Objective To evaluate the impairment of ulnar nerve and its relationship with sensory symptoms in the ulnar territory in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) through electrophysiological approach.Methods We retrospectively reviewed 55 cases with CTS admitted in our hospital from January 2012 to February 2013.Patients with CTS were graded as mild-moderate (35 cases) and severe (20 cases) according to Stevens standard and were divided into symptomatic and non-symptomatic group according to the presence of sensory symptom in little finger region.Twenty healthy volunteers were included as control.Median and ulnar nerves electrophysiological study were performed using the Keypoint.net (Medoc Ltd) electromyogram device.Results Finger 5-wrist sensory conduction velocities (SCVs) of ulnar nerve were reduced ((51.71 ± 2.93) m/s vs (58.62 ± 3.21) m/s,t =8.80,P ＜ 0.01) in CTS group,compared with control group.But the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitudes had no difference.Pearson correlation analysis showed that finger 5-wrist SCVs and the SNAP amplitudes of ulnar nerve were negatively correlated with the distal motor latency of the median nerve,while positively correlated with the compound muscle action potential amplitudes,finger 1-wrist,finger 3-wrist SCVs and SNAP amplitudes of median nerve,in mild-moderate group,finger 5-wrist SCVs of ulnar nerve were slowed and the SNAP amplitudes were reduced ((51.59 ±2.70) m/s vs (53.72 ±2.58) m/s; (13.51 ± 1.84) μV vs (15.21 ±2.16) μV,t =2.24,2.30,P ＜ 0.05 respectively) in the symptomatic group,compared with the non-symptomatic group.However,in severe group,only 2 cases had sensory symptom in little finger region.Conclusions CTS patients may have impairments due to ulnar nerve entrapments at wrist,which aggravate with disease progression.Sensory symptoms in ulnar territory are more frequent during the mild-moderate stage,and may relate with ulnar nerve involvement.

Acute Disease ; Adult ; Female ; Herbicides ; poisoning ; Humans ; Inflammation ; therapy ; Male ; Paraquat ; poisoning ; Poisoning ; therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Young Adult

Objective To study the relationship between activity and virulence of secretory acid proteinase and extracellular phosphlipase of different Candida albicans isolated from various specimens.Methods 190 strains of Candida albicans were isolated from various specimens(sputum,blood,thrush,wound,secretion of vaginitis) of patients with Candida albicans infection in hospital.Milk-plate medium and egg-yolk medium were used respectively to test the activities of secretory acid proteinase and extracellular phosphlipase of Candida albicans.The suspension of two forms of Candida albicans(5?106CFU?mL-1) were injected to vein of tail in mice respectively in virulence test.The mortality and mean survival time of mice were observed in 1 month.The virulence was appreciated with the mean survival time of mice.Results All of 190 strains,the positive detectable rates of secretory acid proteinase and extracellular phosphlipase were 83.68% and 85.26%,respectively.Animal experimental results showed the activities of secretory acid proteinase and extracellular phospolipase in hyphal forms were significantly higher than that in spore form(P

Objective To investigate the surgery method for early spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve entrapment,to observe the postoperative efficacy in treatment,to evaluate the surgical outcomes,and to provide a foundation for clinical choice of reasonable operation scheme.Methods 21 cases of early spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve entrapment received operation. 1 3 cases (1 8 arms) were treated by neurolysis, and 8 cases (8 arms )were treated by nerve grafts with small vessels wrapping operation;all the patients were followed up for 10 to 20 months;the finger extensor muscle strength and metacarpophalangeal joint activity were evaluated. Results The lesion extensor muscles were part of the denervation changes.Neurolysis muscle strength:14 arms were excellent(82.35%),2 arms were good,1 arm was fair,1 case was lost;extensor function:15 arms were excellent(88.24%),1 arm was good,1 arm was fair,1 case was lost.Nerve graft muscle strength:6 arms were excellent(75.00%),1 arm was good,1 arm was fair;extensor function:7 arms were excellent(87.50%),0 arm was good,1 arm was fair.Conclusion Neurolysis can have a good efficacy in treatment of early spontaneous posterior interosseous nerve entrapment without obvious degeneration.When the severe degeneration of entrapment nerve happens,a nerve graft surgical treatment is needed.

