OBJECTIVE: To work out a qualitative diagnostic criterion for basic syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine in patients with primary liver cancer. METHODS: Based on the collection and analysis of related medical literature, clinical investigation, and experts' discussion, a preliminary qualitative diagnostic criterion for basic syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine in patients with primary liver cancer was formulated. Then it was used in clinic to be verified and revised repeatedly till it was improved to be a satisfied formal criterion. RESULTS: The basic syndromes listed in the qualitative diagnostic criterion for basic syndromes in patients with primary liver cancer consisted of two parts: excessive syndromes, including the syndromes of stagnation of qi, blood stasis, excess-heat and dampness, and deficient syndromes, including the syndromes of deficiency of qi, deficiency of blood, deficiency of yin and deficiency of yang. Each of the above syndromes could be diagnosed according to specific combination of its corresponding symptoms or signs. The clinical verification results showed that the total matching ratio was 73.92% between the diagnoses made according to the criterion and the diagnoses acquired from the experts' experience. CONCLUSIONS: The qualitative diagnostic criterion for basic syndromes of traditional Chinese medicine in patients with primary liver cancer is coincident with the experts' clinical practice. However, it needs to be further studied.

Through study on the correlation between Atractylodis macrocephala lactones ingredient content and topographic factors, we researched regionalization from topography of five main producing provinces of the country, in order to provide a scientific basis for A. macrocephala reasonable cultivation. By sampling from 40 origins of five main producing provinces of the country, the variation of A. macrocephala lactones ingredient content in different conditions of topographic factors and the effect of altitude, slope and aspect was analyzed by SPSS. Then according to the relationship between A. macrocephala lactones ingredient content and topographic factors, the ecological suitability regionalization was conducted by using ArcGIS based on topographic factors. It is suitable for growth of A. macrocephala in the hilly and mountainous areas of southern whose A. macrocephala lactones ingredient content is in high levels. It is unsuitable for growth of A. macrocephala in Northern plain areas, but we can cultivate A. macrocephala in the hilly and mountainous areas of Northern. The most suitable topographic condition for cultivation of A. macrocephala : altitude 200 meters above, slope 3.00-4.99 degrees.
Altitude ; Atractylodes ; chemistry ; growth & development ; China ; Conservation of Natural Resources ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; analysis ; Ecosystem

OBJECTIVETo compare the intracephalic imaging differences of stroke treated with combined therapy of scalp and body acupuncture and body acupuncture only, in order to apply the image basis for the differences of clinical curative effects.

METHODSTwenty cases of stroke were randomized into a body acupuncture group (group A) and a scalp and body acupuncture group (group B), ten cases in each group respectively. In group A, body acupuncture was applied simply, and different acupoints were selected according to the symptoms: Shousanli (LI 10), Jianliao (TE 14), Huantiao (GB 30) and Jiaji (EX-B 2) etc. were selected for hemiplegia, Fengchi (GB 20), Xiaguan (ST 7) and Quanliao (SI 18) etc. were for facial paralysis, Fengfu (GV 16) and Lianquan (CV 23) etc. were for aphasia. In group B, combined therapy were applied, the body acupoints selection was same as above; for scalp acupoints, corresponding motor area, sensory area and foot motor sensory area were selected. Instant changes of local cerebral blood flow before and after treatment were examined and evaluated by NIRS and the curative effects of both groups were evaluated.

RESULTSThe total therapeutic effective rate was 90.0% (9/10) and the basically cured rate was 30.0% (3/10) in group A; and 100.0% (10/10) and 50.0% (5/10) respectively in group B, indicating that the clinical curative effect in group B was superior to that in group A at 20, 30 min of acupuncture treatment (P < 0.05). Both imaging results showed that blood flows of prefrontal cortex in both groups were increased with varying degrees after treatment (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); the cerebral blood flow in group B was much more improved than that in group A at 20, 30 min of acupuncture treatment (all P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONAcupuncture can significantly increase blood flow and oxygen saturation in brain cortex, and the effect with combined therapy of scalp and body acupuncture is superior to that with body acupuncture.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; physiopathology ; Brain Chemistry ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phototherapy ; instrumentation ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared ; Stroke ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo observe the influence of electric-moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20) or Shenque (CV 8) on the cerebral blood flow.

