OBJECTIVETo observe differences of clinical therapeutic effects between deep-oblique acupuncture with long needle and regular perpendicular acupuncture at Guanyuan (CV 4) for urinary retention to explore standard acupuncture method in clinic.

METHODSOne hundred and thirty-two cases of urinary retention were randomly divided into an observation group (78 cases) and a control group (54 cases). Needles with 75 mm in length were deeply and obliquely inserted into Guanyuan (CV 4) in the observation group while needles with 40 mm in length were perpendicularly inserted. Clinical therapeutic effects in two groups were observed.

RESULTSAfter treatment the total effective rate was 80.8% (63/78) in the observation group and 57.4% (31/54) in the control group, which had significant difference between two groups (P<0.05). The curative effect of postpartum retention of urine was obviously superior to that of postoperative and prostate-induced urinary retention in the ebservation group, and the effect of urinary retention due to different etiology in the observation was also superior to that in the control group in the ebservation group [in the observation group total effective rate was 88.6% (47/53) in postpartum retention of urine, 50.0% (3/6) in prostate-induced urinary retention and 68.4% (13/19) in orthopedic postoperative retention of urine while in the control group total effective rate was 69.4% (25/36) in postpartum retention of urine, 20.0% (1/5) in prostate-induced urinary retention and 38.5% (5/13) in orthopedic postoperative retention of urine)].

CONCLUSIONThe deep-oblique acupuncture with long needle at Guanyuan (CV 4) has significant curative effect on urinary retention in clinic, especially for patients with postpartum urinary retention, which could be taken as standard acupuncture method.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome ; Urinary Retention ; therapy

Objective To investigate the effect of continuous blood purification (CBP) on pro-or anti-inflammatory immune function and prognosis in patients with sepsis. Methods One hundred and two patients with sepsis were randomized into the CBP group (60 cases) and the control group (42 cases). The patients in the control group were treated with conventional therapy, and the patients in the CBP group received at least 72 h CBP treatment additionally. The APACHEⅡ score, SOFA score, the 28 day survival rate and ICU length of stay were recorded and levels of spleen Th1, Th2 were assessed by FACS flow cytometry. Enzyme linked immunoadsordent assay (ELISA) was used to determine the levels of serum IL-1, IL-10 and TNF-α before and at 24, 48, 72 h after the treatment. Results The APACHEⅡscore and SOFA score decreased markedly in the CBP group after the treatment (Р <0.05). The period of staying in ICU of patients in the CBP group was shorter than that of patients in the control group (Р < 0.05). There was no significant difference of the 28 day survival rate between the two groups (91.6% vs 71.2%, Р > 0.05). Compared with the control group, levels of IL-1, IL-10 and TNF-α were decreased markedly, and the ratio of Th1 / Th2 was increased significantly at 72 h after the treatment in the CBP group (Р < 0.05). Conclusion CBP can eliminate inflammatory mediators, and help to enhance the immune function, and restore the balance of Th1 / Th2 in patients with severe sepsis.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of Antrodia cinnamomea on gene expression related to aortal endothelial injury of rats with hyperlipidemia.

METHODFifty SD rats were randomly divided into five groups: the normal control group (NG), the model group (MG), the antrodia cinnamomea groups of low, middle and high doses (AC-LG, AC-MG, AC-HG, 250, 500, 1 000 mg x kg(-1)). The rats were fed with high-fat diets to establish the hyperlipidemia model. After the drug administration for 10 weeks, their serum lipid, SOD, MDA and ox-LDL, LOX-1, P38 MAPK and NF-kappaB mRNA and protein expression were respectively determined, and the aortal endothelial injury was observed under electron microscope.

RESULTIn the model group, the contents of TC, TG and LDL-C significant increased (P < 0.01), whereas the content of HDL-C significant decreased (P < 0.01). Compared with the model group, both the AC-M group and the AC-H group showed reduction in endothelial injury and significant decrease in the content of TC, TG and LDL-C (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The content of HDL-C increased, but with no significant difference. SOD activity in serum remarkably increased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), MDA and ox-LDL levels dramatically decreased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONA. cinnamomea can alleviate endothelial lipid injury by inhibiting the expressions of LOX-1, P38MAPK and NF-kappaB in aorta and better protect aortal endothelial cells from oxidative lipid injury.