Objective To investigate the therapeutic effects of curcumin(Cur)on trinitrobenzene sulphonic acid(TNBS)induced colitis and to investigate cytokines change in colon mucosa,spleen and sera.Methods Colitis was induced in SD rats by intrarectal injection of TNBS(100 mg/kg).Experi- mental animals were divided into negative control group,TNBS group and Cur therapeutic group(Cur, 30 mg?kg~(-1)?d~(-1),intraperitoneal injection).Expression of cytokines mRNA in colon mucosa was observed by RT-PCR,intracellular cytokines of interferon(IFN)-?and interleukin(IL)-4 in splenocytes were detected by flow cytometry(FCM),concentrations of IFN-?and IL-4 in sera were determined by enzyme-link immunosorbent analysis(ELISA).Results After treatment with Cur,macroscopic scores (3.9?1.0 vs.2.2?0.7),myeloperoxidase(MPO)activity(15.0?2.6 vs.7.3?1.4),mRNA of IFN-?(1.02?0.07 vs.0.06?0.02,mRNAof IL-12(0.29?0.05 vs.0.11?0.01)and the ratio of IFN-?/IL-4(11.44?0.97 vs.0.38?0.10)in colon mucosa,proportion of IFN-?CD4~+(31.7?7.5 vs. 21.1?3.7)and the ratio of IFN-?/IL-4 CD4~+(19.9?5.1 vs.6.1?1.8)in splenocytes,concentra tions of IFN-?[(1528?159)pg/ml vs.(513?14)pg/ml] and the ratio of IFN-?/IL-4(19.5?4.1 vs. 4.2?0.6)in sera were all decreased(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Meanwhile,mRNA of IL-4(0.09?0.01 vs.0.15?0.04)and IL-10(0.28?0.08 vs.0.63?0.12)in colon mucosa,proportion of IL-4 CD4~+ (1.6?0.5 vs.3.4?1.1)in splenocytes and concentrations of IL-4 in sera[(81?15)pg/ml vs.(124?20) pg/ml] were all increased after the treatment of Cur(P＜0.05 or P＜0.01).Conclusions Cur showed ther- apeutic effects on TNBS-induced colitis,and the mechanism might be through regulating the balance of Th1/ Th2 in colon locally and systematically.

Objective To establish the method of contact heat evoked potential(CHEP)and to explore the value of this evoked potential in pain testing of patients with cerebral infarction.Methods A total of 100 healthy volunteers and 30 patients were examined.The healthy volunteers were divided into 3 groups according to the length of their arms:(Group A:56.0～65.0 cm ;Group B :65.5～74.0 cm ;Group C :74.5～83.0 cm).A recently de- veloped heat-foil technique with a rapid temperature rising rate at 70℃/s was used to elicit pain and contact heat e- voked potentials.Contact heat was delivered via one circular thermode(diameter 27 mm,area 573 mm~2)and set at two intensity levels(49.5℃and 54.5℃)to three body sites:the thenar eminence,the dorsum of hand and proximal volar forearm.The subjects were asked to rate the pain with numerical rating scale after each stimulus and CHEP was recorded from Cz and Pz.The association between stimulus intensities and pain rating was explored,the main compo- nents of the evuked potential were watched.CHEP,sensory conduction velocity(SCV)and somatosensory evoked potentials(SEP)were performed in patients with hemi-anesthesia caused by cerebral infarction.Results The pain intensity ratings were 3.2?0.3 and 4.4?0.5 at thenar eminence,5.0?0.7 and 6.3?0.8 at the dorsum of hand and 5.3?0.6 and 7.2?0.5 at the proximal volar forearm when the temperature of 49.5℃and 54.5℃was applied, respectively;Three components,Cz/N550,Cz/P750 and Pz/P1000,were identified in the evoked potentials.Cz/ N550 and Cz/P750 appeared when the dorsum of hand and proximal volar forearm were stimulated.In contrast,Pz/ P1000 could be identified when nociceptors of thenar eminence and proximal volar fbrearm were excited.In the pa- tients with cerebral infarction,CHEP disappeared or became abnormal on one side,while SCV and SEP were normal on that side.Conclusion It was suggested that CHEP could be elicited reliably in the controls.CHEP is helpful in the assessment of analgesia in patients with cerebral infarction.