METHODSTwenty healthy volunteer were treated by electric-moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20) or Shenque (CV 8) with multi-functional electric-moxibustion instrument. The changes of the forehead cortex blood flow during moxibustion were detected by dynamic continuous spectrum near-infrared imaging.

RESULTSThere were significant differences as the forehead cortex blood flow after electric-moxibustion at Baihui (GV 20) for 20 and 30 minutes compared with their initial data (P < 0.05, P < 0.01); and as the forehead cortex blood flow after electric-moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) for 10, 20 and 30 minutes compared with their initial data (P<0. 05, P<0. 01).

CONCLUSIONElectric-moxibustion at both Baihui (GV 20) and Shenque (CV 8) can improve the volume of brain cortex blood flow and electric-moxibustion at Shenque (CV 8) has rapid effect.

Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Brain ; blood supply ; Brain Chemistry ; Brain Mapping ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Moxibustion ; Regional Blood Flow ; Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of liposome-mediated glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) gene transfer in vivo on spinal cord motoneurons after spinal cord injury (SCI) in adult rats.

METHODSSixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided equally into two groups: GDNF group and control group. The SCI model was established according to the method of Nystrom, and then the DC-Chol liposomes and recombinant plasmid pEGFP-GDNF cDNA complexes were injected into the injured spinal cord. The expression of GDNF cDNA 1 week after injection was detected by RT-PCR and fluorescence microscope. We observed the remaining motoneurons in the anterior horn and the changes of cholinesterase (CHE) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity using Nissl and enzyme histochemistry staining. The locomotion function of hind limbs of rats was evaluated using inclined plane test and BBB locomotor scale.

RESULTSRT-PCR and fluorescence observation confirmed the presence of expression of GDNF cDNA 1 week and 4 weeks after injection. At 1, 2, 4 weeks after SCI, the number of motoneurons in the anterior horn in GDNF group (20.4+/-3.2, 21.7+/-3.6, 22.5+/-3.4) was more than that in control group (16.8+/-2.8, 17.3+/-2.7, 18.2+/-3.2, P<0.05). At 1, 2 weeks after SCI, the mean gray of the CHE-stained spinal motoneurons in GDNF group (74.2+/-25.8, 98.7+/-31.6) was less than that in control group (98.5+/-32.2, 134.6+/-45.2, P<0.01), and the mean gray of ACP in GDNF group (84.5+/-32.6, 79.5+/-28.4) was more than that in control group (61.2+/-24.9, 52.6+/-19.9, P<0.01). The locomotion functional scales in GDNF group were higher than that in control group within 1 to 4 weeks after SCI (P<0.05).

CONCLUSIONSGDNF gene transfer in vivo can protect motoneurons from death and degeneration induced by incomplete spinal cord injury as well as enhance locomotion functional restoration of hind limbs. These results suggest that liposome-mediated delivery of GDNF cDNA might be a practical method for treating traumatic spinal cord injury.

Animals ; Disease Models, Animal ; Gene Transfer Techniques ; Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor ; Injections, Intralesional ; Liposomes ; Locomotion ; physiology ; Male ; Motor Neurons ; drug effects ; Nerve Growth Factors ; pharmacology ; Nerve Regeneration ; physiology ; Neuroprotective Agents ; pharmacology ; Primary Prevention ; methods ; Probability ; RNA, Messenger ; analysis ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Recovery of Function ; Reference Values ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; pathology ; prevention & control ; therapy

