In order to elucidate the mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine, much work has been done based on chemical constituent-target in the molecular system. It cannot comply with the holistic efficacy of Chinese herbal medicine. Thus, the authors of this paper proposed to study the functional target adopted from Western medicine. The data of Chinese herbal function were collected from 2005 edition of The People's Republic of China Pharmacopoeia. A total of 135 functional targets were found, and a network about functional target and mode of action was built. The authors also explored the applications of functional target and the network combined with Sijunzi Decoction and Mahuang Decoction. The results, reflecting the feature of Chinese herbal medicine, will not only be helpful to elucidate the holistic mechanisms of Chinese herbal medicine, but also beneficial to studying the theory of Chinese formulas and developing new formulas.

Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; adverse effects ; Pneumoconiosis ; diagnosis ; etiology ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Industry

Objective Colorectal cancer is one of the most common malignancies with high incidence rate. Due to the progress made in diagnostic and therapeutic techniques, even about 30%～50% of patients with no evidence of metastasis on the time of diagnosis have recurrences. The present study is to investigate the carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) mRNA,CEA protein expression in blood and to evaluate its clinical significance. Methods Peripheral blood samples were collected from 60 patients with colorectal cancer and 40 patients with colorectal polyp and 40 healthy volunteers. CEA mRNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and serum CEA was detected by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The positive rate of CEA mRNA expression in blood samples of 60 patients with colorectal cancer was 68.3%. And one of the healthy volunteers was positive. But three of the 40 patients with colorectal polyp(7.5%) were positive. The positive rate increased with the pathological staging and liver metastasis, but there were no significant relations between the rate and the malignant extent of cell differentiation. Conclusion The expression of CEA mRNA in peripheral blood cells correlates with the pathological staging and liver metastasis of colorectal cancer, and it may be one of potential uses to monitor the micrometastases of tumor. In order to discover the precancerous change,we can detect CEA mRNA expression in blood with polyp of colon.

Objective:To investigate the influence of sinter temperature alteration on the crystalline phase and microstructure of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic.Methods:Samples of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic were heated using the standard two stage heating-schedule at different final temperatures.All samples were observed by X-ray diffractometer (XRD),field emission scanning electron microscope(FESEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(FE-SEM-EDS) for the evaluation of crystalline phase and microstructural evolution.Results:Crystalline phase and microstructure of ceramic samples showed significant changes during processing at different temperatures,especially at 800 ℃.Samples sintered at 840 ℃ displayed higher crystallinity(P<0.05) and denser microstructure.Conclusion:Temperature control is important in ceramic sintering.800 ℃ and 840 ℃ are the critical temperature points in the crystalline phase and microstructural evolution of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic.

Objective To analyze retrospectively the correlation between the difficult airway and thyromental height by three-dimensional reconstruction among the Chinese. Methods Eithty patients who had been scanned by helical CT in the head and neck were allocated into two groups according to Cormack-Lehane grading:paients with Ⅰ-Ⅱ grade were allocated into group 1, and paients with Ⅲgrade were allocated into group 2. Reconstructed images were obtained by AW4.4 workstation and the following parameters were recorded and analyzed:the length from the oral to the under jaw(a), the length from the under jaw to the skin of the neck (b), the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck was equal to thyromental height(c), the vertical distance from the oral to the cervical vertebra(d), the angle with the under jaw as the vertices and with two lines (a and b) for edge (angle ofα). Results The c value in two groups had no significant difference:(3.97 ± 0.82) cm vs. (3.64 ± 0.62) cm, P>0.05. The d value in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1:(8.69 ± 0.48) cm vs. (8.25 ± 0.80) cm, P<0.05. The c/d value and c/a value in group 2 were significantly lower than those in group 1: 0.42 ± 0.07 vs. 0.48 ± 0.12, 0.80 ± 0.18 vs. 0.95 ± 0.25, P<0.05. Conclusions Thyromental height by three-dimensional reconstruction has no significant differences in evaluating the difficult airway among the Chinese. The ratio of the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck and the vertical distance from the oral to the cervical vertebra, and the ratio of the vertical distance from the under jaw to the neck and the length from the oral to the under jaw shows negative correlation with difficult airway.

