Liuwei Dihuang decoction（LW），a classical traditional Chinese medicinal prescription with the effect of “nourishing Kidney-Yin”，consists of six herbs including Rehmannia glutinosa (Shudi),Cornus officinalis(Shauzhuyu)，Dioscorea opposita(Shanyao)，Alisma orientale(Zexie)，Porie cocos（Fuling）and Paeonia suffruticosa（Mudanpi）．It has long been used clinically in the treatments of many kinds of diseases with the sign of “Kidney-Yin deficiency”，such as cancer，diabetes，autoimmue diseases，menopausal syndrome in traditional Chinese medical treatments．The effectiveness of it has been well documented during the long-term clinical practices．In our study，the effects and the possible active mechanisms of LW on learning and memory ，neuroendocrine and immune functions were studies from the angle of neuroendocrine immunomodulation（NIM）network ．In chemical fractionation and purification of the immunoactive fractions or components contained in LW，the method of a close collaboration between pharmacological and chemical studies was employed．The chemical fractionation was begun from the decoction and guided by pharmacological activity evaluation．The results showed that oral administration of LW significantly improved learning and memory abilities in several kinds of model animals such as senescence accelerated mice (SAM)，chronic hanging stress-loaded mice and corticosterone-treated mice and the mechanism studies suggested that the effects were achieved through several ways．LW significantly decreased the plasma level of corticosterone in SAM-prone/8 (SAMP8) ，a substrain of SAM．SAMP8 showed a marked elevation of plasma level of corticosterone with advancing age in comparison with SAMR1 ，a substrain of senescence resistant of SAM．LW also significantly improved the secretion of testosterone by primary cultured testis cells from SAMP8．The immunopharmacological studies showed that oral administration of LW not only improved the immune functions in several immunodeficient model animals such as cyclophospharmide-treated mice and SAMP8，but also modulated or corrected the imbalance of immune functions manifested in autoimmune model animals includig adjuvant arthritis rats and campylobacter jejuni primed mice．Under the guidance of activity evaluation，several immunoactive fractions and pure compounds were obtained from the decoction．The effects of some fractions and compounds were studied and the results showed that they possessed potential immunopharmacological effects．The preliminary study suggested that LW possessed wide pharmacological effects and the basic effect of LW，we postulate，is modulation the balance of NIM network disturbed in many pathological conditions．It is also suggested that our method employed in the study of LW is an effective and practicable way in modern studies of tradltional Chinese medicinal prescriptions．

0.05).The serum PICP in the non-intervention group was significantly lower after 4 weeks' treatment as compared with before treatment or control group,and the urine excretory rate of DPD significantly increased after treatment as compared with before treatment or control group(all P

Objective To investigate the feasibility and safety of radical resection of colorectal carcinoma with laparoscopy.Methods Clinical data of 48 patients who underwent laparoscopic colorectal cancer resection and 131 patients who underwent traditional radical resectin were retrospectively analyzed.Results The incision length,first flatus time,intestinal intervention times,the first meal time,urinary catheterization time,gastric tube retaining time,drainage tube lien time,analgesia time of the laparoscopic group significantly decreased compared with those of conventional surgery ( P ＜ 0.05 ).There was no significant difference in complication occurrence,postoperative hospitalization time and overall hospitalization time between the two groups( P ＞ 0.05 ).The average operation time of laparoscopic surgery is longer than that of the traditional group (P ＜ 0.05 ).There was no significant difference between 2 groups in regarding of perioperative bleeding rate,volume of intraoperative and postoperative blood transfusions,mass maximal diameter,the distance between the distal and proximal margin and the mass in colon specimens,as well as the two variables in rectum specimens,the resected lymph node number and positive lymph node number (P ＞0.05).Conclusion Laparoscopic resection for colorectal cancer,a safe and feasible technology,is of the same short-term curative effect with traditional open surgery,but the follow-up radical curative effect is yet to be confirmed.

Polysaccharides definitely possess the effect of modulating immuno function by many ways and many targets, such as promoting the proliferation and differentiation of lymphocytes, secreting various lymphokines, modulating the balance of neuroendocrine immuno modulation network and so on. At present, the tendency of study on drugs in the world is to from synthetic drugs to natural drugs. In this review, a brief summarization is made on progress of the immuno modulating effect of polysaccharides and their mechanisms.

