Objective:To analyze the therapeutic effect and safety of finasteride on aged patients with isolated systolic hypertension (ISH)complicated benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).Methods:A total of 84 aged ISH + BPH pa-tients admitted from Jun 2011 to May 2013 were selected.According to medication plan,they were divided into fin-asteride group (n=44)and routine treatment group (n=40,only received routine treatment because they cannot use finasteride).Course of treatment was all six months.International prostate symptom score (IPSS),quality of life (QOL) questionnaire score,prostate-specific antigen (PSA),incidence rate of acute urinary retention,maximum u-rinary flow rate (Qmax),postvoid residual urine (PRV),prostate volume (PV)and incidence rate of adverse reac-tions were compared between two groups.Results:Compared with routine treatment group,there were significant reductions in IPSS [(13.2±2.4)scores vs.(9.4±1.1)scores],PRV [(21.4±4.6)ml vs.(9.0±2.3)ml],PV [(36.8±3.8)ml vs.(29.5±3.0)ml],PSA [(2.45±0.74)μg/L vs.(1.26±0.48)μg/L]and incidence rate of acute urinary retention (17.50% vs.9.09%),P<0.05 or <0.01,and significant increase in Qmax [(10.2±2.4) ml vs.(13.7±3.8)ml]and QOL score [(3.1±1.0)scores vs.(4.7±1.5)scores]in finasteride group (P<0.05). There were no significant difference in incidence rates of adverse reactions between two groups,P>0.05 all.Con-clusion:Therapeutic effect of finasteride is significant and adverse reactions don’ t increase significantly in aged pa-tients with isolated systolic hypertension complicated benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of Du meridian moxibustion on ankylosing spondylitis (AS) of kidney yang deficiency type. Method Sixty patients with active AS of kidney yang deficiency type were randomly allocated to treatment and control groups, 30 cases each. The treatment group received Du meridian moxibustion plus oral administration of sulfasalazine tablets and the control group, sham moxibustion plus oral administration of sulfasalazine tablets. Treatment was given once every other day, four weeks as a course, for a total of two courses. The Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index (BASDAI) score, the Pain Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index (BASFI) score and the Bath Ankylosing Spondilitis Metrology Index (BASMI) score were recorded and laboratory safety indicators were observed in the patients. Result The TCM syndrome score decreased in both treatment and control groups of AS patients at four and eight weeks of treatment (P<0.05). The therapeutic effect was significantly better in the treatment group than in the control group (P<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in therapeutic effect between different courses (P>0.05). The BASDAI, VAS, BASFI and BASMI scores decreased in the two groups of AS patients at four weeks of treatment (P<0.05). They decreased more in the treatment group at eight weeks of treatment; there were statistically significant differences compared with the control group (P<0.05). The laboratory safety indicators were not markedly abnormal. Conclusion Du meridian moxibustion can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms and does not cause obvious adverse reactions in AS patients. It is a safe and effective way to treat AS.

Objective:To observe the clinical effect of moxibustion on Governor Vessel for ankylosing spondylitis (AS) due to kidney yang deficiency.
Methods:A total of 60 patients of AS due to kidney yang deficiency were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group by random digital table, 30 cases in each group. Both of the two groups were treated by oral administration of Sulfasalazine tablets. Additionally, the treatment group was given moxibustion on Governor Vessel, and the control group was given sham moxibustion. The treatment was given once every other day, 4 weeks constituted one course, 2 courses in total. Before treatment, after 1-course and 2-course treatments, the quantified scores of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes and the symptoms scores recommended by AS International Society [including Bath ankylosing spondylitis disease activity index (BASDAI), visual analogue scale (VAS), Bath ankylosing spondylitis functional index (BASFI) and Bath ankylosing spondylitis metrology index (BASMI)] were respectively observed and recorded, and the change of safety item was monitored.
Results:After 1-course and 2-course treatments, the quantified scores of TCM syndromes were obviously improved than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05), and the score was improved better in the treatment group than that in the control group (P<0.05). In comparison within the group, there were no statistical differences between the scores after 1-course treatment and 2-course treatment in the two groups (P>0.05). After 1-course treatment, the items of the symptoms scores were improved than those before treatment in the two groups (P<0.05). After 2-course treatment, the therapeutic effect was more remarkable in the treatment group, with a statistical difference between the two groups (P<0.05). During treatment, no obvious abnormality in all safety items was noticed in the two groups.
Conclusion:Moxibustion on Governor Vessel can effectively relieve the clinical symptoms of AS patients, without obvious adverse reaction.