Animals ; Antrodia ; chemistry ; Aorta ; drug effects ; metabolism ; ultrastructure ; Atherosclerosis ; blood ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Biological Products ; pharmacology ; Cholesterol ; blood ; Cholesterol, HDL ; blood ; Cholesterol, LDL ; blood ; Endothelium, Vascular ; drug effects ; metabolism ; pathology ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Hyperlipidemias ; blood ; genetics ; prevention & control ; Lipoproteins, LDL ; blood ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; blood ; Microscopy, Electron ; NF-kappa B ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Scavenger Receptors, Class E ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood ; Triglycerides ; blood ; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; blood ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza on renal morphology and renal function of rats with streptozotocin diabetes. METHODS: Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups, which were normal control group, untreated group and Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group. Diabetic nephropathy was induced in rats of the last two groups by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin after unilateral nephrectomy. Then the rats in the normal control and untreated groups were fed with normal saline while those in the Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group were fed Salvia miltiorrhiza preparation for 8 weeks. The glomerular volume (VG), kidney-to-body weight ratio (KW/BW), urinary albumin excretion rate (UAER) and creatinine clearance (Ccr) were observed. The expression levels of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1), connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), fibronectin (FN) and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) were detected by real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at the end of the experiment. RESULTS: UAER, Ccr, VG and KW/BW ratio were significantly higher in the untreated group than those in the normal control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in the untreated group were also significantly higher as compared with those in the normal control group (P<0.05). UAER, Ccr, VG, KW/BW ratio and the levels of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in the Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group were obviously lower than those in the untreated group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Salvia miltiorrhiza can protect rats with streptozotocin diabetes from diabetic nephropathy by suppressing the over-expressions of TGF-beta1, CTGF, PAI-1 and FN in renal cortex.

Objective To analyze the effect ofbetaloc combined with lotensin on cardiac function and N-terminal B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) level in patients with chronic congestive heart failure (CHF).Methods 210 CHF patients in People's Hospital in Qinghai Province from December 2015 to December 2016 were divided into three groups by random number table,70 cases in each.Three group were given routine examination,cardiotonic and diuretic treatment,and on this basis,control A group purely added lotensin,control B group purely added betaloc,observation goup took betaloc combined with lotensin.The cardiac function,exercise tolerance,NT-proBNP level,concentration of hemoglobin (Hb),heart rate,blood pressure,clinical efficacy and safety before and after treatment were compared among the three groups.Results Before treatment,there was no statistical difference in the cardiac function,NT-pro BNP level and Hb content among three groups;After treatment,the cardiac function and exercise tolerance of observation group were significantly better than those of control A and B group (P ＜ 0.05) The NT-pro BNP level,heart rate and blood pressure of observation group were significantly lower than those of control A and B group (P ＜ 0.05) The Hb content of observation group was higher than that of control A and B group (P ＜ 0.05).The total effective rate of observation group was significantly higher than that of control A and B group (P ＜ 0.05).There was no statistical difference in the incidence of adverse reactions among three groups.Conclusion Betaloc combined with lotensin in treatment of CHF can effectively improve cardiac function,relieve heart failure and increase exercise tolerance of patients,which has clinical application value.

Patients with hypoxia pulmonary hypertension (HPH) are often accompanied by dyspnea, fatigue, and headache. With the development of the disease, the right ventricle gradually collapses and eventually leads to death. Hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling is an important pathological basis of HPH, and the remodeled pulmonary vessels will form permanent thickening. The mechanism of hypoxic pulmonary vascular remodeling is relatively complex. At present, there are few studies on drugs for pulmonary vascular remodeling on the market, mainly focusing on the alleviation of pulmonary vasoconstriction. It was found that hypoxia induces calcium overload in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), resulting in the proliferation of PASMCs. The main mechanisms include: ① abnormal expression of calcium pumps; ② abnormal calcium channels in the plasma membrane of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells; ③ overexpression of calcium-sensitive receptors in cells; ④ the expression of Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger type-1 was abnormal. This review summarized several mechanisms of hypoxia induced calcium overload leading to pulmonary artery remodeling, hoping to provide a new idea for the treatment of HPH.

Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an important role in the proliferation, growth, invasion, and metastasis of human cancers. Moreover, β-catenin/T-cell factor 4 (TCF4) interaction regulates the transcription of the key oncogenes in Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Therefore, β-catenin/TCF4 interaction would be a promising therapeutic target for the development of highly selective anticancer agents. At present, most ongoing small-molecule inhibitors targeting β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, including PKF222-815, iCRT3/5/14, LF3, and sanguinarine, have been developed in preclinical studies for human cancer therapeutics. In this review, we summarized the research advances of up-to date inhibitors targeting β-catenin/TCF4 interaction, including the molecular structure and cellular functions of β-catenin in canonical Wnt signaling pathway. This review holds a hopeful avenue for the development of novel and highly selective Wnt inhibitors targeting β-catenin/TCF4 interaction for future anticancer strategy.

OBJECTIVETo apply the synthesized advanced glycation end products (AGE) to the cultured human gingival fibroblast (HGF) in vitro and then to investigate the effects of AGE on the HGF proliferation and type I collagen synthesis and the potential impact of AGE in the repair of periodontium and its molecular mechanism in diabetes-associated periodontitis.

METHODSThe HGF was obtained from explants of human healthy gingival tissues by using tissue-explant technique. The AGE was prepared and then added to the culture media, its effect on HGF proliferation at different time duration was examined with MTT colorimetric assay. The type I collagen concentrations in cell culture supernatants and intracellular proteins were detected by ELISA, and the type I collagen mRNA expression of HGF was analyzed by real-time RT-PCR.

RESULTS200 mg/L AGE decreased the A value (P < 0.05) and changed the HGF shape. Incubation of HGF with AGE for 72 hours, the quantities of type I collagen were reduced (P < 0.05), and the expression of type I collagen mRNA was down-regulated (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSThe AGE inhibited the HGF proliferation, decreased the synthesis of type I collagen and down-regulated the expression of type I collagen mRNA, impairing the repair of periodontium.

Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Collagen Type I ; biosynthesis ; Fibroblasts ; cytology ; metabolism ; Gingiva ; cytology ; metabolism ; Glycation End Products, Advanced ; pharmacology ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo identify the anatomical variability of the left spermatic vein (LSV) and determine its effect on the induction of experimental left varicocele (ELV) in adolescent rats.

METHODSWe equally randomized 30 adolescent male SD rats to groups A (LSV collaterals fully ligated and the left renal vein constricted), B (only the left renal vein constricted), and C (sham operation), observed the courses of the LSVs and measured their diameters. At 30 days after operation, we analyzed the changes in the left kidneys and the diameters of the LSVs.

RESULTSIrregular collaterals were observed in 90% of the LSVs and no abnormal changes were found in the left kidneys after surgery. The postoperative LSV diameter was remarkably increased in group A as compared with the baseline ([1.47 +/- 0.15 ] vs [0.16 +/- 0.08] mm, P < 0.01), but showed no significant difference in group B ([0.31 +/- 0.49] vs [0.15 +/- 0.07] mm, P > 0.05) and C ([0.17 +/- 0.07] vs [0.16 +/- 0.06] mm, P > 0.05), and it was significantly longer in A than in B (P < 0.01). The success rate of ELV induction was 100% in group A and 10% in group B, but no varicocele was observed in group C.

CONCLUSIONCorrect identification of the anatomical course of the LSV and ligation of its irregular collaterals are essential for the establishment of a stable and consistent ELV model.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Kidney ; pathology ; Ligation ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spermatic Cord ; blood supply ; Varicocele ; Veins ; abnormalities

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role of calcium dependent adhesion molecules (cadherin) during the implantation and development of human embryo by studying the expression of E-cadherin in human embryo and blastocysts.

METHODSExpression of E-cadherin in preimplantation embryos and blastocysts was detected by indirect immunofluorescence assay and quantitated by laser scanning confocal microscopy.

RESULTSExpression of E-cadherin was found in all the preimplantation embryos and blastocysts the present authors studied. The expression was higher in blastocysts than that in preimplantation embryos.

CONCLUSIONThe above results suggested that human embryos and blastocysts could express E-cadherin and the expression increased during their development. These may be of significance to the adhesion and implantation of the human embryo and blastocysts.

Blastocyst ; metabolism ; Cadherins ; genetics ; metabolism ; Embryo Implantation ; Embryo, Mammalian ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental ; Humans ; Microscopy, Confocal ; Pregnancy