Sjögren's syndrome is a chronic autoimmune disease with unclear etiology. From the point of etiology, Chinese medicine (CM) theory holds that pathological products like dry toxin, blood stasis are produced in the pathological process. They are both pathologic results and pathogenic factors for its further development. So pathological products are also named as second pathogenic factors. In this article, the concept of second pathogenic factors was sorted and defined. Main second pathogenic factors of Sjögren's syndrome were pinpointed, and their modern medical bases were analyzed. Authors came to a conclusion that clearing away second pathogenic factors is a key point in treating Sjögren's syndrome.
Humans ; Sjogren's Syndrome ; pathology

Objective To study the clinical application of the peak expiratory flow rate( PEFR) in children with asthma.Methods The PEFRs of 43 cases of asthma at the acute stage were measured to guide the clinical grading and therapy by the optimum individual PEFR of the patients at the remission stage, and the descending rate and warning value of individual PEFR were determined to investigate the relationship between the individual PEFR descending rate and the asthma attack conditions in the standard and nonstandard monitoring groups.Results At the asthma attack stage, the clinical symptoms became severe with PEFR declining; at the remission stage, the preventive application of drugs was based on the changes of the individual PEEF descending rate . The case number and frequency of asthma attack and the cases subjected to moderate or severe attacks in the standard group were 15 %,23.5 % and 25 % respectively; while those in the nonstandard group were 43.5 %, 75.5 % and 76.9 % respectively, which showed a significant difference( P

This paper introduces the basic principle and method of establishing a database for neuropathic images, and discusses its significance and data sharing. The database is composed of three data volumes about basic knowledge for images, cranial sectional anatomy and neuropathic images. The data sharing is achieved by using a method of linking the dynamic network of neuropathic images with database of neuropathic images. There are three searching approaches: catalog searching, key words searching and code searching.
Databases, Bibliographic ; Hospital Information Systems ; Humans ; Information Storage and Retrieval ; methods ; Neuroradiography

OBJECTIVETo explore the effects of Candesartan cilexetil on the rats exposed to silica.

METHODNinety-six wistar rats were randomly divided into model-group, intervention-group and control-group (32 rats a group). The intervention-group, model-group and control group were orally exposed to Candesartan cilexetil (10 mg/kg) and normal solution for a week, respectively. Then the model and intervention groups were exposed to silica by intratracheal infusion of silica dust suspension (50 mg/ml), the control group was exposed to 0.5 ml normal solution for 2 days. On the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 28th days after exposure to silica, 8 rats of each group were sacrificed, respectively. The samples of lung tissues were collected. The lung/body coefficients were detected. The pathological examinations were performed by HE and Masson staining. The levels of ACE in the lung tissues were observed by immunochemistry staining. The levels of TGF-β1 and Ang II in the BALF were examined by ELISA.

RESULTSOn the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 28th days after exposure, the levels of alveolitis and pulmonary fibrosis in the intervention group were significantly alleviated as compared with model group, and the lung/body coefficients in the intervention group, which were significantly lower than those in model group respectively (P < 0.01). As compared with control group, the levels of TGF-β1 and Ang II of the BALF in the model and intervention groups significantly enhanced (P < 0.01). As compared with model group, the levels of TGF-β1 and Ang II of the BALF in the intervention group significantly decreased (P < 0.01). As compared with control group, the levels of ACE of the lung tissues in the model and intervention groups significantly increased (P < 0.01). But the level of ACE of the lung tissues in the intervention group was significantly lower than that in the model group (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONThe early Candesartan cilexetil intervention could significantly decrease the levels of alveolitis and lung fibrosis, declined the levels of TGF-β(1) and Ang II of BALF and downregulated the expression level of ACE in lung tissues in rats exposed to silica.

Angiotensin II ; metabolism ; Animals ; Benzimidazoles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Female ; Lung ; drug effects ; pathology ; Male ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Silicon Dioxide ; toxicity ; Tetrazoles ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the relationship of pre-pregnancy body weight, gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention among women in Beijing.

METHODSUsing a cohort design, 600 pregnant women who went to district obstetrics and gynecology hospital in Beijing to establish preconception health care card from 5(th) February to 15(th) March 2009 were recruited. A total of 112 subjects (109 with valid data), 20% of that in baseline, were followed up at 6 months after delivery.70 subjects (66 with valid data) were followed up at one year after delivery. Weight, weight changes and postpartum weight retention were measured for low weight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m(2)), normal weight (18.5 kg/m(2) ≤ BMI ≤ 24.0 kg/m(2)) and overweight or obesity (BMI > 24.0 kg/m(2)) group.