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of indomethacin on insulin resistance and metabolic response to surgical injury in patients with gastrointestinal tumor.MethodsFifty-eight cases with gastric cancer or colon cancer were divided into an indomethacin group (n =28) and a control group (n =30).All the operations were performed under general anesthesia.Patients in both groups were given parenteral nutrition 24 hours after operation for 5 ～ 7 days.The patients in the indomethacin group were treated with indomethacin suppository ( 100 mg/12 h).Fasting blood glucose (FBG),fasting serum insulin (FINS),creatinine (Cr),blood urine nitrogen (BUN),triglyceride (TG),free fatty acid (FFA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) of the two groups were detected on the day before operation,and 24,72,120 hours after operation.Insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR) was calculated by using the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA).The vital signs were observed in 72 hours after operation.ResultsThe vital signs in the indomethacin group were more steady.The levels of FBG,FINS,and InHOMA-IR of the control group 24 hours and 72 hours after operation were higher than before operation ( all P =0.000) and those of the indomethacin group ( all P ＜0.01 ).In both of the two groups,the levels of Cr,BUN,TG,and FFA were higher than those before operation,but declined over time.All the indexes in the indomethacin group 120 hours after operation decreased significantly compared with the levels 24 hours after operation ( all P =0.000 ),as well as with the levels in the control group 120 hours after operation ( all P ＜ 0.05 ).No significant difference was found in the level of CRP between the two groups and between before and after operation.ConclusionIndomethacin could reduce the postoperative stress hyperglycemia and insulin resistance in patients with gastrointestinal tumor.

Objective To explore the relation between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the meteorological factors.Methods All RA cases in the group were followed for 12 months,patients were follow-up for every two weeks.In each followed-up,all RA cases were evaluated by the disease activity score-28 (DAS28) and the improved Jamieson questionnaire,and the correlation of the DAS28 and the average values of meteorolo-gical factors (temperature,humidity,atmospheric pressure,relative humidity,wind speed) by Pearson correlation coefficient.The moderate-severe activity cases were evaluated by chi-square test of different seasons.Results One hundred and eighty-eight cases completed the observation,One hundred and sixty-four cases were in moderate disease activities (x2=9.42,P=0.022).Sixty-eight cases were distributed in winter,which was significantly higher than other three seasons.The average temperature and wind speed was negatively related to the DAS28 (r=-0.743,P＜0.01; r=-0.576,P=0.003).Conclusion The activity of RA has the characteristics of seasonal changes,and is easily being aggravated in winter.Many factors may influence RA,including temperature and wind speed.Creating an appropriate micro-climate environment is beneficial for RA patients to reduce the disease activity.

Objective To investigate the effects of thymoquinone (TQ) on the levels of proteins involved in oxidative stress and cytokine in the brain of rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods Wistar rats (n=48) were randomly divided into 3 groups:normal control group,model group and TQ treatment group (n =16).The normal control group was fed with clean grade ordinary feed.The model group and TQ treatment group rats were fed with high-glucose and high-fat diet.After 6 weeks' feeding,model group and TQ treatment group rats were administered streptozocin (STZ) (35 mg/kg) to establish type 2 diabetic model by intraperitoneal injection.Then,the model group and TQ treatment group rats were fed with high-glucose and high-fat diet for another 6 weeks.After that,TQ treatment group rats were administered TQ (5 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection every other day.The model group rats were injected with an equal dose of ethanol.Six weeks later,all the rats were sacrificed to obtain the hippocampal tissue for the protein extract.The protein levels of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2),heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and cyclo-oxygenase 2 (COX-2) in the hippocampal tissue were measured by Western blot.Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was determined by SOD kit.Blood-glucose meter was used to assess the blood glucose before the rats were sacrificed and after the model was successfully established.All the measurement data was described by the x ± s,measurement data were compared among groups using One Way ANOVA.Results The results by Western blots showed that the levels of the Nrf2 and HO-1 protein were significantly decreased in the model group compared with the normal control group,the levels of the Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins were increased in the TQ treatment group in comparison with the model group (P＜ 0.05).Meanwhile,compared with the normal control group,the SOD activity of the hippocampus in model group was significantly lower (P＜ 0.05);by contrast with the model group,the SOD activity in the TQ treatment group was considerably increased (P＜0.05).By contrast,the COX-2 level in the model group was substantially higher than that in the normal control (P＜0.05),and the COX-2 level in the TQ treatment group was lower than that in the model group (P＜0.05).Conclusions TQ might inhibit inflammation and improve oxidative stress of the brain tissue in the rats with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Humans ; Jaw, Edentulous ; therapy ; Maxilla ; Prostheses and Implants

