A HPLC-MS/MS multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) quantitative analysis was made to establish a determination method for drug concentrations of costunolide (Co) and dehydrocostuslactone (De) in blood samples in the positive ion mode, with diazepam as the internal standard substance, in order to study the pharmacokinetic process of sesquiterpene lactones costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone after the oral administration of Weichang'an pills, and provide an theoretical basis for further studies on the substance basis for the anti-diarrhea effect of Weichang'an pills. In the blood samples, Co and De showed a good linearity within concentration ranges 0.700 0-769.7, 2.510-956.0 μg x L(-1), respectively. The results of precision, stability and recovery experiences proved the stability and reliability of the plasma concentration determination method. After the oral administration, the concentrations of Co and De in plasma increased with the increase in dose, with T(max) between 10.65-12.98 h, indicating a long time to reach peak plasma concentrations; C(max) of costunolide and dehydrocostuslactone ranged between 3.750-5.450,15.34-44.52 μg x L(-1), respectively. The in vivo adsorption of Co and De conformed to the one-compartment model, with a longer time to attain the peak plasma concentrations. These results provided an experimental basis for revealing the active substance basis and clinical medication of Weichang'an pills.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics ; Lactones ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Sesquiterpenes ; administration & dosage ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Tablets ; administration & dosage ; chemistry ; pharmacokinetics

·AIM:To present a case of late onset bilateral keratectasis after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia with rigid gas-permeable contact lenses with a brief review of literature on this subject.·METHODS:A 27-year-old woman underwent bilateral uneventful LASIK for moderate myopia. Preoperative cycloplegic refractions were -5.50/-0.50×50° right eye (OD) and - 4.50/-1.00×15° left eye (OS).Corneal pachymetry was 526μm OD and 541μm OS, Preoperative corneal topography was normal and did not reveal any keratoconus or forme fruste keratoconus.Following the creation of flaps with 160μm plates,ablations of 102μm OD and 86μm OS were performed,estimated to leave residual stromal beds of 264μm OD and 295μm OS.·RESULTS:Twenty-nine months postoperatively,the patient developed bilateral inferior keratectasia of -12.50/-4.00×160° OD and -6.00/- 4.25×125° OS.Visual acuity was reduced in both eyes;the central cornea had steepened; and pachymetry showed central corneal thinning.Keratectasia was diagnosed,and rigid contact lenses were fitted.Three years later,the patient achieved satisfactory visual acuity and all-day lens wear with minimal complications.·CONCLUSION:Late keratectasia may follow LASIK for low to moderate myopia despite a thorough preoperative work-up.Rigid contact lenses can offer a safe,reversible option for improving visual acuity in such patients by delaying or avoiding the need for intracorneal ring segments implanting or penetrating keratoplasty.

Objective To survey the arsenic content of drinking water in Jingzhou City, to provide basis for prevention and control of endemic arsenic disease. Methods According to historical data, the .arsenic content of water was detected in 357 villages from 6 counties of Jianglin, Songzi, Gongan, Shishou, Jianli, Honghushi in Jinzhou City in 2007 and 2008, The past have been found to have high arsenic water villages, villages known to have high concentration of arsenic were put into census. Villages not found to have high-arsenic wells were sampled 10 percent of the whole water resources at five directions of east, west, south, north and the center. Using sampling investigation, water arsenic was determined by half -quantitative fast reagent kit. All samples of water with arsenic exceeding the standard were re-determined using silver diethyl dithiocarbamate using silver diethyl dithiocarbamate colorimetric mothod. Survey on the disease was carried out in the villages with arsenic exeeeding the standard. Results All 6074 water samples was inspected. Arsenic in 210 samples outnumbered 0.05 mg/L, 51 natural villages were high arsenic areas;The maximum level of arsenic content in drinking water was 0.7 mg/L 3.2% (152/4784) of the wells no deeper that 30 meters and 4.9%(58/1184) between 30 to 100 m had arsenic exceeding the standard The water arsenic content was normal when the wells was deeper that 100 m. The abnormal percentages of water arsenic was related with the depth of wells with a significant difference(χ2 = 12.29,P < 0.01). Medical examination 84 064 residents in 51 villages having high arsenic water 31 neighboring villages was made, No Patients was found suffering from endemic arsenic poisoning. Conclusions High arsenic source has been found in Jingzhou City ,but no endemic arsenic poisoning patient in Jingzhou City. It is suggested that necessary preventive measures should be taken in high arsenic area, low-arsenic water should be spotted or high arsenic water improved. Moreover, wells should be drilled for more than 100 meters or more in depth.

