Objective:To study the direct medical expenses for inpatients with Multiple Myeloma and explore its influencing factors. Methods:A total of 1386 hospitalization records were collected using the reimbursement claim database in Guangzhou City during the period from January 2009 to December 2011 , which covered the entire enroll-ees of Urban Employee Basic Medical Insurance ( UEBMI) and Urban Resident Basic Medical Insurance ( URBMI) . Multivariate logarithmic regression models were used to analyze the influencing factors of direct hospitalization costs. Results:During the period from 2009 to 2011 , the total costs of inpatients with Multiple Myeloma were 19319 . 16 , 17364. 76 and 21427. 44 Yuan, and the individual out-of-pocket cash payments were 7049. 37, 5216. 5 and 6475. 39 Yuan respectively. The major influencing factors on direct medical costs of inpatients with the aforesaid disease were identified to be age, health insurance type, hospital level and length of hospitalization. Besides, the proportion of drug expenses as per average occupancy rate among UEBMI and URBMI cases during three years were 61. 92% and 69. 22% respectively. Conclusion: The direct medical costs for inpatients with Multiple Myeloma are high and the medicine cost is the main component of total medical expenses. In addition, the economic burden is higher for patients with URBMI than for those with UEBMI for treating Multiple Myeloma.

Objective To observe the clinical efficacy of the TESSYS (transforaminal endoscopic spine system) technique of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy combined with oral use of Chinese medicine for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation.Methods Thirty-nine patients with lumbar disc herniation were treated by the TESSYS technique of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy,and then received oral use of modified herbal medicine Xubi Recipe,a formula mainly having the actions of tonifying kidney and strengthening governor vessel for 4 weeks after the operation.The visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) and modified MacNab criteria were employed to assessed the surgical outcomes before the operation,and 3 and 6 months after the operation.Results (1) All of the 39 cases completed the operation successfully,and were followed up for 6-12 months after the operation.(2) Three and 6 months after the operation,the VAS scores and ODI scores were obviously lower than those before the operation,and the differences were significant (P ＜ 0.05).(3) Six months after the operation,the excellent rate of clinical efficacy assessed by modified MacNab criteria was 89.74％.(4) Only 4 cases had severer transient pain and numbness in the affected limbs,and there was no occurrence of complications of permanent neural root trauma,dural tear,vascular injury,intestinal damage,spondylodiscitis or retroperitoneal hematoma.Conclusion The TESSYS technique of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy combined with oral use of Chinese medicine is effective for the treatment of the lumbar disc herniation with the advantages of satisfactory short-term effect,less bleeding,less trauma,faster recovery and less complications.

In this paper, Liuwei Dihuang pill was used to study the identification of Chinese patent medicine by fluorescence sequencing typing technology. The DNA of Paeonia suffruticosa was used as template to amplify by five pair of FAM fluorescence labeling primers. Then, the amplified products were sequenced. The sequencing results were analyzed by GeneMarker V1.80 to screen the best fluorescence labeling primers. As a result, psbA-trnH fluorescence labeling primer was used to identify the raw materials of Liuwei Dihuang pill. The results showed that three kinds of raw plant medicinal materials in Liuwei Dihuang pill were able to be correctly identified by psbA-trnH fluorescence labeling primer. The fluorescence sequencing typing technology can stably and accurately distinguish raw medicinal materials in Chinese patent medicine.
DNA Primers ; chemistry ; genetics ; DNA, Plant ; chemistry ; genetics ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; standards ; Fluorescent Dyes ; chemistry ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; genetics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; instrumentation ; methods ; Quality Control ; Staining and Labeling

Objective To observe the changes of cardiac function and carotid artery structure in elderly hypertensive patients with different left ventricular geometric patterns. Methods Seventy-eight elderly patients with essential hypertension were divided into 4 groups according to left ventricular geometric patterns by ultrasonography: normal ventricular geometry group(n=34),concentric remodeling group(n=18),concentric hypertrophy group(n=11)and eccentric hypertrophy group(n=15).The 24-h ambulatory blood pressure,left ventricular function,carotid artery intima-media thickness(IMT),hemodynamic parameters and incidence of plaque were measured and compared among groups.Results Patients in concentric hypertrophy group had higher 24-h average systolic blood pressure in comparison with those in normal ventricular geometry group and concentric remodeling group(P

OBJECTIVETo explore the effect of qidong huoxue decoction (QHD) on inflammatory factors and Toll-like receptor (TLR4) mRNA expressions in acute lung injury (ALI) rats.

METHODSTotally 50 healthy male SD rats were randomly divided into the blank control group, the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) model group, low, middle, high dose QHD groups according to body weight, 10 rats in each group. Rats in low, middle, high dose QHD groups were intragastrically administered with QHD at 4, 8, and 16 mL/kg 24, 12 h before modeling and 12 h after modeling, respectively. Normal saline was intragastrically administered to rats in the blank control group and the LPS model group. An ALI rat model was established using intratracheal instillation of LPS. Rats were killed after 24-h modeling. Then the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was prepared. Contents of TNF-α, IL-1β, and L-10 were detected using ELISA. TLR4 mRNA expressions were determined byreal time PCR.

