Objective:To observe the clinical effects of acupuncture plus external medicine application for cervical radiculopathy.Methods:A total of 98 patients with cervical radiculopathy were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group based on the random digital table.The observation group (50 cases) was treated by acupuncture plus external medicine application and the control group (48 cases) was treated by acupuncture alone.The patients received the treatment every day.Ten sessions made a course.Cervical spondylosis symptom scale was used to assess the cases before and after the treatment.The clinical efficacy was compared between the two groups after the treatment.Results:The total effective rate was 98.1％ in the observation group versus 87.6％ in the control group with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.05).The cure rate was 52.0％ in the observation group versus 18.8％ in the control group with a significant difference between the two groups (P＜0.05).There was no significant difference in the score of cervical spondylosis symptom scale between the two groups before the treatment (P＞0.05).It increased with a significant difference in both groups after the treatment (both P＜0.05),while a significant difference was found in the results between the two groups after the treatment (P＜0.05).Conclusion:Acupuncture plus external medicine application is more effective than acupuncture alone for treating cervical radiculopathy.The method also effectively improves the clinical symptoms.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Sodium Pertechnetate Tc 99m

Achromobacter denitrificans ; Adult ; Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections ; complications ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; etiology ; Liver Abscess ; microbiology ; Male

Fractional Flow Reserve, Myocardial ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; methods

OBJECTIVETo study the correlation between noise and blood pressure and/or hypertension, and its age characteristic.

METHODSThe pure tone audiometric and blood pressure examinations were performed in 14537 workers from 157 factories. Hearing impairment was used as a surrogate indicator of cumulated noise exposure. The associations of hearing impairment and duration of noise exposure with blood pressure and hypertension were analyzed respectively after age and gender stratification.

RESULTSMost of the objects were males (81.2%), younger than 35 years old (77.8%), and the duration of exposure to noise was less than 5 years (73.6%). The prevalence of hearing impairment in males was significantly higher than that in males, and increased with age and duration of noise exposure. Only in males with age younger than 35 years old, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures of subjects with sensorineural hearing loss significantly enhanced, and the diastolic blood pressure and prevalence of hypertension increased with duration of noise exposure. The risk of hypertension in males with sensorineural hearing loss significantly increased, the odds ratios in subjects with age younger than 35 years old and with age older than 35 years old were 3.0 (95%CI: 1.5 ∼ 6.1) and 2.1 (95%CI: 1.2 ∼ 3.4), respectively.

CONCLUSIONThe severe hearing impairment induced by noise was associated with hypertension. It is suggested that people should pay attention to the effects of noise on hypertension in young workers.

Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Female ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; epidemiology ; Male ; Noise, Occupational

OBJECTIVETo investigate the role and significance of Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway regulating GSK-3beta, STAT3, Smad3 and TERT in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSThe HCC cell line HepG2 was transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) directed against beta-catenin. Proteins were extracted and the expressions of beta-catenin, GSK-3beta, p-GSK-3beta, STAT3, Smad3 and TERT were detected by Western blot at 72 h and 96 h respectively after transfection.

RESULTSbeta-catenin expression was inhibited at both time points and the expression at 96 h was higher than that at 72 h (t = 4.43, P < 0.05). Interestingly, GSK-3beta and p-GSK-3beta expressions increased gradually at 72 and 96 h (tGSK-3beta= 4.98, tp-GSK-3beta= 29.83, P < 0.05) respectively, and STAT3 expression showed no alteration after transfection (F = 0.49, P > 0.05). Smad3 expression was increased at 72 h (t = 10.67, P < 0.05) and decreased to normal at 96 h (t = 1.26, P < 0.05), while TERT expression decreased at 72 h (t = 4.18, P is less than 0.05) and increased to normal at 96 h (t = 1.26, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSWnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway is related to the expressions of GSK-3beta, Smad3 and TERT, but perhaps not related to STAT3 protein expression in HCC. It suggested that Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway might participate in HCC genesis and development through regulating the above three factors.

Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Signal Transduction ; Wnt Proteins ; metabolism ; beta Catenin ; metabolism

China ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B ; blood ; virology ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; blood ; Hepatitis B virus ; classification ; genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Serotyping

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of early intervention by pravastatin with two different dosage on inflammatory factors and endothelial vasodilator function in patients with unstable angina (UA).

METHODS108 patients with UA were investigated consecutively and divided randomly into three groups (group 20 mg, n = 37; group 10 mg, n = 37; group control, n = 34). Blood samples were examined at admission and 4, 8 weeks after the therapy of pravastatin. Fourty patients of UA were chosen from those three groups (15, 15 and 10 cases respectively). The endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the function of vascular endothelium of them were measured. In the dosage of 20 mg pravastatin group non-endothelium-dependent vasodilation in brachial artery was also tested by ultrasound before and 8 weeks after the therapy. Cardiac events were followed up for 2 months.

RESULTS(1) The use of pravastatin in early admission period of UA could significantly reduce inflammatory factors and improve vascular endothelium function, which was more obviously in the group of 20 mg/d than in group of 10 mg/d. These benefits occurred in 4th week and more obviously in 8th week after the therapy. (2) The lipid lowering therapy in the early stage of admission (24 - 48 h) resulted in the reduction of cardiac events in the hospital.