RESULTSThe pre-pregnancy weight and antenatal weight were (54.8 ± 8.0) and (70.8 ± 9.3) kg respectively. Gestational weight gain was (16.0 ± 7.0) kg. The postpartum weight of 6 and 12 months were (60.5 ± 9.4) and (57.6 ± 8.6) kg respectively. Comparing to pre-pregnancy, postpartum weight retention in 6 months and 12 months were (5.7 ± 4.5) and (2.7 ± 4.5) kg, weight retention rates were (10.6 ± 8.6)% and (5.2 ± 9.3)%. Antenatal weight among low pre-pregnancy weight group, normal weight and overweight and obese women were (62.6 ± 5.7), (69.9 ± 6.6) and (84.2 ± 9.9) kg, and weight at postpartum 12 months among 3 groups were (49.3 ± 3.2), (56.5 ± 6.9) and (70.5 ± 6.0) kg respectively (F = 25.3, P < 0.01); At postpartum 12 months, low pre-pregnancy weight group ((5.6 ± 5.9) kg), overweight and obese women group ((4.7 ± 1.9) kg) postpartum weight retention was significantly higher than that of the normal weight group ((1.8 ± 4.3) kg) (F = 3.82, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe pre-pregnancy body weight is a key risk factor in weight gain during pregnancy and postpartum weight retention.

Adult ; Body Mass Index ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Overweight ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications ; Risk Factors ; Weight Gain ; Young Adult

BACKGROUNDMost indices for evaluating a diagnostic test can be expressed as functions of sensitivity (SEN) and specificity (SPE). Practically, all existing methods suffer from the inability to weight sensitivity and specificity relative to their importance. In this paper, we developed a novel index, the weighted Youden index, that allows Youden index to be a combination of sensitivity and specificity with user-defined weights.

METHODSThe weighted Youden index Jw is defined as Jw = 2(w×SEN + (1-w)SPE)-1 (0 ≤ w ≤ 1). It has three properties: (1) the sum of the weights which are attached to sensitivity and specificity should be equal to 1; (2) the range of Jw should be within [-1, 1], which is the range of the Youden index J; (3) Jw should be equal to J when sensitivity and specificity have equal weights. According to the central limit theorem, we obtain the standard error of Jw, and propose a statistical inference method to compare two weighted Youden indices. The monotonicity of the test statistic was discussed.

RESULTSAn example of comparing two diagnostic tests for pheochromocytoma was used to demonstrate the weighted Youden index method. Weighted Youden index, the confidence interval for each test and the hypothesis test of comparing two independent diagnostic tests were presented. Assigning the weights is essential to the weighted Youden index approach.

CONCLUSIONThe weighted Youden index can broaden its applications in diagnostic test development and motivate further research in weighting sensitivity and specificity explicitly.

Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; Sensitivity and Specificity

AIM To observe the therapeutic effects of Lizhong Fuyuan Decoction (LFD) (Astragali Radix,Atractylodis macrocephalae Rhizoma,Poria,etc.) combined with acupuncture (Weishu,Zhongwan,Neiguan and Zusanli) on chronic atrophic gastritis with spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis by randomized,parallel controlled trial.METHODS One hundred and eight patients were randomly and equally divided into LFD + acupuncture group,LFD group and control group (folic acid),four months as a course of the treatment.The main clinical symptoms and signs in the three groups before and after the treatment were observed,and the gastroscopic analysis and physico-chemical examination were compared.RESULTS There were significant differences in color and activity of gastric mucosa in each group,and there was also significant difference in TCM symptom score before and after the treatment.In terms of symptom curative effect,there was significant difference among various groups.No significant differences among various groups were observed in pathological efficacy,immunohistochemistry and comprehensive curative effect.The total effective rate of the LFD + acupuncture group reached 42％,that of the LFD group was 36.5％,and that of the control group obtained 24.1％.Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and rank sum test indicated that the differences between the two groups were statistically significant.CONCLUSION LFD combined with acupuncture can optimize the curative effects on chronic atrophic gastritis with spleen deficiency and phlegm stasis.

Objective:To sieve molecular biomarkers associated with heart failure derived from arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).Methods:The comparative gene microarray analysis using individual left ventricular myocardial samples from 5 patients with heart failure resulting from ARVC undergoing transplantation and 5 matched samples from normal adult heart were performed.The accuracy rate of the differentially expressed genes obtained by gene microarray was further verified by quantitative real time RT-PCR.Results:83 genes (from a total of 35000) that were differentially expressed in diseased hearts versus normal hearts were identified.Among them thirty-seven genes were up-regulated and forty-eight genes were down-regulated in ARVC hearts compared with the normal hearts.Changes of gene expressions were most prominently observed in those belonging to the "metabolism" category.Eighty percent of the selected 30 differentially expressed genes from microarray analysis were confirmed by quantitative real time RT-PCR.The highly expressed level of atrial natriuratic peptide (ANP) in ARVC hearts that was confirmed by quantitative real time RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry was reported.Conclusion:For the first time to our knowledge,the altered expressed genes in ARVC hearts compared with the matched normal hearts were identified.The results are the base to further study the molecular mechanism and identify diseased-specific molecular biomarkers in heart failure derived from ARVC.

