Objective To study the relationship between lung inflammation and lung angiotensin Ⅱ ( ANG Ⅱ) in ventilator-induced lung injury ( VILI) and assessed the efficiency of the angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril to attenuate VILI in rats. Methods Totally 21 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into 3 groups,high-volume,0 positive end-expiratory pressure ( HVZP) group; captopril injection ( 100 mg/kg i. p. ) in 30 min before HVZP ventilation ( HVZP + CAP group) ; no ventilation group ( control) . The blood gas tensions and mean arterial pressure were measured after a polyethylene catheter was placed in one carotid artery and a plastic cannula was inserted into the trachea. The protein contents and contents of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 ( MIP-2) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid ( BALF) and lung ANGⅡ were determined by ELISA. The changes of lung pathology were observed by HE staining. Results Mean arterial pressure was significantly lower in the HVZP + CAP group than in the HVZP group after 2 hour’s ventilation. Total protein levels were significantly higher in BALF recovered from HVZP-ventilated rats than from controls. BALF MIP-2 and lung ANG Ⅱ were significantly higher in the HVZP group than in the control and HVZP + CAP groups. Lung ANG Ⅱ level was correlated positively with BALF contents of total protein and MIP-2. Conclusion Captopril has the efficiency to attenuate VILI by reducing inflammatory cytokines. Our results suggest that VILI is partly mediated by the local angiotensin system.

OBJECTIVE: To explain the current situation of the study on Chinese herb nephropathy (CHN), clarify the concept of CHN and investigate the pathogenesis, also suggest the measures for the prevention and treatment of CHN.DATA SOURCES: Articles about kidney impairment induced by Chinese herbal medicine containing aristolochic acid (AA) published in English between January 1994 and April 2006 were searched in Pubmed database by using the keywords of "kidney impairment induced by Chinese herbal medicine containing aristolochic acid (AA), nephropathy induced by aristolochic acid (AA), Chinese herb nephropathy (CHN)". Other articles were collected by the specific name of journals and title of papers by retrieving VIP database.STUDY SELECTION: The original articles were checked primarily, those about kidney impairment induced by Chinese herbal medicine containing AA were selected, those obviously irrelevant ones were excluded, and the full-texts of the involved articles were searched manually.DATA EXTRACTION: Totally 86 articles were collected, 20 of them were involved, and the other 66 repetitive studies or reviews were excluded:DATA SYNTHESIS: At present, kidney impairment induced by Chinese herbal medicine has not attracted enough attentions in Chinese, and effective monitoring system should be established. The diagnosis and pathogenesis of nephropathy induced by AA are still unclear, and the prevention is the main treatment. Therefore, we should realize its harmfulness, and reinforce its basic and clinical researches.CONCLUSION: The main damage in kidney caused by AA focuses on the renal tubulointerstitial matrix. Renal glomerulus is rarely involved in the toxic process. Clinical manifestations also reflect the impairment of renal tubules and interstitium such as interstitial fibrosis. A more effective diagnosis monitoring and screening system should be set up in order to mesh the patients at the early stage. A more stringent method for classification of the species in fourstamen stephania root family will be established to avoid confusion and error. More valid therapeutic channels should investigate for its remedy.

In recent years, the incidence of diabetes has been increasing year by year. Along with it, the problems of high medical cost and health resource shortage also make the diabetes the key chronic disease of health service management in our country. There are significant features and advantages in treatment of diabetes with traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, the construction mode of two-way referral care for diabetes patients between TCM hospitals and community medical institutions is just unfolding. Based on the status quo of TCM treatment for diabetes, this article reviewed the present basic situation of the two-way referral care for diabetes patients in TCM hospitals and community medical institutions, discussed the significance of this mode for diabetes patients in TCM hospital, emphasized the feasibility and validity of implementing this mode, and provided beneficial exploration and consideration for further development of this mode for diabetes patients between TCM hospitals and community medical institutions.