Functional analysis concisely summarizes and concentrates on the therapeutic characteristics and features of Chinese herbal medicine. Standardization of the terms for Chinese herbal functions not only plays a key role in modern research and development of Chinese herbal medicine, but also has far-reaching clinical applications. In this paper, a new method for standardizing the terms for Chinese herbal function was proposed. Firstly, functional targets were collected. Secondly, the pathological conditions and the mode of action of every functional target were determined by analyzing the references. Thirdly, the relationships between the pathological condition and the mode of action were determined based on Chinese medicine theory and data. This three-step approach allows for standardization of the terms for Chinese herbal functions. Promoting the standardization of Chinese medicine terms will benefit the overall clinical application of Chinese herbal medicine.

Studies on the prescription combination regularity based on medicinal tastes focus on the internal relations between the structure and hierarchy of the prescription combination system. In this paper, with the systematic and scientific self-similarity theory as the core ideology, authors systematically interpreted the self-similarity theory of medicinal properties, defined the self-similarity of prescriptions with identical or similar medicinal properties, and built the systematic view of medicinal property theory based on the prescription combination based on the entity grammar system. As a result, the system was conducive to integrating traditional Chinese medicinal knowledge of syndromes, therapeutic principles, efficacies, medicinal properties and tastes and achieving the automatic design and optimization process from symptoms to prescriptions, and providing scientific and feasible methods and technical systems for the application of the medicinal property theory, with a guiding significance to the technology, methodology and theory of decoction pieces compatibility, component compatibility and compound medicine design.
Drug Combinations ; Drug Prescriptions ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional

Functional targets are the objects that Chinese herbal medicines act directly upon. If the relationships between the properties of Chinese herbs and their functional targets were analyzed clearly, it would benefit the overall understanding of the holistic mechanisms of Chinese herbal treatments. In this paper, data regarding the properties of Chinese herbs and their functional targets were collected from the 2005 edition of The People's Republic of China Pharmacopoeia. After analyzing and assessing the data, the relationships were defined between the four qi, meridian entry and medicinal functional targets and between the four qi, five flavors and mode of function. Then the relationships between a single herbal medicine and a prescription were analyzed, and the results conformed with the traditional knowledge of Chinese herbal nature and efficacy. This demonstrated that the holistic mechanisms of the properties of Chinese herbs adhere to the findings, which may be beneficial for the development and compatibility of Chinese herbal medicines.

Objective To establish the phenobarbital addiction rat model by the modified drug‐admixed‐food(DAF) method . Methods Rats were selected as the experimental animal .The modified DAF method was adopted to construct the model .The initial dose of phenobarbital 75 mg/kg was given mixed and the dase was gradually increased day by day ,which continued for 45 d .The es‐tablished model was verified by the precipitated withdrawal method and the natural withdrawal method for judging whether the model construction succeeding .Results The convulsion rate in the DAF precipitated withdrawal group was higher than that in the control group(P< 0 .01) ;the withdrawal symptoms scores in the DAF natural withdrawal group were higher than those in the con‐trol group(P< 0 .05) ;the relieving degree of body mass in the two withdrawal groups was greater than that in the control group (P< 0 .05) .The brain section in the mode group revealed obvious cellular apoptotic change .Conclusion DAF is simple and feasible for establishing the phenobarbital addiction rat model .

Breast Neoplasms ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; surgery ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Dose Fractionation ; Female ; Humans ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; adverse effects ; Neoplasm Staging ; Radiotherapy Planning, Computer-Assisted ; methods ; Radiotherapy, Conformal ; methods ; Respiration ; Seroma ; etiology ; pathology ; Surgical Instruments ; Tumor Burden