Objective To study the incidence of stroke among elderly people in China's longevity area and its association with diseases such as hypertension,diabetes and heart disease.The differences in the following common hematological indicators in subjects with stroke and non-hypertension,diabetes,heart disease and stroke were studied:superoxide dismutase (SOD),malondialdehyde (MDA),hypersensitive c-reactive protein (hsCRP),albumin (propagated) glucose (GLU),cholesterol (CHO),triglyceride (TG),high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC),glycosylated serum protein (GSP) urea nitrogen (BUN),creatinine (CREA) and uric acid (UA).Methods Residents who participated in the project of biomedical research of aging population conducted in 2014 were selected from 8 longevity Areas in China.2 315 people aged 40 and over attended the study,including 22 aged 40 and over,238 aged 60 and over,490 aged 70 and over,629 aged 80 and over,518 aged 90 and over,418 aged 100 and over.Using the self-designed questionnaire to collect information about the characteristics of social demographics,the clinical doctors used the unified inspection tool to examine the subjects.The fasting blood samples were collected by vacuum tube at early morning.The contents of plasma SOD,MDA,hsCRP,ALB,GLU,CHO,TG,HDLC,GSP,BUN,CREA and UA were detected and compared among these elderly who were classified into different genders and different age groups and different healthy groups.Results The prevalence of high blood pressure,diabetes,heart disease and stroke increased with age,reaching a peak and then slowly decreasing.The age of peak was 90 ～ 99,60 ～ 69,70～ 79 and 80～ 89.The prevalence of hypertension was 71.62 ％ and 60.54 ％ respectively for stroke subjects and non-cerebral apoplexy subjects,and the difference was statistically significant.The prevalence of diabetes was 18.92％ and 11.35％ respectively,and the difference was statistically significant.The prevalence of heart disease was 20.98％ and 5.26％,respectively,and the difference was statistically significant.The rates of non-hypertension,non diabetic and non-heart disease were 4.73％ and 33.41％ respectively,and the difference was statistically significant.In the groups of Stroke subjects and Non-high blood pressure,nomdiabetic,non-heart disease subjects the following indicators were Compared,values of SOD were 55.76±8.27 and 57.16±8.00 U/ml respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.341,P=0.053),values of MDA were 5.81 ± 3.82 and 5.67± 3.16 μmol/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.329,P =0.661),values of hsCRP were 4.15 ± 12.33 and 2.94 ± 6.25 mg/L,respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.026,P=0.080),values of ALB were 41.60±4.51 and 42.08±3.94 g/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.032,P=0.194),values of ALB were 41.60 ± 4.51 and 42.08± 3.94 g/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t =0.032,P=0.194),values of ALB were 41.60 ± 4.51 and 42.08 ± 3.94 g/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t =0.032,P=0.194),values of GLU were 5.89 ± 2.67 and 4.90 ± 0.90 mmol/L respectively,the difference between groups showed statistically significant (t=0.000,P=0.000)),values of CHO were 4.81 ± 1.00 and 4.71±1.02 mmol/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t =0.670,P=0.318),values of TG were1.33±0.69 and 1.14±0.57 mmol/L respectively,the difference between groups showed statistically significant (t=0.012,P=0.000),values of HDLC were 1.29±0.35 and 1.41±0.40 mmol/L respectively,the difference between groups showed statistically significant (t=0.004,P=0.001),values of GSP were 259.10±60.90 and 246.75±24.52 μmol/L respectively,the difference between groups showed statistically significant (t =0.000,P =0.000),values of BUN were 6.84±± 3.53 and 6.62 ± 2.20 mmol/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.110,P=0.338),values of CREA were 84.92 ± 33.00 and 80.14 ± 24.64 μmol/L respectively,the difference between groups showed statistically significant (t=0.013,P=0.044),values of UA were 296.73±91.34 and 288.12±80.47 μmol/L respectively,the difference between groups were not statistically significant (t=0.123,P=0.247).Conclusion Diabetes,hypertension,and heart disease are risk factors for stroke.Abnormal blood glucose and lipid metabolism:the increase of GLU,TG and the decrease of HDLC are important common biochemical index of stroke.Patients with cerebral apoplexy have certain renal impairment.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a kind of senile neurodegenerative disease. Dopaminergic drugs and anticholinergic drugs are the two major therapeutic drugs for PD. In the past several decades, great progress has been achieved on dopamines (DAs) and their synergists including monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitors, catechol oxygen methyl transferase inhibitors, ergot and nonergot DA receptor agonists, DA precursor drugs, cannabis and isatin. Isatin is the inhibitor of endogenous specific anti-aging enzyme MAO-B, which has a variety of pharmacological activities. Moreover, the pharmacological mechanism of isatin may be associated with the regulatory functions of various protein activities.