【Objective】 To explore the clinical efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) therapy in patients with transfusion related iron overload diagnosed with chronic aplastic anemia (CAA). 【Methods】 A total of 115 patients with CAA and iron overload who had been admitted to Zhejiang Provincal Hospital of TCM from February 2015 to December 2016 were studied. They were assigned to treatment group(n=69), positive control group(n=16), and negative control group(n=30) according to different treatment plan designed in advance. Patients in the treatment group were treated with TCM of "Bushen Huoxue" recipe once a day, with the formula mixed with astragalus 40 g, rehmannia 12 g, cornus 12 g, deerhorn glue melting by heat 12 g, atractylodes 20 g, radix paeoniae alba 20 g, curculigo orchioides 10 g, herba epimedii 10 g, cistanche 12 g, cassia stem 10 g, dried orange peel 8 g, poria 10, gingembre 6 g, angelica sinensis 20 g, salvia miltiorrhiza 20 g, zedoary 9 g, leonurus 30 g, gromwell 15 g, and prepared liquorice root 6 g. Patients in positive control group were treated with desferrioxamine for more than 8 h per day, 5 to 7 days per week. Patients in negative control group were treated with basic treatment.The serum ferritin (SF) and cytokines of patients of the three groups before and 3 months after therapy were detected according to the blood-stasis of TCM symptom rating scale, and the correlation between the decrease of ferritin after treatment and the improvement of blood stasis syndrome score was analyzed. 【Results】 The level of SF of the treatment group, positive and negative control group before treatment were 1 881.63±1 386.81 vs 6 581.36±5 180.96 vs1 974.25±1 753.06, and were 2 040.14±1 484.27 vs 4 169.18±3 631.64(P<0.05)vs 2 699.80±2 352.34(P<0.05) 3 months after treatment. The treatment was effctive in 16 patients in treatment group, accounted for 23.19%(16/69). The score of blood stasis syndrome of the three groups before and after treatment were 4.26±1.45vs 6.88±1.31 vs 4.17±1.18 and 4.42±1.43 vs 5.00±0.89 vs 4.67±1.51(P<0.01), respectively. The effective rate of improving blood stasis syndrome score in the treatment group was up to 26.09%. The decrease of serum ferritin was positively correlated with the improvement of blood stasis score (P < 0.01). The levels of IL-6 and IL-10 in treatment group were 20.79±14.14 and 56.27±25.54 before treatment, 13.00±6.48 and 41.02±9.93(P<0.05)3 months after treatment, respectively. 【Conclusion】 "Bushen Huoxue" therapy can stabilize the the level of SF and improve the blood stasis syndrome in CAA patients with iron overload.

BACKGROUNDSepsis is a leading cause of death in the intensive care units. The late inflammatory cytokine, high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), plays a critical role in sepsis. In the present study, we investigated the association between the serum HMGB1 levels and the severity of organ injury in the lipopolysaccharide-induced sepsis in rats.

METHODSTo produce an animal model of sepsis with different degree of organ injury, animals were treated with three different doses of lipopolysaccharide (4, 8 and 16 mg/kg), and the animals in control group were treated with the same volume of the vehicle (saline). The levels of serum HMGB1 were measured at 0, 2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 and 48 hours after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or vehicle injection, meanwhile the biochemical and histopathological indicators for the severity of organ injury were assessed.

RESULTSThe level of HMGB1 had a positive, high correlation with the abnormal changes of serum cardiac troponin I, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, creatinine and blood urea nitrogen, as well as the pathologic scores of heart, lung, liver and kidney.

CONCLUSIONSThe level of serum HMGB1 is highly correlated with the severity of sepsis in rats, suggesting that HMGB1 could serve as a valuable adjunct in the diagnosis and management of sepsis.

Animals ; HMGB1 Protein ; blood ; Lipopolysaccharides ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sepsis ; blood ; drug therapy ; pathology

OBJECTIVEThe pathophysiology of beta-thalassemia is the imbalance of the alpha and non-alpha globin chain which leads to a series of clinical symptoms of hemolytic anemia. Scientists continuously try to explore gene-activated drugs to increase the level of non-alpha globin chain or decrease the level of alpha globin chain in the treatment of beta-thalassemia. To probe into the effects on globin-gene expression of meisoindigo (Me) in cultured erythroid cells derived from peripheral blood, so as to provide the theoretical basis for applying Me in the treatment of beta-thalassemia.

METHODSBy using the two-step liquid culture of erythroid progenitor cells and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and by using alpha mRNA as an inner control, the level of gamma mRNA and beta mRNA in cultured erythroid cells derived from peripheral blood of 11 patients with severe beta-thalassemia and 6 normal volunteers were measured under the effect of different concentration (2.5 micro mol/L, 5 micro mol/L and 10 micro mol/L) of Me.