Objective To compare the clinical therapeutic effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) and ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) in improving walking function in stroke patients.Methods Thirty-six stroke patients satisfying the enrolling criterion of the research were randomly divided into two groups:FES group and AFO group (n =18 in each).Both groups received the same routine rehabilitation therapy and medical treatment.Patients of FES group received FES of common peroneal nerve and tibialis anterior muscle of the affected limb,30 min per day,5 days per week,4 weeks in total,while the patients of AFO group received walking training with AFO wearing on,30 min per day,5 days per week,4 weeks in total.Walking function was assessed by 10-meter maximum walking speed,timed-up and go test (TUGT),functional ambulation category(FAC),the muscle tension of ankle flexor and Brunnstrom stage,which were carried out before treatment and four weeks after treatment.Results Before treatment,there was no significant difference between the two groups for the baseline of measurement(P ＞ 0.05).After 4 weeks of treatment,10MWT,TUGT,FAC scores and Brunnstrom stages in the two groups significantly increased (P ＜ 0.05).The 10MWT,FAC scores and Brunnstrom stage increased more significantly in FES group than those in AFO group (P ＜ 0.05).There was no significant differences with regard to TUGT and the muscle tension of ankle flexor between the two groups (P ＞ 0.05).Conclusions Both FES and AFO can accelerate the recovery of walking function in hemiplegia patients.FES can improve the walking ability in patients with stroke more significantly.

Vesicular glutamate transporters(VGLUTs)package specifically glutamate into synaptic vesicles in the presynaptic terminal for subsequent release into the synaptic cleft.VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 together label all glutamatergic neurons,are highly specific markers of glutamatergic neurons and their axon terminals.VGLUT1 and VGLUT2 are respectively the neurochemical marker of cortico-cortical projection and thalamo-cortical projection.VGLUT3 is also expressed in cholinergic interneurons,serotoninergic neurons,subsets of GABAergic interneurons in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex.The disfunction of VGLUTs can lead to the abnormal excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate,resulting in many nervous system disease.In order to give a clue for prevention and therapy of these diseases,this paper reviews the disfunction of VGLUTs effects on Alzheimer's disease(AD),Parkinson's disease(PD),schizophrenia,depressive disorder,epilepsy and deafness.

Alzheimer′s disease(AD)is one of the neurodegenerative diseases.Now it seriously threatens the life of the elderly.The pathogenesis of AD is not clear,thus there is no cure for this disease.The current treatment can′t reverse the pathological change of the disease or prevent the development of the disease,and the symptoms of the AD patients can only be partly improved.In recent years,the application of RNAi technology to the inhibition of the expression of the AD-related genes provides a new method for the treatment of AD.This article mainly introduces the application of the RNAi technology to AD.

D-amino acids were believed to have no function in higher organisms several years ago. Recently, D-serine was proved to be synthesized by astrocytes in vivo and be released to work as an effective coagonist at the “glycine-binding” site of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptors in central nervous system. In this paper, the synthesis, metabolism and function of D-serine were reviewed briefly.

Aim To disclose the molecular mechanism of Liuwei Dihuang decoction(LW)enhances the cognitive function of central nervous system, the effects of Liuwei Dihuang decoction on the differential expression genes in the hippocampus of senescence-accelerated mouse was studied. Methods There were 8 gene expression patterns, such as SAMP8 and SAMR1, SAMP8 as negative control and SAMR1 as positive control, huperzine A-treated SAMP8 and SAMP8 as negative control, LW-treated SAMP8 and SAMP8 as negative control, were compared and assessed by use of the differential expression cDNA microarray of the hippocampus of SAMP8 and SAMR1. The response genes of LW were compared. Results LW had significant modulating effects on some of the gene expressions. Expressions of genes, such as DUSP12, NSF, STUB1, CaMKⅡ?, AMFR, UQCRFS1 and other 11 novel genes without any functional clues changed significantly. These genes involved in the protein-tyrosine phosphatase family, the AAA(ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities)gene family, the serine/threonine protein kinases family, ubiquitin ligase, mitochondrial function and so on. Conclusions These results suggested LW effects on the cognitive impairments might be multi-mechanism and these genes might be the potential gene targets for LW effects on the impairments.