OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of integrative medical treatment (IMT) with serial Chinese recipes on quality of life (QOF) of rehabilitation stage in SARS patients.

METHODSEighty-five SARS patients of rehabilitation stage were enrolled in the clinical study. They were divided into the IMT group (62 patients received serial Chinese recipes and western medicine) and the control group (23 patients received western medicine alone). The serial Chinese recipes were given according to patients' syndrome, one dose per day for oral intake for 3 weeks. QOF scoring in patients was observed.

RESULTSQOF scoring in the IMT group before treatment was not significantly different from that in the control group. After 3 weeks treatment, it improved to some extent in both groups, but the improvement in the IMT group was superior to that in the control group in respect of total score and score of psychologic emotional factors.

CONCLUSIONSerial Chinese recipe could improve QOF of rehabilitation stage in SARS patients.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Convalescence ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Ofloxacin ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Ribavirin ; therapeutic use ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; drug therapy ; immunology ; rehabilitation

OBJECTIVETo observe the clinical effects of Chinese Medicine internal-external combined therapy (consisting of orally taking Chinese drugs and external acupoint sticking) for treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the stable period.

METHODSOne hundred and seventy-eight COPD patients were randomly assigned to two groups, the control group was treated with Atrovent Metered Dose Inhalation, oral taking Mucosolvan and Bailing Capsule, and acupoint sticking with dummy plaster; the treatment group was treated with ipratropium bromide aerosol, ambroxol hydrochloride, Chinese recipe prescribed according to syndrome differentiation, and combined with acupoint sticking with Xiaochuan Plaster applied in winters and summers (3 times in a season). All were treated for three months. Changes of the Chinese medicine syndrome scores, quality of life (QOL), and the pulmonary function in patients before and after treatment were observed.

RESULTSScores of Chinese medicine syndrome and QOL in the treatment group were significantly improved after treatment with the effect better than those in the control group (P < 0.05), but the change of the pulmonary function was insignificant (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONChinese medicine internal-external combined therapy shows definite effect in treating COPD patients in the stable stage, it could distinctively alleviate clinical symptoms and improve the QOL of patients.

Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; methods ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of ebastine combined with Runzao Zhiyang capsules in the treatment of patients with chronic urticaria. Methods A total of 126 patients with chronic urticaria admitted to Department of Dermatology of Tianjin Third Central Hospital from January 2015 to May 2017 were enrolled and they were divided into two groups by the random number table method. The patients in control group (62 cases) were given oral ebastine administration 10 mg once per day, and those in observation group (64 cases) received oral administration of ebastine 10 mg once per day combined with Runzao Zhiyang capsule 2 g, 3 times per day, the therapeutic course being 4 weeks. The changes of clinical efficacy and the symptom scores, including urticaria activity score (UAS) and dermatolo-gical disease life quality index (DLQI) scores of the two groups were observed after treatment of 4 weeks;the incidence of adverse reactions and the recurrence situation after drug withdrawal for 4 weeks at follow-up were analyzed. Results Compared with the control group, the total effective rate of the observation group was significantly increased [92.2% (59/64) vs. 79.0% (49/62), P ＜ 0.05]. After treatment, the overall UAS score and DLQI score in two groups were both significantly decreased, the degree of decrease in observation group were more siginificant than those in control group [UAS: 1.26 (0.52 - 7.35) vs. 1.68 (0.75 - 8.65), DLQI: 0.56±0.52 vs. 1.57±0.96, P ＜ 0.01]. In addition, the total decrease degree of symptom score reducing index (SSRI) in the observation group was significantly greater than that in the control group [(76±21)% vs. (69±23)%, P ＜ 0.05], the incidence of adverse reactions [7.8% (5/64) vs. 12.8% (8/62)] and recurrence rate [8.3% (3/64) vs. 23.8% (5/62)] in the observation group were obviously lower than those in the control group (both P ＜ 0.05). Conclusion The efficacy of ebastine combined with Runzao Zhiyang capsule in the treatment of patients with chronic urticaria is prominent and superior to that of using ebastine alone, the combined method is capable of elevating the therapeutic effect obviously and has less adverse reactions.

Ultrasound therapy is a new type of therapy technology, there are hyperthermia and high intensity focused ultrasound surgery (HIFUS). Compared with a single frequency system, mutiple frequency system has an additional function to combine power patterns of different frequencies. This function increases the availability of power patterns to treat tumors of various shapes and depths. Therefore, we have in this article proposed a system with the ability to drive ultrasonic phased arrays of multiple resonant frequencies for ultrasound hyperthermia and HIFUS. The results show that this system is able to (1) drive multi-element applicators or phased arrays of a single resonant frequency through the multichannel power amplifiers, (2) concurrently drive transducer with different resonant frequencies, (3) adjust the relative phase and output power of each channel for the scanning ultrasonic focus, and (4) operate each channel with good output stability.
Equipment Design ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Transducers ; Ultrasonic Therapy ; instrumentation

OBJECTIVETo analyze the gene expression profile of degenerated cervical intervertebral disc of Sprague Dawley rats on a large scale.