Construction of mutant strain is an essential method in pathogenesis researches. The conventional method for Brucella unmarked deletion mutant construction is based on suicide plasmid, but the efficiency is very low. In the present study, we first optimized the electroporation parameters, and then, the cloning plasmid pEX18Gm containing sacB was successfully used to construct unmarked deletion mutant of the type IV secretion system. This indicated that by using conventional cloning plasmid as suicide plasmid in Brucella, unmarked deletion mutants can be constructed with high efficiency.

OBJECTIVETo investigate the human mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variations associated with longevity in Bama elderly population from Guangxi.

METHODSMitochondrial genome of 20 individuals over 96 years of age was sequenced, and seven target single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were observed by comparing with the standard rCRS sequence, and two were tested by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method in a larger population including 208 individuals of 90-113 years old, and 586 unrelated control individuals from Guangxi.

RESULTSThe 4824G frequency of the mtDNA4824A/G locus increased with age both in the long-lived elderly and in controls. And it was significantly higher in controls than that in long-lived population (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe mtDNA4824 A/G is not only an age-related locus, its mutation is also negatively correlated with longevity.

Aged ; China ; ethnology ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; analysis ; genetics ; Genome, Mitochondrial ; genetics ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Longevity ; genetics ; Mutation ; Myanmar ; ethnology ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; genetics ; Population Groups

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the risk factors of lateral lymph node metastasis in advanced lower rectal cancer and its correlation with local recurrence and prognosis.

METHODSData from 96 consecutive patients with advanced lower rectal cancer underwent curative surgery with lateral dissection were retrospectively analyzed. The correlations of lateral lymph node metastasis with clinicopathologic characteristics, local recurrence and prognosis were investigated.

RESULTSLateral lymph node metastasis was observed in 14.6 (14/96) of the cases. In 40 patients with tumor diameter > or = 5 cm, 10 (25.0%) patients were found with lateral lymph node metastasis; while in the other 56 patients, only 4 (7.1%) cases were found with lateral lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Lateral lymph node metastasis was more frequent in patients whose tumor infiltrated full range of the intestinal wall (70%) than patients with 3/4, 2/4 and 1/4 intestinal wall was infiltrated (12.0%, 6.7% and 6.3%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Lateral lymph node metastasis rate of poorly differentiated carcinomas was significantly higher than those of moderate and well-differentiated ones (30% vs. 9.1% and 4.5%, P < 0.05). Local recurrence occurred in 18.8% (18 of 96 cases) of patients. Local recurrence in patients with positive lateral lymph node metastasis was 64.3%, while 11.0% in those without lateral lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed significant improvements in median survival for patients with negative lateral lymph node metastasis over patients with lateral lymph node metastasis (80.9 +/- 2.1 vs. 38 +/- 6.7 months, log-rank P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSTumor diameter, degree of tumor infiltration and histological differentiation are significant risk factors of lateral lymph node metastasis in advanced lower rectal cancer. Lateral lymph node metastasis is an important predictor of local recurrence and prognosis of patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; pathology ; surgery ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to compare the performance of machine learning methods for the prediction of the medical costs associated with spinal fusion in terms of profit or loss in Taiwan Diagnosis-Related Groups (Tw-DRGs) and to apply these methods to explore the important factors associated with the medical costs of spinal fusion. METHODS: A data set was obtained from a regional hospital in Taoyuan city in Taiwan, which contained data from 2010 to 2013 on patients of Tw-DRG49702 (posterior and other spinal fusion without complications or comorbidities). Naïve-Bayesian, support vector machines, logistic regression, C4.5 decision tree, and random forest methods were employed for prediction using WEKA 3.8.1. RESULTS: Five hundred thirty-two cases were categorized as belonging to the Tw-DRG49702 group. The mean medical cost was US $4,549.7, and the mean age of the patients was 62.4 years. The mean length of stay was 9.3 days. The length of stay was an important variable in terms of determining medical costs for patients undergoing spinal fusion. The random forest method had the best predictive performance in comparison to the other methods, achieving an accuracy of 84.30%, a sensitivity of 71.4%, a specificity of 92.2%, and an AUC of 0.904. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that the random forest model can be employed to predict the medical costs of Tw-DRG49702, and could inform hospital strategy in terms of increasing the financial management efficiency of this operation.
Area Under Curve ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Dataset ; Decision Trees ; Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Financial Management ; Forests ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Machine Learning ; Methods ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spinal Fusion ; Support Vector Machine ; Taiwan