Objective To explore the clinical significance of urinary leukotriene E4(LTE4) in children with respiratory syncytial virus(RSV) bronchiolitis.Methods Forty infants with bronchiolitis were enrolled for the identification of RSV-Ag from the nasopharyngeal secretions.Forty cases who were found to be positive of RSV were put into RSV bronchiolitis group.According to the severity of illness,the infants in RSV bronchiolitis group were separated into 2 subgroups:mild illness group (24 cases) and moderate illness group (16 cases).Thirty healthy children were chosen as healthy control group.Urine of the patients in RSV bronchiolitis group was collected in acute phase (on the 1st day) and recovery phase (on the 7th day after the admission).Urine of children in control group was collected .Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to assay the level of urinary LTE4.Results The levels of LTE4 in healthy control group (M,Q) were 1.28 pmol?mmol-1,1.72 pmol?mmol-1,while the levels of LTE4 in acute phase in RSV bronchiolitis group (M,Q were 30.52 pmol?mmol-1,23.56 pmol?mmol-1,and the levels of LTE4 in recovery phase in RSV bronchiolitis group (M,Q) were 3.98 pmol?mmol-1,3.43 pmol?mmol-1.Urinary LTE4 levels in acute phase in RSV bronchiolitis group were significantly higher than those in healthy control group (P

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the function of tubomanometry (TMM) in forcasting the progonosis of acute otitis media with effusion (OME). METHOD: We used the technique of TMM to quantify the degree of eustachian tube (ET) dysfunction in 65 patients with OME. The opening of the ET and the transportation of gas into the middle ear were registered by a pressure sensor in the occluded outer ear after applying the stimulus of a controlled gas bolus into the nasopharynx during swallowing. Three excess pressure values were tested subsequently (30, 40, and 50 mbar). If tube opening was registered, the time of opening in relation to pressure applied was measured. The TMM calculated the opening latency index or index R. An R value of < 1 indicated early opening of the tube at the start of application of the stimulus, which was considered optimal. A value > 1 indicated late opening of the tube occurring after the initial stimulus and was interpreted as suboptimal. Inability to calculate the index R value indicated that the tube was unable to actively open at all. The TMM results, were weighted as follows: no R with 0 points, R > 1 with 1 point and R < 1 with 2 points for the measurements at 30, 40, and 50 mbar, respectively. The points of these three tests were added so the ET score (ETS) ranges from 0 (worst value) to 6 (best value). According to the medical history, the patients were divided into two groups, chronic OME group (defined as positive control group), 30 cases with 38 ears; and acute OME group, 35 cases with 46 ears. The healthy ears of all patients were defined as normal control group, 46 cases with 46 ears. The same regular treatments, including classic medical treatments and intratympanic dexamethasone injections, were used to acute OME group in the following 1-2 months. On the basis of therapeutic effect, acute OME group was subdivided into valid group (26 cases with 33 ears) and invalid group (9 cases with 13 ears). RESULT: The ETS of normal control group was 5.11 ± 1.32 while it was 1.08 ± 1.32 in positive control group. It was found marked differences between the two groups (P < 0.01). The ETS of both valid and invalid subgroup of actue OME group were significantly lower than normal control group (P < 0.01), but in valid subgroup it was significantly higher than positive control group (P < 0.01), and no marked difference was found between the invalid subgroup and positive control group. After treatments, a significant improvement of the ETS was found in both valid and invalid subgroup (P < 0.05) there was no marked difference between valid subgroup and normal control group. But in invalid subgroup it was still significantly lower than normal cohtrol group (P < 0. 01). CONCLUSION TMM could forecast the prognosis of acute OME. Patients with acute OME suffered from ET dysfunction of varied degrees. Those with high ETS could be cured by classic medical treatments and intratympanic dexamethasone injections. But those with poor ETS could not be cured in short period, tube insertion should be considered. If ETS could not be improved by ventilation tube placement, more active treatment, for example, balloon Eustachian tuboplasty (BET), should be used to prevent transforming into chronic OME.
Acute Disease ; Ear, Middle ; Eustachian Tube ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Injection, Intratympanic ; Manometry ; Middle Ear Ventilation ; Otitis Media with Effusion ; diagnosis ; Pressure ; Prognosis

Adolescent ; Endoscopy ; Ethmoid Sinus ; Frontal Sinus ; surgery ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoma ; surgery ; Otorhinolaryngologic Surgical Procedures ; methods ; Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms ; surgery