METHODSDegenerated models of Sprague Dawley rats of 9 months old (degeneration group, n=9) and normal Sprague Dawley rats of 3 months old (control group, n=9) were prepared, respectively. mRNA was obtained from the cervical intervertebral disc of rats in both groups, respectively, and then labelled by Cy5 and Cy3 fluorescence respectively after reverse transcription to obtain intervertebral disc cDNA probes. cDNA probes were hybridized with BiostarR-40s gene expression profile chips and scanned by laser scanner. The results were treated with portrait analysis, standardization management, and ratio analysis with softwares.

RESULTSCompared with the rats in the control group, 9.6% (381 pieces in total) gene expression changed obviously in the rats in the degeneration group, among which, the gene expression quantities of 171 pieces increased significantly (r=the ratio of the degeneration group to the control group>2.0), 52 pieces of which had certain function. While the gene expression quantities of 211 pieces decreased significantly (r<0.5), 41 pieces of which had certain function.

CONCLUSIONSGene chip technology can be used to analyze the gene expression profile of degenerated intervertebral disc of rats in parallel, in quantity and on a large scale, which helps to testify the representative genes and protein expression, and plays an important role in clarifying the pathogenesis of degenerated intervertebral disc.

Animals ; Cervical Vertebrae ; pathology ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Expression Profiling ; In Situ Hybridization ; Intervertebral Disc ; pathology ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; genetics ; Male ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUNDMany researchers studied the possibility of using stem cells as gene therapeutic vector. But few related reports on the adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) are available. Therefore we intended to construct a lentiviral VEGF(165) expression vector and then infect the ADSCs to produce therapeutic seed cells.

METHODSEHS1001-68950485313912 clone was mutated by PCR method to produce consensus fragment of VEGF(165) transcript (NM_001025368). Lentivirus was enveloped with pGC-FU, pHelper 1.0 and pHelper 2.0 plasmids in 293T cells. And then the ADSCs (multiplicity of infection = 20) were transfected with the vectors after titer determination. Stable expression of VEGF(165) in ADSCs was confirmed by immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blotting analysis.

RESULTSDNA sequencing and 293T transfection verified VEGF(165) was linked to the GFP fused vector. The virus titer is up to 2 × 10(8) determined by quantitative PCR. VEGF(165) transduced cells could show green fluorescence confirmed by immunofluorescence staining (almost 95%). ELISA analyses could detect out the density of VEGF was 850.86 - 1202.13 pg/ml (mean (923.00 ± 31.22) pg/ml) in the supernatant of VEGF(165)-transduced cells but not detected in the GFP-transduced cells (P < 0.001) and the Western blotting analyses also confirmed VEGF(165) expression in VEGF(165)-transduced cells.

CONCLUSIONSThe VEGF(165) over-expression ADSCs were obtained and may be used as a cell therapeutic tool and may be applied for vascular regeneration, especially in the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Adipose Tissue ; cytology ; Animals ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genetic Vectors ; Lentivirus ; genetics ; Rats ; Stem Cells ; chemistry ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; analysis

BACKGROUNDSmall for gestational age (SGA) infants are associated with a high rate of oligohydramnios, stillbirth and cesarean delivery. Among SGA patients there is a higher risk of neonatal complications, such as polycythemia, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypothermia. Additionally, the SGA infant is prone to suffer from major neurologic sequelae, as well as cardiovascular system disease, in later life. Proper monitoring and therapy during pregnancy are, therefore, of utmost importance. The present study aimed to investigate the influential and prognostic factors of SGA infants.

METHODSFrom January 2001 to June 2007, a total of 55 SGA neonatal infants were included in a study group. All were born at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, with regular formal antenatal examinations. In addition, a total of 122 cases of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants were born at the same time and were registered into a control group. All cases were singleton pregnancies with detailed information of the maternal age, gravidity, parity, maternal height and weight, complications, uterine height and abdominal circumference, results from transabdominal ultrasonography between 32 - 38 gestational weeks, pregnancy duration, delivery manner, placenta, umbilical cord, and neonatal complications.

RESULTSSignificant differences were observed in placenta weight and neonatal malformations between the study and control groups. Multivariate analysis revealed increased parity, maternal hyperthyroidism and hyperthyroidism history as risk factors. Fetal abdominal circumferences less than 30 and 32 cm at 32 - 38 gestational weeks respectively, as determined by ultrasonography, resulted in a Youden index of 0.62.