Objective To evoke cerebral potentials by stimulating nociceptive fibers with contact heat evoked potentials stimulator (CHEPS)and estimate the nerve conduction velocities of peripheral nerve fibers mediating these responses.Methods Subjects were set in supine position.A heat-foil technology with a rapid rising speed at 70 ℃/s was used to elicit pain and contact heat evoked potentials(CHEP).Contact heat was delivered via one circular thermode (diameter 27 mm,area 573 mm~2).Thermal stimuli were sent at two intensity levels (49.5 ℃ and 54.5 ℃) to three body sites:thenar eminence,the dorsum of hand and proximal volar forarm.Contact heat evoked potentials were recorded from Cz and Pz.A systemic effect between stimulus intensities and pain rating were observed,the main components of this evoked potential were observed.Nerve conduction velocity was calculated from latency difference of CHEP and center to center distance of distal and proximal stimulus arrays.Results The pain intensity rating was 3.2?0.3 and 4.4?0.5 when thenar eminence was stimulated at the temperature of 49.5 ℃ and 54.5 ℃ respectively;the rating was 6.3?0.8 and 7.2?0.5 when the dorsum of hand and proximal volar forarm were stimulated at the temperature of 54.5 ℃ respectively.Three components,Cz/N550,Cz/P750 and Pz/P1000,were found in the evoked potentials.Nerve conduction velocities of the fibers were (12.9?7.5) and (1.7?0.4) m/s respectively,which were corresponding to those of A8 fiber and C fiber.Conclusions CHEPs can be elicited reliably and stably.Velocities of peripheral nerve fibers demonstrate that A8 fiber and C fiber mediate the response.

In this study, a composite cell model for evaluation of idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (IDILI) was established in vitro from the perspective of immune inflammation. And this model was used to evaluate the risk of IDILI for 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-cis-stilbene-2-O-β-glucoside (Cis-SG) and 2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxy-trans-stilbene-2-O-β-glucoside (Trans-SG). To determine the low, medium, and high dosage of Cis-SG and Trans-SG, CellTiter-Glo^® 3D Cell Viability Assay was used to detect the effects of Cis-SG and Trans-SG on cell viability of HepG2 cells in three dimensional (3D) culture, and MTT assay was used to detect the effects of Cis-SG and Trans-SG on cell viability of THP-1 derived macrophages. THP-1 derived macrophages were incubated by Cis-SG and Trans-SG directly or supernatants from HepG2 cells incubated with them. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect the levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) in the supernatants of the THP-1 derived macrophages. Western blot and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to determine the expression of apoptosis-associated speck-like protein (ASC), Nod-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3), cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1), and IL-1β in THP-1 derived macrophages. The results showed that there was no effect on the secretion of IL-1β in THP-1 derived macrophages incubated by Cis-SG and Trans-SG directly. However, the secretion of IL-1β, the protein and mRNA expression of ASC, NLRP3, caspase-1, and IL-1β significantly increased in THP-1 derived macrophages incubated by supernatants from HepG2 cells incubated with 1, 5, and 25 μmol·L^-1 Cis-SG or 25 μmol·L^-1 Trans-SG. In summary, the composite cell model for evaluation of IDILI established in vitro has been successfully applied in testing Cis-SG and Trans-SG. This composite cell model is helpful to evaluate and screen drugs with IDILI risk in vitro preliminarily, which provides methods for predicting and solving the idiosyncratic liver toxicity of drugs.

