OBJECTIVETo compare the clinical efficacy on the motor impairment of knee joint after tracture operation between the combined therapeutic method of relaxing needling manipulation and exercise therapy and the simple exercise therapy.

METHODSSixty-four patients after the operation for the fracture of femoral shaft were randomized into a relaxing needling combined with exercise therapy group (group A) and an exercise therapy group (group B), 32 cases in each one. In the group A, the relaxing needling manipulation was applied to the local painful area of knee or the stiff soft tissues. Additionally, the exercise therapy was used in combination. In the group B, the exercise therapy was applied simply. Hospital for special surgery (HSS) pain score, the range of movement (ROM) of knee joint and Lysholm score were compared before and 60 days after treatment in the patients of the two groups. The efficacy was compared between the two groups.

RESULTSAfter treatment, HSS pain score, ROM and Lysholm score were all improved in the two groups, presenting the significant differences as compared with those before treatment (all P<0. 05). The results in the group A were better than those in the group B (all P<0. 05). The total effective rate was 96. 9% (31/32) in the group A, which was better than 75. 0% (24/32) in the group B (P<0. 05).

CONCLUSIONThe combined therapeutic method of relaxing needling manipulation and exercise therapy achieves the significant efficacy on the motor impairment of knee joint after the operation for the fracture of femoral shaft, superior to the simple exercise therapy.

Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Aged ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Exercise Therapy ; Female ; Fractures, Bone ; physiopathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; physiopathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Animals ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; chemistry ; Curcumin ; pharmacology ; Glycyrrhizic Acid ; pharmacology ; Lung ; drug effects ; metabolism ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Silicon Dioxide ; toxicity

Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; methods ; Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; therapy ; Program Evaluation

Objective To explore a feasible and effective method of purse-string suture and traction in proce- dures for prolapse and hemorrhoids(PPH)with circular stapler.Methods Width of resected mucosal band and ex- tent of residual hemorrhoid mucosal lifting were compared between two groups of patients with hemorrhoids receiv- ing PPH with“two-point retraction”method(group one,110 cases)and other retraction methods(group two,40 cas- es).Results For group one of 110 cases with“two-point retraetion”,resected mucosal band of all cases were intact and and average width ranged from 3.5 to 5cm.There was a completely residual hemorrhoid mucosal lifting(com- plete return of prolapsed hemorrhoid into the anal canal)in 100 cases of group one(91%).But in group two with other retraction methods,average width of resected mucosal bands ranged from 0.2 to 3.5cm and there was an in- complete band in 10 cases(25%).The rate of mucosal lifting in this group was only 62.5%(19/40).Conclusion Two-point retraction is a feasible,effective and simple method in PPH,resulting in an intact resected mucosal band and sufficient hemorrhoid mucosal lifting.So the two-point retraction PPH is worth to be extended for application.

To study the effect of sodium aescinate in inducing human breast cancer MCF-7 cells apoptosis and its possible mechanism. MTT assay was used to detect the inhibitory effect of sodium aescinate on the proliferation of MCF-7 cells. The morphological changes were observed under inverted microscope. DAPI nuclear staining was used to detect the changes in cell nucleus. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry was adopted to test the apoptosis rate. Changes in apoptosis-related proteins (PARP, cleaved caspase-8 and pro-caspase-3), cell survival-associated signal molecules (AKT and ERK) and their common upstream kinase SRC was detected by Western blotting. The result showed that after different concentrations of sodium aescinate were used to treat breast cancer MCF-7 cells, they inhibited the proliferation of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, induced cell apoptosis (typical morphological changes in nucleus, significant increase in cell apoptosis rate). The expressions of cleaved PARP and caspase-8 increased, while the expression of pro-caspase-3 decreased, which further verified sodium aescinate's effect in inducing cell apoptosis. Sodium aescinate significantly inhibited the phosphorylation of cell survival-related signal molecules (AKT, ERK) and down-regulate the activation of their common up-stream kinase SRC. The findings indicated that sodium aescinate can block signals transiting to downstream molecules AKT, ERK, inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cell MCF-7 cell apoptosis and induced cell apoptosis by suppressing the activation of SRC.
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Breast Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; enzymology ; genetics ; physiopathology ; Down-Regulation ; drug effects ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; MCF-7 Cells ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt ; genetics ; metabolism ; Saponins ; pharmacology ; Signal Transduction ; drug effects ; Triterpenes ; pharmacology ; src-Family Kinases ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of simvastatin on the proliferation and apoptosis of prostatic epithelial RWPE-1 cells.