RESULTS(1) No statistic significance was found in the ratio of beta/alpha mRNA by Me in cultured cells from both normal individuals and beta-thalassemia. (2) Me can significantly increase the ratio of gamma/alpha mRNA and (beta + gamma)/alpha mRNA (that is non-alpha/alpha mRNA) in cultured cells from normal individuals and beta-thalassemia. The ratio of gamma/alpha mRNA was increased 0.31 - 0.45 times and the ratio of non-alpha mRNA/alpha mRNA increased 0.21 - 0.32 times in Me induced cells from normal individuals. No significant result was observed among the different concentrations of Me (2.5 micro mol/L, 5 micro mol/L and 10 micro mol/L) in normal individuals. With the increasing of Me concentrations, the ratios of gamma/alpha mRNA and alpha/alpha mRNA were increased in cultured cells from beta-thalassemia. The ratio of gamma/alpha mRNA was increased 0.33 - 1.17 times and the ratio of non-alpha/alpha mRNA increased 0.25 - 0.89 times in Me induced cells from beta-thalassemia. There was no significant difference between the concentrations of 2.5 micro mol/L and 5 micro mol/L concentration in beta-thalassemia. However, there was significant difference between the concentrations of 10 micro mol/L and the concentrations of 2.5 micro mol/L and 5 micro mol/L in beta-thalassemia. (3) The increase of the ratio of gamma/alpha mRNA and non-alpha/alpha mRNA in beta-thalassemia was higher than that in normal individual with induction by Me with a higher concentration (10 micro mol/L).

CONCLUSIONMe can raise the ratio of gamma/alpha mRNA and non-alpha/alpha mRNA in cultured erythroid cells derived from peripheral blood of both normal individual and beta-thalassemia in the level of transcription, which can improve the imbalance of the alpha and non-alpha globin chain. So Me has a latent value in the therapy of beta-thalassemia.

Cells, Cultured ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Erythroid Precursor Cells ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression ; drug effects ; Globins ; genetics ; Humans ; Indoles ; pharmacology ; Infant ; Male ; RNA, Messenger ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction

OBJECTIVESTo study the expression and the significance of telomerase gene hTERT in testes of infertile male.

METHODSBy using in situ hybridization(ISH) techniques, the expression of telomerase gene hTERT mRNA in testes of 47 infertile male and 10 normal testicular tissues were observed.

RESULTSIn male testes, there was a positive correlation between the expression of hTERT and the quantity and density of germ cells(spermatogonia, spermatocyte, spermatid). The expression of hTERT in some germinal cell of maturation arrest patients were not significantly different with those of normal.

CONCLUSIONSOur results suggest that the deficiency of telomerase might be a factor for germinal cell maturation arrest and there might be some other etiological factors in these patients. Our study provides experimental groundwork for the gene therapy of male infertility.

Humans ; Infertility, Male ; enzymology ; Male ; Spermatids ; Spermatocytes ; Spermatogenesis ; Spermatogonia ; Telomerase ; deficiency ; genetics ; metabolism ; Testis ; enzymology ; physiology

OBJECTIVETo establish a high-throughput chemiluminescence assay of serotype 5 specific neutralizing antibody and understand the epidemiology of this antibody in the healthy adults and children in Guangzhou.

METHODSUsing rAd5 carrying the reporter gene of secreted alkaline phosphatases (SEAP), serum samples from 116 healthy adults and 94 healthy children were examined with chemiluminescence assay to detect the presence of Ad5 neutralizing antibody. The reliability of this assay was tested against conventional cytopathic effect observation.

RESULTSThe chemiluminescence assay using secreted alkaline phosphatases (SEAP) as the reporter allowed rapid, sensitive, specific and reproducible detection of serotype 5 specific neutralizing antibody for epidemiological study of Ad5, which was positive in 26.72% of the adults and 17.02% of the children in this study.

CONCLUSIONAd5 neutralizing antibody is prevalent in the population of Guangzhou, suggesting the necessity of developing other serotype adenovectors for better vaccination and therapeutic effects.

Adenoviridae ; classification ; genetics ; immunology ; Adult ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; genetics ; Animals ; Antibodies, Neutralizing ; immunology ; Artifacts ; Blotting, Western ; China ; DNA, Recombinant ; genetics ; Female ; Genes, Reporter ; genetics ; High-Throughput Screening Assays ; Humans ; Luminescent Measurements ; methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Reproducibility of Results ; Serotyping ; Time Factors ; Young Adult