To establish a LC-MS/MS method for quantification of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-DCQA, ferulic acid and cinnamic acid in rats plasma and study its pharmacokinetics after administration of Mailuoning injection at a single dose to rats. Plasma samples were acidified with hydrochloric acid and extracted with ethyl acetate. The analytes were determined by LC-MS-MS using a ZOBAX SB C18 column with a mobile phase of methanol-water (containing 2 mmol x L(-1) ammonium acetic) (60:40)at a flow rate of 0.5 mL x min(-1) and detected using ESI with negative ionization mode. Ions monitored in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode were m/z 353.1/191.0 [M-H]- for chlorogenic acid, m/z 178.9/134.9 [M-H]- for caffeic acid, m/z 515.2/353.0 [M-H]-for 3,4-DCQA, m/z 193.0/133.9 [M-H]-for ferulic acid, m/z 146.9/102.9 [M-H]- for cinnamic acid and m/z 246.0/125.8 [M-H]- for tinidazole (IS). After administration of Mailuoning injection at a single dose to eight Sprague-Dawley rats, the concentrations of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-DCQA, ferulic acid and cinnamic acid in plasma were determined by LC-MS/MS method. The main pharmacokinetics parameters of measured data were caluculated by using DASver 1.0 software. The linear concentration ranges of the calibration curves for chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-DCQA and cinnamic acid were 2.006-1,027 microg x L(-1) (r = 0.999 6), 1.953-1,000 microg x L(-1) (r = 0.999 7), 28.51-1.459 x 10(4) microg x L(-1) (r = 0.998 9), 1.836-940.0, g x L(-1) (r = 0.997 7) and 4.780-2,447 microg x L(-1) (r = 0.998 6) respectively. The inner and inter-days relative standard deviations were both less than 5.0%, indicating legitimate precise and accuracy to the requirement of biological sample analysis. For chlorogenic acid, the pharmacokinetic parameter t1/2, AUC0-t, and CL were (49.78 +/- 12.81) min, (123.55 +/- 14.82) mg x min x L(-1) and (0.004 3 +/- 0.000 5) L x min(-1), respectively. For caffeic acid, the pharmacokinetic parameter t1/2, AUC0-t, and CL were (36.65 +/- 10.59) min, (91.67 +/- 11.77) mg x min L(-1) and (0.005 7 +/- 0.000 7) L x min(-1), respectively. For 3,4-DCQA, the pharmacokinetic parameter t1/2, AUC0-t, and CL were (50.08 +/- 13.78) min, (278.34 +/- 31.82) mg x min x L-1 and (0.001 6 +/- 0.000 2) L x min(-1), respectively. For ferulic acid, the pharmacokinetic parameter t1/2, AUC0-t, and CL were (51.39 +/- 15.52) min, (34.72 +/- 4.67) mg x min x L(-1) and (0.000 4 +/- 0.0001) L x min(-1), respectively. For cinnamic acid, the pharmacokinetic parameter t1/2, AUCo-t, and CL were (74.42 +/- 18.32) min, (34.63 +/- 4.82) mg x min x L(-1) and (0.007 7 +/- 0.001 1) L x min-', respectively. The assay method is proved to be sensitive, accurate and convenient. It can be applied to the pharmacokinetic study of chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, 3,4-DCQA, ferulic acid and cinnamic acid.
Animals ; Chromatography, Liquid ; methods ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Female ; Hydroxybenzoates ; blood ; pharmacokinetics ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; methods

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of active breathing control (ABC) in conformal radiotherapy (CRT) for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods From Feb 2005 to Mar 2008, 29 patients with inoperable NSCLC (stage Ⅱ-Ⅳ) were evaluated. For each patient, two series of CT scans were obtained with free breathing (FB) and ABC system during simulation, respectively. Then two confonnal radiotherapy (CRT) plans were finished based on the two sets of reconstructed images. The pattern of post-inspiratory breath-hold was triggered at 80% of the peak of inspiration curve. The margin of clinical target volume (CTV) to planning target volume (PTV) was 0. 6 cm for lesions of the superior lobe, and 1.0 cm for the lesions of middle and inferior lobes. Three to five coplanar fields were performed in conformal radiotherapy. The gross tumor volume (GTV), CTV, PTV, volume of the bilateral lungs (Volume_(lung)), V_(20) and mean lung dose (MLD) of two plans were evaluated by dose-volume histogram (DVH). The World Health Organization criteria and National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria 3.0 (NCI-CTC3.0) scale were used to assess the immediate response and acute side-effect, respectively. Results Significant differences of GTV, CTV, FIN, Volum_(lung), V_(20) and MDL were observed between the two plans (36. 35 cm~3 vs. 31.40 cm~3, t = 9. 70, P <0. 001 ;82. 33 cm~3 vs. 70. 83 cm~3, t = 8. 19, P < 0. 001 ; 230. 73 cm~3 vs. 197.59 cm~3 ,t=5.72,P <0. 001 ;21.66% vs. 18. 76% ,t = 11.16,P <0. 001 ;1329. 07 Gy vs. 1143. 14 Gy, t = 13. 24, P < 0. 001). With ABC, all patients completed their treatment successfully except one patient for financial problems. The median radiation dose to the GTV was 64 Gy (60 -64 Gy). The overall immediate response rate was 64% (18/28). According to the NCI-CTC 3.0, grade 1 and 2 acute radiation-related toxicities occurred in 68% (19/28) and 18% (5/28) of patients for esophagitis, 82% (23/28) and 7% (2/28) for pneumonitis, respectively. Grade 1, 2 and 3 bone marrow suppression occurred in 57% (16/28), 25% (7/28) and 14% (4/28) of patients, respectively. Grade 1 and 2 acute cardiac injuries occurred in 86% (24/28) and 14% (4/28) of patients. Conclusions During CRT for patients with NSCLC, the use of ABC can decrease the radiation dose and acute complications of normal tissues.