Objective To investigate the effects of panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) combined with total flavonoids from epimedium (TFE) on testicular dysfunction in natural aging rats; To discuss its mechanism of action. Methods Thirty 18-month old male SD rats were randomly divided into natural aging group, PNS combined with TFE low and high dose groups, with 10 rats in each group. Another 10 2-month old rats were set as young control group. PNS combined with TFE low and high dose groups were given gastric gavage of 10 mg/kg PNS combined with 10 mg/kg TFE, and 20 mg/kg PNS combined with 20 mg/kg TFE, respectively. Rats in young control group and natural aging group were given saline for 6 d each week, lasting for 4 months. Then, rats were sacrificed, and the testes were obtained to calculate the testicular weight and the testicular index. The testicular tissue morphology was observed by using HE staining. Testicular germ cell apoptosis was detected by using TUNEL method. The levels of Bcl-2, Bax and γ-H2 AX protein expression in testicular tissue were detected by Western blot. Results Compared with natural aging group, low and high dose of PNS combined with TFE significantly elevated the testicular weight and testicular index, improved the histological changes of testicular seminiferous tubule, significantly reduced number of apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in the testis, upregulated the expression of Bcl-2 protein in the testis, downregulated the expression of Bax and γ-H2 AX protein, and decreased the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2. Conclusion PNS combined with TFE can improve testicular dysfunction in natural aging rats by inhibiting apoptosis and DNA damage of germ cells.

Desmoplakin (DSP), encoded by the DSP gene, is the main desmosome component and is abundant in the myocardial tissue. There are three DSP isoforms that assume the role of supporting structural stability through intercellular adhesion. It has been found that DSP regulates the transcription of adipogenic and fibrogenic genes, and maintains appropriate electrical conductivity by regulating gap junctions and ion channels. DSP is essential for normal myocardial development and the maintenance of its structural functions. Studies have suggested that DSP gene mutations are associated with a variety of hereditary cardiomyopathy, such as arrhythmia cardiomyopathy, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), left ventricular noncompaction, and is also closely associated with the Carvajal syndrome, Naxos disease, and erythro-keratodermia-cardiomyopathy syndrome with skin and heart damage. The structure and function of DSP, as well as the clinical manifestations of DSP-related cardiomyopathy were reviewed in this article.
Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia ; Cardiomyopathies/genetics* ; Desmoplakins/genetics* ; Hair Diseases ; Humans ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar

Objective To analyze the impact of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels at hospital admission on the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACCE) in patients with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (ASTEMI).Methods 1067 patients with ASTEMI who were admitted to the 20 hospitals in Liaoning region and with lipid profile tested within the 24 hours of admission from May 2009 until May 2010,were enrolled.Data on basic demographic,clinical,status on admission and method of treatment were collected.Rate on various medical use and MACCE (cardiovascular death,non-fatal myocardial infarction,revascularization and stoke) were compared between the two groups through follow-up observation.Cox proportional hazard analysis was estimation.Results The median HDL-C level was 1.27 mmol/L,with 587 patients having HDL-C below and 489 patients HDL-C above the median level.The incidence rates of non-fatal myocardial infarction and MACCE at one-year follow-up period,was higher in low HDL-C group (4.8％ vs.0.9％,P＜0.001:23.7％ vs.18.1％,P=0.03,respectively) At one month follow-up,the incidence rate of non-fatal myocardial infarction was higher in low HDL-C group (1.4％ vs.0.0％,P=0.01 ).At six month follow-up,the incidence rates of non-fatal myocardial infarction and MACCE on one-year follow-up was higher in low HDL-C group (2.8％ vs.0.4％,P=0.003; 18.3％ vs.13.7％,P=0.04,respectively).Results from Cox proportional hazards analysis indicated that age ( HR =1.02,95％ CI:1.006- 1.035,P =0.005 ),diabetes (HR =1.05,95％ CI:1.053-2.171,P=0.03 ),HDL-C level ( HR =0.56,95％CI:0.340-0.921,P=- 0.02 ) were significantly related to the incidence of MACCE.Conclusion The incidence rates of one year and six month MACCE (mainly non-fatal myocardial infarction) and one month non-fatal myocardial infarction were significant higher in patients with low than high HDL-C levels at admission while kept on the ascending along with time.Age,diabetes,HDL-C level were independent risk factors related to the incidence of MACCE.