Objective To analyze the levels and clinical significances of IL-18,Caspase-3 and nerve tissue-specific protein S-100B at different disease extent and different stages of infants with hypoxicischemic encephalopathy (HIE).Methods This study was clinical experimental studies.Sixty-seven infants with HIE (23 cases of mild HIE,23 cases of moderate HIE,21 cases of severe HIE) from February 2008 to June 2009 in Hebei Children's Hospital were enrolled.The levels of IL-18,Caspase-3 and S-100B protein in all samples were measured at acute phase (1 d,3 d) and recovery phase (7 d) by ELISA method.Twenty healthy full-term neonates were selected as the normal control group.Multi-factor analysis of variance and Pearson correlation test was used for statistical analysis.Results The levels of the three indicators in the moderate and severe group were higher than the normal control group.In the moderate group,IL-18 levels were(132.15 ± 9.87),(150.31 ± 15.04) and (87.91 ± 9.93) ng/L,Caspase-3 levels were (5.79 ±0.64),(7.36 ± 1.57)and (3.79 ±0.61) μg/L,S-100B levels were(6.82 ±0.61),(9.62 ± 1.29) and (10.76 ± 1.64) μg/L.In the severe group,IL-18 levels were (160.23 ± 16.03),(189.86 ± 18.32) and (107.35 ± 13.02) ng/L;Caspase-3 levels were (6.86 ± 1.02),(9.54 ± 1.43) and (5.25 ± 0.71) μg/L;S-100B levels were(8.90 ± 0.32),(12.54 ± 0.89)and(13.53 ± 0.75) μg/L.In the normal control group,IL-18 levels were (71.08 ± 11.52),(72.53 ± 11.05) and (71.93 ± 11.30) ng/L; Caspase-3 levels were (2.84 ± 0.52),(2.98 ± 0.53) and (2.87 ± 0.52) μg/L; S-100B levels were (1.50 ± 0.25),(1.62 ±0.30)and(1.53 ±0.29) μg/L IL-18 levels,Caspase-3 levels and S-100B levels in severe group were higher than the moderate group and the mild group were higher than the mild group.IL-18 levels were (73.46 ± 4.77),(77.59 ± 4.02) and (72.87 ± 6.92) ng/L ; Caspase-3 levels were (3.13 ± 0.31),(3.63±0.40) and (3.26 ±0.45) μg/L;S-100B levels were(3.68 ±0.40),(5.851 ±0.63) and(6.95 ± 0.58) μg/L in the mild group.S-100B levels in the mild group were higher than that in the normal control group.The IL-18 and Caspase-3 levels were risen in the third day to the first day in the acute phase of the moderate group and severe group,decreased in the recovery phase.Serum S-100B protein levels in the acute and recovery phase increased gradually,and there was no correlation between the three indicators (r-=0.321,0.14,0.48,P=0.438,0.974,0.911 respectively).Conclusions IL-18,Caspase-3 and S-100Bwere involved in the pathophysiological process of HIE.The levels were closely related to the severity and disease progression of HIE,the severer of the illness,and the higher of the levels.Dynamic monitoring the changes of the three indicators may contribute to an early diagnosis,condition monitoring and prognosis of HIE.