CONCLUSIONSSGA infants were associated with a greater risk of smaller placentas and infant malformations. Increased parity, maternal hyperthyroidism, and a hyperthyroid history were risk factors for SGA infants. Fetal abdominal circumference less than 30 cm at 32 gestational weeks and less than 32 cm at 38 weeks, as determined by ultrasonography, was considered an effective index for SGA.

Adult ; Case-Control Studies ; Congenital Abnormalities ; diagnosis ; physiopathology ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; complications ; physiopathology ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Small for Gestational Age ; Multivariate Analysis ; Placenta ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The application of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) for the diagnosis of diabetes is currently under extensive discussion. In this study, we explored the validity of using HbA1c as a screening and diagnostic test in Chinese subjects recruited in Nanjing, China. METHODS: In total, 497 subjects (361 men and 136 women) with fasting plasma glucose (PG) > or = 5.6 mmol/L were recruited to undergo the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and HbA1c test. Plasma lipid, uric acid, and blood pressure were also measured. RESULTS: Using a receiver operating characteristic curve, the optimal cutoff point of HbA1c related to diabetes diagnosed by the OGTT was 6.3%, with a sensitivity and specificity of 79.6% and 82.2%, respectively, and the area under the curve was 0.87 (95% confidence interval, 0.83 to 0.92). A HbA1c level of 6.5% had a sensitivity and specificity of 62.7% and 93.5%, respectively. When comparing the HbA1c > or = 6.5% or OGTT methods for diagnosing diabetes, the former group had significantly higher HbA1c levels and lower levels of fasting and 2-hour PG than the latter group. No significant difference was observed in the other metabolism indexes between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that HbA1c > or = 6.5% has reasonably good specificity for diagnosing diabetes in Chinese subjects, which is in concordance with the American Diabetes Association recommendations.
Aged ; Analysis of Variance ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Biological Markers/blood ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; China/epidemiology ; *Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid/standards ; *Chromatography, Ion Exchange/standards ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/blood/*diagnosis/ethnology ; Fasting/blood ; Female ; Glucose Tolerance Test/standards ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated/*analysis ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening/*methods/standards ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Reference Standards ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: To determine the frequency of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its associated risk factors in Chinese type 2 diabetic patients, we conducted a cross-sectional study in Nanjing, China, in the period between January 2008 and December 2009. METHODS: Patients with type 2 diabetes under the care by Jiangsu Province Official Hospital, Nanjing, China were invited for assessment. CKD was defined as the presence of albuminuria or estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Albuminuria was defined as urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio > or =30 mg/g. RESULTS: We recruited 1,521 urban Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes (mean age, 63.9+/-12.0 years). The frequency of CKD and albuminuria was 31.0% and 28.9%, respectively. After adjusted by age and sex, hypertension, anemia and duration of diabetes were significantly associated with CKD with odds ratio (95% confidence interval) being 1.93 (1.28 to 2.93), 1.70 (1.09 to 2.64), and 1.03 (1.00 to 1.06), respectively. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, CKD was common in the urban Nanjing Chinese with type 2 diabetes. Strategies to prevent or delay progression of kidney disease in diabetes should be carried out at the early disease course of type 2 diabetes.
Albuminuria ; Anemia ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; China ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Kidney Diseases ; Odds Ratio ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo analyze the epidemiological characteristics of fever thrombocytopenia and leukopenia syndrome (FTLS) in Henan province, China in 2007 - 2011.

METHODSData from specific surveillance system for FTLS in Henan and Information Management System of Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention were used to collect the information of the cases.Descriptive epidemiological methods were used to analyze the surveillance data during 2007 - 2011. Patients' sera were collected to detect new bunyavirus using fluorescent RT-PCR and virus isolation.

RESULTSDuring 2007 - 2011, 1021 FTLS cases were reported in Henan province. The fatality rate was 2.25%with 23 deaths. The cases reported in Xinyang city were 1007, accounting for 98.75%.Cases were mainly occurred between April and October, accounting for 96.47% (985/1021). Epidemic peak was May to July, accounting for 59.16% (604/1021). The second peak occurred in September, accounting for 12.05% (123/1021). The age of the cases ranged from 1 to 88 years old with the median age of 59. Sex ratio (male:female) was 1:1.50 (408:613). In all cases, 93.73% (957/1021) were farmers. In 465 patients' sera, the positive rate of new bunyavirus was 69.25% (322/465) using fluorescent RT-PCR. In 164 patients' sera, 67 strains of new bunyavirus were isolated with isolation rate of 40.85% (67/164).

CONCLUSIONFTLS in Henan province is caused mainly by the new bunyavirus and has certain regional and seasonal characteristics. Most cases are female older farmers.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bunyaviridae Infections ; epidemiology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Fever ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Orthobunyavirus ; isolation & purification ; Sex Ratio ; Thrombocytopenia ; epidemiology ; virology ; Young Adult