CONCLUSIONThe use of pravastatin 20 mg/d seems better than that of 10 mg/d in all the fields as above in early admission period of UA patients.

Adult ; Aged ; Angina, Unstable ; drug therapy ; Anticholesteremic Agents ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pravastatin ; administration & dosage ; therapeutic use ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo analyze the situation of occupational health surveillance and the characteristics of occupational diseases in Guangzhou.

METHODSThe situation of occupational health surveillance and the morbidity of occupational diseases were studied retrospectively by use of the physical examination data collected from the labour hygienic reports of the city from 1993 to 2002. The data were divided into two groups: the first group from 1993 to 1997, and the second from 1998 to 2002.

RESULTSAnnual average of occupational health examination in the past 10 years was over 75%. The data in the second group (1998 - 2002) showed that the number of hearing loss observed subjects, noise surveilled personnels, dust and chemicals contraindicated personnels were significantly higher than those in the 1st group (P < 0.01). The morbidity of chronic occupational disease newly occurred was 91 cases in lst group, and 181 cases in 2nd group (P < 0.05), in which the incidence of chemical poisoning and noise induced hearing loss increased significantly but that of pneumoconiosis between two groups was not significantly different (P > 0.05). In the past 10 years, 581 cases of occupational diseases were diagnosed, of which, 309 cases (53.18%) were acute poisonings, while 272 cases (46.82%) were chronic occupational diseases. Pneumoconiosis, lead and benzene poisoning were common in chronic occupational diseases (16.70%, 16.87% respectively). With the passage of time, the incidence ages of pneumoconiosis, chemical poisoning and total occupational diseases tended towards younger. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.01)

CONCLUSIONA normal system for occupational health surveillance has been developed in Guangzhou. Detectable rates in focused surveillance and contraindication have been obviously increasing. The incidence of occupational disease (mainly including acute occupational poisoning, pneumoconiosis, lead and benzene poisonings) is also going up. The incidence age of chronic occupational diseases tends to be younger accompanied with a shorter work history.

China ; epidemiology ; Humans ; Incidence ; Occupational Diseases ; epidemiology ; Occupational Health ; Retrospective Studies

The aim of this study was to establish an efficient method for expansion in vitro of natural killer (NK) cells highly purified from human peripheral blood. The CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells purified by the negative sorting method of MACS (magnetic microbeads activated cells sorting) were expanded with the different combinations of IL-2, SCF, IL-15 in SCGM (stem cell growth medium) supplemented with 10% human AB serum for 18 days. Cultures were fed with fresh medium and cytokines every 3 days. The sum of cells was counted for evaluating the efficiency of expansion. Then the purity of the CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells were determined by flow cytometry and the cytotoxicity to K562 targets was detected by CCK-8 assay in the end. Furthermore, the same way was used to explore the relationship between the efficiency of expansion, cytotoxicity to K562 targets of NK cells and the dose of IL-2. The results showed that after peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) were purified by the negative sorting method of MACS, the purity of CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells increased from (12.70±2.66)% to (93.03±1.72)%. The CD3-CD56+CD16+ NK cells purified by MACS were expanded with the different combinations of IL-2, SCF, IL-15 in SCGM supplemented with 10% human AB serum for 18 days. The expanding multiple of IL-2/IL-15/SCF group was significantly higher than other groups (p<0.05). The purity of NK cells in the groups with cytokines was not significantly lower than that before expansion (p>0.05). The cytotoxicity of the groups with cytokines was significantly higher than that before expansion. Especially, the cytotoxicity (%) of NK cells in IL-2/IL-15 group and IL-2/IL-15/SCF group was more than 90%. The expanding multiples of low-dose group, medium-dose group and high-dose group were significantly higher than that of zero-dose group (p<0.05), but no significant difference was found between themselves (p>0.05). The cytotoxicity of the groups with IL-2 was significantly higher than that before expansion. Cytotoxicity to K562 cells in high-dose group was significantly higher than that in others (p<0.05); there was no significant difference between low-dose group and medium-dose group (p>0.05). It is concluded that cytokines in the 4 groups were efficient for expansion and the cytotoxicity of highly purified NK cells in vitro. IL-2/SCF/IL-15 combination is the most efficient one among different combinations, and enhanced significantly the cytotoxicity of NK cells against K562 targets. The efficiency of expansion and the cytotoxicity in vitro of NK cells are not related with the dose of IL-2, when IL-2<1,000 U/ml. It is indicated that IL-2 of high-dose (≥1,000 U/ml) may enhance the cytotoxicity of NK cells in vitro more efficiently.
CD3 Complex ; immunology ; CD56 Antigen ; immunology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; methods ; Cell Separation ; methods ; Cells, Cultured ; Humans ; Immunophenotyping ; Interleukin-2 ; pharmacology ; K562 Cells ; Killer Cells, Natural ; cytology ; immunology ; Receptors, IgG ; immunology