METHODSRWPE-1 cells cultured in vitro were treated with simvastatin at 0, 10, 20, and 40 μmol/L for 24, 48, and 72 hours followed by determination of their proliferation by MTT assay, and their apoptosis by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2, Bax, and Cx43 were detected by fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively.

RESULTSAfter 72 hours of treatment with simvastatin at 10, 20, and 40 μmol/L, the inhibition rates of the RWPE-1 cells were (21.07 ± 6.41)%, (34.87 ± 9.65)%, and (47.18 ± 10.88)%, respectively, significantly higher than (1.21 ± 0.54)% in the control group (P < 0.05) and in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05); the cell apoptosis rates were (0.066 ± 0.016)%, (0.126 ± 0.023)%, and (0.192 ± 0.025)%, respectively, remarkably higher than (0.015 ± 0.005)% in the control (P < 0.05) and also in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05); the mRNA and protein expressions of Bcl-2 were decreasing while those of Bax and Cx43 increasing with the increased concentration of simvastatin (P < 0.05). The expression of Cx43 was correlated negatively with that of Bcl-2 but positively with that of Bax.

CONCLUSIONSimvastatin inhibits the proliferation of prostate epithelial cells and induce their apoptosis by acting on the gap junctional intercellular communication.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Connexin 43 ; metabolism ; Drug Administration Schedule ; Epithelial Cells ; drug effects ; physiology ; Humans ; Hypolipidemic Agents ; pharmacology ; Male ; Prostate ; cytology ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 ; metabolism ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Simvastatin ; pharmacology ; bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo determine whether oral statins can delay the progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS).

METHODSWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of 50-69-year-old males who came for physical examination in our hospital between January 2003 and December 2008. We designed the inclusion criteria, followed them up for 5 years, and investigated the relationship of oral statins with the clinical progression of BPH and LUTS.

RESULTSTotally, 653 men met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study, of whom 283 were treated with oral statins (group 1) while the other 370 with none (group 2). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age and baseline IPSS, Qmax, and prostate volume (PV) (P > 0.05). During the follow-up, 24 cases in group 1 and 35 cases in group 2 were excluded for obvious dys-uria. A gradual increase was observed in IPSS in both groups 1 and 2 year by year from the baseline to the 5th year of follow-up, but significantly lower in the former group (4.27 +/- 1.16, 4.63 +/- 1.05, 5.27 +/- 0.96, 6.41 +/- 1.04, 7.21 +/- 1.21, and 7.93 +/-1.50) than in the latter (4.24 +/- 1.35, 5.26 +/- 1.23, 6.84 +/- 1.20, 8.75 +/- 1.84, 10.82 +/- 3.01, and 12.98 +/- 4.21) (P < 0.01); a gradual decrease was seen in Qmax, though markedly higher in group 1 ([26.56 +/- 2.09], [24.06 +/- 1.94], [21.33 +/- 1.66], [19.24 +/- 1.54], [17.44 +/- 1.53], and [16.27 +/- 1.37] ml/s) than in group 2 ([26.74 +/- 2.40], [23.62 +/- 2.01], [20.63 +/- 1.69], [17.72 +/- 1.48], [14.82 +/- 1.11], and [11.86 +/- 1.24] ml/s) (P < 0.01); and a gradual increase was found in PV, but remarkably smaller in the former group ([19.82 +/- 4.94], [22.60 +/- 4.99], [25.80 +/- 5.20], [27.92 +/- 5.05], [29.11 +/- 5.24], and [29.97 +/- 5.26] ml) than in the latter ([20.21 +/- 4.78], [24.30 +/- 4.98], [28.50 +/- 5.14], [32.84 +/- 4.77], [36.99 +/- 4.78], and [40.90 +/- 4.78] ml) (P < 0.01). Longer medication of statins was associated with better efficacy.

