in TCM and TCM WM groups (P < 0.05). But the expression level in TCM WM group was notably lower than the hydroxychloroquine group (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction could down-regulate the expression level of Fas/FasL in salivary glands of NOD mice with Sjogren's syndrome and their mRNA expression, and had a better efficacy after being combined with hydroxychloroquine. The nourishing Yin, strengthening Qi and activating blood decoction might treat the Sjogren's Syndrome by reducing apoptosis which is regulated by Fas/FasL

Animals ; Fas Ligand Protein ; genetics ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred NOD ; Qi ; RNA, Messenger ; genetics ; metabolism ; Salivary Glands ; metabolism ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; blood ; genetics ; therapy ; Yin-Yang ; fas Receptor ; genetics

Objective To study the efficacy and safety of tacalcitol combined with monochromatic excimer light (MEL) 308 nm vs MEL 308 nm monotherapy in treating vitiligo.Methods Thirty-eight pa- tients with vitiligo were enrolled in the single-blind clinical trial,using plabebo-treated lesions in the same patient as controls.Contralateral or nearby lesions were randomly selected to be treated by either tacalcitol or placebo.All lesions were treated weekly with MEL 308 nm,for a total of 12 sessions.Patients were ex- amined at monthly intervals.The mean number of sessions and the cumulative dosage for initial and excel- lent repigrnentation were calculated.Results Thirty-five patients were evaluated.The mean?SEM cumu- lative dose and number of MEL exposures for initial repigmentation,respectively,were 4.27?3.59 J/cm~2 and 4.89?3.16 on tacalcitol-treated site,5.36?4.12 J/cm~2 and 5.69?3.29 on placebo-treated site,re- spectively (both P＜0.05).For excellent repigrnentation,the cumulative dose and number of exposures were 7.72?5.64 J/cm~2 and 7.79?4.70 respectively on tacalcitol-treated site,and 8.18?4.87 J/cm~2 and 8.4?3.92 respectively on placebo-treated site (both P＞0.05).Treatment with tacalcitol resulted in a sig- nificantly higher percentage (71.4% vs 54.3%) of repigmentation than that with placebo.Conclusions Our results show that MEL 308 nm is safe and effective for the treatment of vitiligo.Additionally,concur- rent topical tacalcitol potentiates the efficacy of MEL 308 nm in the treatment of vitiligo;this combination achieves more rapid pigmentation with a lower total MEL dosage.

By using whole blood selenium, 24 hr urinary selenium and hair selenium contents as the indices of assessing human selenium status, it was found that the populations in the endemic areas of Keshan disease were practically in a selenium poor status. The selenium contents in locally grown staple grains and daily diets in the endemic areas were also lower than those in the non-endemic areas. In an area covering a cross section of Keshan disease geographic belt in our country, the hair selenium contents of agricultural populations were measured. The results indicated that all the hair selenium contents in the endemic sites were always at a lower level, whereas those in the non-endemic sites distant from the endemic areas were generally at a higher level; they decreased gradually until the endemic areas were reached; and finally, along the contiguous region of the endemic and non-endemic areas they were insignificantly different.The hair selenium contents among the agricultural populations were significantly lower than those among the non-agricultural ones in the same endemic areas. However, no regular correlation had been observed between the seasonal prevalence of Keshan disease and the variation of hair selenium contents in the same populations living in the same endemic sites.It is considered that the endemic areas of the disease seem to be a Se-deficiency belt, and Se-deficiency probably might be a pathogenic geo-gen in the prevalence of Keshan disease.

In order to clarify the pharmacodynamic substances and mechanism of Xiangju Preparations (Xiangju Tablets, Xiangju Drops) in the treatment of rhinitis and sinusitis, the multi-level network integration analysis of "ingredients-targets-pathways" was conducted. 137 chemical constituents were identified in Xiangju Preparations by high pressure liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF/MS) for the first time. Network pharmacology analysis was performed on 59 potential active components. The results of network pharmacology analysis demonstrated that the medicinal ingredients in Xiangju Preparations included caffeic acid, senkyunolide F, rosmarinic acid, ligustilide, prim-O-glucosylcimifugin, linarin, magnolin, luteolin, senkyunolide I and gallic acid. These ingredients act on the crucial targets of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin 1B (IL1B), protein kinase B (AKT1), vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) and participate in the regulation of advanced glycosylation end products-receptor of AGEs (AGE-RAGE), TNF, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), and cyclic guanosine monophosphate-protein kinase G (cGMP-PKG) signaling pathways to effectively treat rhinitis and sinusitis. The excellent binding performance between above 10 active components and 5 key target proteins was further confirmed by molecular docking, indicating that these 10 ingredients are pharmacodynamic substances of Xiangju preparations. In conclusion, this study preliminarily clarified the effective components and mechanism of Xiangju preparations in the treatment of rhinitis and sinusitis, and provided a theoretical basis for the clinical application of Xiangju preparations.

Background and Objectives The relationship between left atrial (LA) size and congestive heart failure (CHF) is well recognized;however, there is little information on the association of pulmonary vein (PV) diameter and CHF.The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes of PV and LA sizes in CHF patients by multislice computed tomography (MSCT) angiography using a new 64-slice scanner. Methods and Results We assessed diameters of PVs ostium and LA by 64-slice MSCT with three-dimensional reconstruction in 25 CHF patients and in 26 age- and sex-matched non-CHF controls. Compared with controls, CHF patients showed significant greater diameters of left superior pulmonary vein (LSPV) and right inferior pulmonary vein (RIPV) in both anteriorposterior(AP) and superior-inferior (SI) directions (P＜0.01), significant dilation of right superior pulmonary vein (RSPV) in AP direction (P＜0.05), as well as significant increase of LA transverse, AP, and SI diameters (P＜0.01). Conclusion Significant dilation of PVs with simultaneous LA enlargement was demonstrated in CHF patients. This anatomic and geometric changes may participate in the perpetuation of AF.

Objective To investigate perfusion imaging and parameters of normal pancreas by dual-source CT and to evaluate the appropriate perfusion imaging scan.Methods Sixty-six subjects with normal pancreas underwent low-dose pancreatic perfusion and plain scan.CT images were sent to a separate workstation via a network.The blood flow (BF)and blood volume (BV)of pancreas head,body and tail were measured using the VPCT Body software and analyzed by one-way ANOVA.Then the time-density curve of pancreas was drawn,and the enhancement peak time and the corresponding CT value were also measured.Results The average BF values of pancreas head,body and tail were (1 1 6.09 ± 31.83)mL·100 g-1 ·min-1 ,(1 1 9.72±32.50)mL·100 g-1 ·min-1 , (1 14.65±31.42)mL·100 g-1 ·min-1 ,and the mean BV values were (29.83 ±1 9.07)mL/100 g,(30.39 ± 1 9.38)mL/100 g, (28.82±1 9.22)mL/100 g,respectively.The perfusion parameters in different pancreatic parts were not statistically different.The mean enhancement peak time was (27.92 s±4.52)s,(28.02±5.34)s in pancreas head,(27.40±4.36)s in pancreas body,(27.34±4.57)s in pancreas tail.On plain image,the average CT value of pancreas was (41.43±5.88)HU.However,on enhanced image,the mean CT value was (95.96±18.44)HU in normal pancreas [(96.73±19.71)HU in pancreas head,(98.45±17.52)HU in body,(92.69±18.1 7)HU in tail].Conclusion The perfusion parameters including blood flow and blood volume in pancreatic head,body and tail are identical. The mean enhancement peak time is (27.92±4.52)s,and the corresponding enhancement CT value is (95.96±18.44)HU.