This study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of lidamycin (LDM) and its combination with methotrexate (MTX) on lung metastasis of fibrosarcoma by bioluminescence imaging in athymic mice. A stable luciferase transfected HT-1080 cell line was constructed and the capability to establish experimental lung metastasis in athymic mice was confirmed. The optical imaging system was applied to evaluate the formation of lung metastasis in vivo. In addition, metastatic nodules were counted for the evaluation of inhibition rates. As shown, the fluorescent intensity of luciferase-transfected HT-1080 cells was colinear with the cell population and the minimal detected cell population was 100 cells/well. Optical imaging showed that the fluorescent intensity of treated group was apparently lower than that of the control. The inhibition rates of lung metastasis by LDM alone at 0.025 mg x kg(-1) and 0.05 mg x kg(-1) were 53.9% and 75.9%, respectively, while that of MTX alone at 0.5 mg x kg(-1) was 70.2%. The combination of LDM at 0.025 mg x kg(-1) and MTX at 0.5 mg x kg(-1) showed an inhibition rate of 88.7%. The coefficient of drug interaction (CDI) was 0.82. The results herein demonstrated that LDM alone had strong anti-metastasis effect on human fibrosarcoma HT-1080 and the inhibition efficacy is strengthened when combined with MTX.

ObjectiveTo explore the application value of two-dimensional ultrasonic measurement of fetal left and right lung area, left and right pulmonary longitudinal diameter, left and right lung volume and total lung volume in evaluation of fetal lung development.MethodsIn 489 cases of normal singleton pregnancy, two-dimensional ultrasound scanning were conducted at 12-40 weeks. The left and right lung area was traced in the four chamber view using Trace method. The distances of left diaphragmatic dome to left lung apex and the right diaphragmatic dome to right lung apex were measured respectively on the left and right fetal lung parasagittal planes. Then calculation of left and right lung volume and total lung volume was carried out.ResultsSpearman correlation coefficient of gestational age and left and right lung area, left and right pulmonary longitudinal diameter, left lung volume and total lung volume were 0.929, 0.923, 0.923, 0.917, 0.946, 0.943, 0.951, and a positive correlation, with statistical significance (P<0.05). At 12-40 weeks, fetal left and right lung area, left and right pulmonary longitudinal diameter, left and right lung volume and total lung volume increased with gestational age and fetal growth. Pulmonary area increased faster before 26 weeks than that after 26 weeks. Pulmonary longitudinal diameter and lung volume grew at a constant rate throughout pregnancy, but the growth rate of pulmonary longitudinal diameter was slightly faster than that of lung volume. The fifth, twenty-fifth, fiftieth, seventy-fifth, ninety-fifth percentile of fetal left and right lung volume and total lung volume at 12-40 weeks were obtained. ConclusionsFetal left and right lung area, left and right pulmonary longitudinal diameter, left and right lung volume and total lung volume were positively correlated with gestational age between 12 and 40 week. The normal values of lung volume and total lung volume provide a reference index for prenatal diagnosis of fetal pulmonary hypoplasia. The fetal four chamber view and fetal left parasagittal section was easy to obtain, and may serve as a new conventional method in evaluating fetal lung developments.

The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory effect of Guizhi Fuling capsule and its active complex (consistent of 15 active compounds) on LPS-induced RAW264. 7 cells. The effect of Guizhi Fuling capsule and its active complex on cell viability in RAW264. 7 cells were determined by MTT assay. The inhibitory effect of Guizhi Fuling capsule and active complex on the releasing of IL-1β, TNF-α and PGE2 induced by LPS in RAW264. 7 cells was detected by ELISA assay. The expression of IL-1β and mPGES-1 in Guizhi Fuling capsule or active complex treated RAW264. 7 cells was examined by Western blot assay. Guizhi Fuling capsule and active complex showed no significant effect on the cell viability in RAW264. 7 cells at doses range from 12.5 to 400 mg x L(-1). Compared with LPS treated group, Guizhi Fuling capsule and active complex dose dependently reduced the releasing of IL-1β, TNF-α and PGE2 induced by LPS in RAW264. 7 cells. Moreover, the expression of IL-1β and mPGES-1 was decreased after Guizhi Fuling capsule and active complex treatment, which might contribute to the inhibitory effect of Guizhi Fuling capsule in the releasing of IL-1β, TNF-α and PGE2. This study provided the evidence that Guizhi Fuling capsule and active complex remarkably inhibited the releasing of IL-1β, TNF-α and PGE2induced by LPS in RAW264. 7 cells by reducing the expression IL-1β and mPGES-1. This study provided an experimental basis of Guizhi Fuling capsule for the treatment of inflammation and a theoretical basis for the development of effective compounds of Guizhi Fuling capsule.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Inflammation ; immunology ; Interleukin-1beta ; immunology ; Macrophages ; drug effects ; immunology ; Mice ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; immunology

Biological Warfare Agents ; China ; Disaster Planning ; Emergencies ; economics ; Laboratories ; economics ; Public Health Administration