RESULTSCompared with the blank control group, contents of TNF-α, IL-1β , and IL-10 increased (P <0. 01), TLR4 mRNA expressions also increased in the LPS model group (all P <0. 01). Compared with the LPS model group, contents of TNF-α and IL-1β decreased (P <0. 05, P <0. 01), IL-10 levels increased (P <0. 01) , TLR4 mRNA expressions were also reduced (P <0. 01), in high and middle dose QHD groups. Compared with the high dose QHD group, con- tents of TNF-α and IL-1β increased in middle and low dose QHD groups (P <0. 05); IL-10 levels decreased (P <0. 05) in the low dose QHD group(P <0. 05), TLR4 mRNA expressions also increased in the low dose QHD group (P <0. 05). Compared with the middle dose QHD group, IL-10 levels was reduced, but TLR4 mRNA expressions increased in the low dose QHD group (P <0. 05).

CONCLUSIONSQHD had the protective effect on LPS induced ALI rats. Its mechanism might be associated with inhibiting TLR4 mRNA expressions, leading to decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNF-α and IL-β, elevated anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, and thereby, correcting unbalanced inflammation.

Acute Lung Injury ; genetics ; metabolism ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-10 ; metabolism ; Interleukin-1beta ; metabolism ; Lipopolysaccharides ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Toll-Like Receptor 4 ; metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage accounted for 70% of subarachnoid hemorrhage. The high fatality and disability rate affected patients′ quality of life. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage should be considered as a chronic cerebrovascular disease, and it is very important to take early intervention and strengthen the secondary prevention to the patients with risk factors for disease. This paper reviewed the research status on quality of life of patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage and its influencing factors, in order to provide a reference for neurological physicians.

Objective To analyze the correlation between functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)in TYMS gene and the prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)patients treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE).Methods Five functional SNPs in TYMS gene were genotyped in a cohort of 41 9 unresectable Chinese HCC patients treated with TACE and prognosis analysis was performed.Results No SNP significantly associated with OS of HCC,but in patients with only TACE treat-ment,SNPs rs523230 exhibited significant associations with death risk in HCC patients under the additive model.Patients over 60 years old,SNP rs9967368 exhibited significant associations with death risk in HCC patients under the recessive model.Conclusion Genetic variations in TYMS gene may be a potential biomarker for predicting clinical outcome of HCC patients treated with TACE.

Amphiregulin is the ligand of epidermal growth factor receptor.It's widely expressed in many tissues and is involved in the oncogenesis,progression and metastasis of tumors.In the clinical study of lung caner,amphiregulin is a prognostic marker for NSCLC patients.Furthermore,amphiregulin is closely associated with the sensitivity and resistance of EGFRTKI treatment.Medicine target on amphiregulin can inhibit the activity of tumors.

Objective:To investigate the expression of chemokine receptor CXCR4 in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues,hepatocellular carcinoma cell line-MHCC97,human umbilical vein endothelial cells(HUVECs)and the ascites level of CXCL12,ligand of CXCR4,so as to lay a foundation for studying the role of CXCR4 in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.Methods:The expression of CXCR4 mRNA and protein was examined by RT-PCR and Western blotting in 21 specimens of hepatocellular carcinoma tissues,MHCC97 cells,HUVECs,and 17 specimens of normal hepatic tissues.Meanwhile,the levels of CXCL12 in ascitic fluids were assayed by ELISA in 18 hepatic cancer patients.Results:The relative expression values of CXCR4 mRNA in hepatocellular carcinoma tissues,MHCC97 cells,and HVECs were 2.21?1.09,2.14?1.15 and 1.72?1.20,respectively;and those of CXCR4 protein were 1.51?0.12,1.76?0.25,and 1.89?0.24,respectively;and those of CXCR4 protein were 1.51?0.12,1.76?0.25,and 1.89?0.24,respectively.CXCR4 mRNA and protein were not detected in normal hepatic tissues.ELISA results showed that the 18 hepatocellular carcinoma samples had a CXCL12 concentration range of 783-8 364 pg/ml(median value 6 871 pg/ml)in ascitic fluids.Conclusion:CXCR4 is highly expressed in the hepatocellular carcinoma tissues and cells,which is not associated with the clinical staging of the cancer.The elevated CXCL12 level in the ascitic fluid of cancer patients indicate that CXCR4 may play an important role in the metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Objective To study the effect of infrasound on the changes of expression of NMDAR1 in hipp- ocampal cells.Methods Eighty-eight male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into eleven groups:control group,90 dB/1 d,7 d,14 d,21 d and 28 d infrasound exposed groups;130 dB/1 d,7 d,14 d,21 d and 28 d infra- sound exposed groups.All the animals in the test groups were put in an infrasound field with 8 Hz,90 dB or 130 dB for 2 hours daily.Immunohistochemistry methods were used to detect the changes of intracellular expression of NMDARI in hippocampal cells.Methods The expression of NMDAR1 in hippocampus after the rats were exposed to infrasound of 8 Hz,90 dB SPL showed a procedure from reducing on the 1st day to rising on the 7th and peaked on the 14th day,then to descending on 21st day and returning to the standard level on the 28th day.Exposure to infra- sound of 8 Hz,130 dB SPL induced opposite effects on the expression of NMDAR1 compared with 90 dB SPL,which showed a process of increasing,descending,reaching to the lowest,then ascending and returning to the normal.The lowest expression of NMDAR1 occurred on the 14th day in every observed hippocampal area.Conclusion 8 Hz, 90 dB/130 dB infrasound induced certain reversible reaction in the expression of NMDAR1 of hippoeampal cells in rats,which may disturb their learning and memory function.