Objective To quantitatively analyze the histological and MR images of repaired tissue (RT) following microfracture for knee joint osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) in rabbit models at different time points,make comparisons with the RT performances of joint debribement,explore the efficiency of the microfracture treatment for OCD.Methods Twenty-seven New Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned into 3 groups (sacrificed at the end of 3,5 and 7 weeks post-operation respectively),with 9 in each group.For each rabbit,one knee joint was made into an OCD model.In each group,6 were for microfracture treatment,and the other 3 were for joint debridement as control.MR scan,which mainly included sequences of 3D double echo steady state sequence (3D-DESS) and T2-mapping,was taken at 3,5 and 7 weeks postoperation.The thickness index and T2 value index of RT were calculated and T2-mapping of repaired region was drafted.Then the operation sites were removed to make histological sections of HE and Masson staining.The modified O' Driscoll score system was employed to make semi-quantitative evaluation for the histological performance of RT.Comparisons were made with respect to MR and histological findings between two treatments at each time point using unpaired Student t test.Effects of two treatments were evaluated longitudinally by comparing the results of three time points using one-way ANOVA.Results The post-operation thickness indexes of two groups increased gradually (F =33.940,28.841,P ＜ 0.05),T2 value indexes decreased (F =80.183,206.206,P ＜ 0.05),and O'driscoll scores increased gradually (F =29.867,17.167,P ＜ 0.05).At each time point,the thickness index of microfracture was higher than that of debridement group(3-week:0.743 ±0.048 vs 0.624 ±0.013,t =4.077 ;5-week:0.813 ±0.031 vs 0.734 ±0.015,t =4.107 ; 7-week: 0.972 ± 0.064 vs 0.777 ± 0.039,t =4.782 ; P ＜ 0.05),and the defects of microfracture in 7-week group were almost fully recovered while the defects of the debridement in 7-week group were not.The T2 value index of microfracture group was lower than that of debridement group at 3-week point(1.338 ±0.043 vs 1.510 ± 0.009,t =6.583,P ＜ 0.05),but it was higher than that of debridement group at 5-week and 7-week points (5-week: 1.284 ± 0.097 vs 1.116 ± 0.068,t =2.663 ; 7-week: 0.916 ± 0.036 vs 0.843 ± 0.016,t =3.283 ; P ＜ 0.05).The O'Driscoll score of microfracture group was higher than that of joint debridement at every time point(3-week:7.167 ±0.753 vs 4.667 ±0.577,t =5.000;5-week: 9.833 ± 1.169 vs 7.667 ± 0.577,t =2.960 ; 7-week: 11.167 ± 0.753 vs 8.333 ± 1.155,t =4.520 ; P ＜ 0.05).For microfracture group,the RT was mainly repaired by fibrocartilage and got matured gradually with more production of well-distributed collagen fibrils ; while for joint debridement group,the RT was mainly repaired by fibrous and scar tissue.Conclusions The post-operation repairing thickness and tissue composition of microfracture for OCD are superior to that of joint debridement.MR 3D-DESS and T2-mapping can show the thickness and tissue composition of the RT after OCD treatments,provide effective evaluation of repairing conditions,and they are of great importance on the OCD post-op follow-up.

Objective To screen the altered gene expression profile of hippocampus after traumatic brain injury(TBI)in rats. Methods Rats(n=3)in experimental group underwent moderate fluid-percussion(F-P)brain injury and the hippoeampus sample in the injured hemisphere was removed and conserved in liquid nitrogen three hours later.The rats(n=5)of the control group underwent the same procedure except for injury.Mfymetrix rat genome 230 2.0 array was used to detect the gene expression profile of hippocampus in two groups and find the altered gene expression profile. Results A total of 159 genes in the experimental group changed significantly(≥2 folds)compared with the control group,of which 136 genes were up-regulated and 23 genes down-regulated. Conclusions The significant gene expression changes of hippocampus,especially a large mount of up-regulated genes,are detected after moderate TBI in rats,suggesting that the secondary injury following TBI is a procedure involving multiple factors.