CONCLUSIONOral statins can significantly delay the clinical progression of BPH and LUTS.

Aged ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; therapeutic use ; Longitudinal Studies ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies

AIM: To investigate the influence of He-Ne laser on connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) expression and collagen formation of fibroblast in filtration site after trabeculectomy in rabbit, and to discuss the mechanism for preventing scar formation with He-Ne laserin vivo.METHODS: The upper nasal limbus area next to the upper rectus muscle in right eyes Received 10 minutes He-Ne laser irradiation (200mW/cm2) every day for three days, the left eyes served as control. Twenty-four hours after the last irradiation, both eyes of the rabbits were took trabeculectomy surgery. The expressions of CTGF in the filtration area were tested on the 7th, 14th and 28th day after surgery and collagen density was tested on the 14th and 28th day after surgery. Each of the time point had 7 rabbits. RESULTS: The expression of CTGF was lower than that of the control group's on the 7th and 14th day after trabeculectomy surgery (P=0.01, P=0.005). When examined on the 14th and 28th day, the collagen density of irradiation group were significantly lower than that of the control group's (P=0.013, P=0.01).CONCLUSION: Pretreating the filtration area with 200mW/cm2 He-Ne laser may be helpful in preventing scar formation after trabeculectomy in rabbit, possibly due to downregulation of the expression of CTGF and collagen synthesis in fibroblasts. He-Ne laser may be developed into a new scar preventing method in filtration surgery.

Objective To observe changes of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone (T) in umbilical vein blood between male and female neonates, and assess the effect of serum LH, FSH and T on fetal growth.Methods Umbilical vein blood was obtained from 130 neonates (64 females and 66 males) in the second hospital of changshu city. According to birth weight, 130 neonates were divided into 3 groups: macrosomia (n=28), intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) (n=31) and normal neonates (n=71). The serum levels of LH, FSH and T were measured by radioimmunoassay.Results 1.The levels of LH, FSH and T in umbilical vein blood were significantly higher in male neonates than those in females (P

Objective To compare endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) with endovenous microwave coagulation (EMC) in the treatment of varicose vein in the lower extremities. Methods Sixty-five (male 30, female 35) patients with 70 lower extremities (35 legs in each treatment group) were pair matched according to age, gender and CEAP classification to receive endovenous laser therapy (EVLT) or endovenous microwave coagulation (EMC). The same surgeon performed all procedures. Patients were monitored on 72 hours, 4 weeks and 6 months after the procedure (by procedural site scored for bruising, skin burn, painful induration or trabes as well as a pain score), the cured extremities were examined via Duplex uhrasonography to evaluate the effects of the procedure. Results All these 65 patients (mean age, 47.52 years) completed treatment and were followed-up. The mean operation time of EMC group was less than that of EVLT (71±25 vs. 59±15, P=0.01). At 72 hour after the procedure, bruising scores and skin buring were significantly different (P<0.05): patients in the EMC group showed less bruising (17.14% vs. 54.29%) but more burn (48.57% vs. 20%) on the procedure site than the patients in the EVLT group. At 4 weeks and 6 months after the procedure, no significant differences were found between patient outcomes, physical conditions, and symptoms and or possible adverse events. In 20/28 patients the pigmentation faded away, Edema were relieved in all the 25 extremities. 4 patients with ankle ulcer were healed. No major complications were found. Conclusions Both EMC and EVLT were effective in treating lower extremities varicose veins, with no major complications.