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

On-site field investigation was conducted to authenticate a batch of ancient Chinese medicinal decoction pieces that have been preserved in a rare collection at the Natural History Museum in London. These treasured artifacts comprise a portion of the Sloane Collection, and the nearly one hundred Chinese medicinal specimens examined within provide an objective record of the real situation regarding the Chinese medicinal materials in commercial circulation three hundred years ago. The precious data from this collection pro-vides an extremely valuable reference for the research into the history of medicinal exchange between China and the West during the Age of Exploration, shedding light on the evolution and historical changes in the species used in Chinese medicine, as well as the history of medicinal processing and decoction pieces.
Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; History, Ancient ; London ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; history ; Museums

Objective To investigate the influence of thiamine deficiency(TD)at early pre- pathological lesion stage on cognitive function and the correlation between cognitive dysfunction and hippocampal neurogenesis.Methods TD mouse model was prepared by feeding a thiamine-depleted diet. Learning and memory functions of TD mice were tested with Y-maze.Hippoeampal neurogenesis was studied with bromodeoxyuridine(BrdU),proliferative cell nuclear antigen(PCNA),and Doublecortin(Dcx) immunohistochemical staining on the 7th(TD7),9th,14th and TD25th day.Results TD9 mice without pathological impairment and cholinergic nerve degeneration needed more times of training(22.3?2.2)in the learning test of Y maze compared with the controls(13.5?3.5).Correspondingly,the numbers of BrdU-positive ceils and the immunoreactivity of Dcx decreased significantly in the TD9 mice(19.8?0.4, 1537.2?50.2 vs 23.9?0.3,2688.9?127.9 pixels/mm~2).Thiamine re-administration reversed the declined hippocampal neurogenesis:the number of BrdU-positive cells was 23.6?1.9 and Dcx immunoreactivity was 2052.3?269.6 pixels/mm~2:the impaired learning ability was simultaneously restored,with the number of total training trial being 16.8?0.5.Conclusion The decreased hippocampal neurogenesis contributes to retarded learning ability at early pre-pathological lesion stage of TD.

OBJECTIVETo observe the protective effect of Panax Ginseng (PG), Aconitum Carmichaeli (AC), and their combination (PG-AC) on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

METHODSRat's ischemia reperfusion injury model was established by ligating left anterior descending coronary artery for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 240 min. Forty male rats were randomly divided into five groups, the sham operation group, the model group, the three treated groups. The three treated groups were treated with PG, AC and PG-AC respectively by given the drugs 10 min before ischemia reperfusion, and to the sham operation group and the model group, saline was given instead. The infarction area, pathologic changes of myocardial tissue (under light and electron microscopy), activity of creatine phosphokinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in serum, content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in myocardial tissue were observed to evaluate the protective effect of treatment.

RESULTSThe area of acute myocardial infarction was lesser, activity of LDH and CK were lower in the three treated groups than those in the model group. Content of SOD was significantly higher and that of MDA was markedly lower in the former three than those in the model group. Light and electron microscopic examination showed that the necrotic degeneration and pathologic changes of myocardiocytes in the treated groups were significantly milder than that of the model group. As comparing the effect between the three treated groups, PG-AC showed the best, and insignificant difference was shown between PG and AC.

CONCLUSIONBoth PG and AC, and their combination have obviously protective effects on myocardium against ischemia reperfusion injury, which of PG-AC is superior to that of PG or AC used singly.

Aconitum ; Animals ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; Free Radical Scavengers ; pharmacology ; Male ; Myocardial Reperfusion Injury ; pathology ; Panax ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVETo observe the effects of Shuxuening Injection (SI) on the levels of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP-1) in acute exacerbated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

METHODSSeventy-nine patients with acute exacerbated COPD were randomly assigned to the treatment group (39 cases) and the control group (40 cases). Routine therapies for COPD were given to patients in the control group, while 15 mL SI was given to those in the treatment group by intravenous dripping, twice daily for total 14 days. The forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were detected by Spirometer. The FEV1/FVC (%) and the FEV1% were calculated. The levels of serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were detected using ELISA before and after treatment, and compared with 20 healthy subjects as the control.

RESULTSThe FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC (%), and FEV1% were significantly improved after treatment in the treatment group when compared with before treatment and with the control group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). When compared with before treatment and with the control group, the levels of serum MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the ratio of MMP-9/TIMP-1 decreased more significantly in the treatment group after treatment (P < 0.01). Correlation analyses showed that obvious negative correlation existed between the levels of serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and FEV1/FVC (%) (r = -0.677, -0.629, P < 0.01). Obvious negative correlation existed between the levels of serum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 and FEV1% (r = -0.562, -0.661, P < 0.01). Furthermore, obvious negative correlation also existed between the ratio of MMP-9/ TIMP-1 and FEV1%, as well as FEV1/FVC (%) (r = -0.732, -0.891, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONSSI could improve the pulmonary ventilation function of acute exacerbated COPD patients. One of its mechanisms might be correlated with lowering the serum levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1, and correcting the imbalance of MMP-9/TIMP-1.

Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 9 ; blood ; Middle Aged ; Phytotherapy ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; blood ; drug therapy ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-1 ; blood

The extracting technology of salidroside, tyrosol, crenulatin and gallic acid from Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma was optimized. With extraction rate of salidroside, tyrosol, crenulatin and gallic acid as indexes, orthogonal test was used to evaluate effect of 4 factors on extracting technology, including concentration of solvent, the dosage of solvent, duration of extraction, and frequency of extraction. The results showed that, the best extracting technology was to extract in 70% alcohol with 8 times the weight of herbal medicine for 2 times, with 3 hours once. High extraction rate of salidroside, tyrosol, crenulatin and gallic acid were obtained with the present technology. The extracting technology was stable and feasible with high extraction rate of four compounds from Rhodiolae Crenulatae Radix et Rhizoma, it was suitable for industrial production.
Chemical Fractionation ; methods ; Chemistry, Pharmaceutical ; methods ; Coumarins ; isolation & purification ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; isolation & purification ; Gallic Acid ; isolation & purification ; Glucosides ; isolation & purification ; Phenols ; isolation & purification ; Phenylethyl Alcohol ; analogs & derivatives ; isolation & purification ; Rhizome ; chemistry ; Rhodiola ; chemistry

OBJECTIVE: To investigate clinical application of head impulse test with video recording eye movements in the diagnosis of vertigo. METHOD: The video head impulse test(vHIT) was used to measure the eye saccades and velocity gain in 95 patients with vertigo which were divided into two groups, peripheral vertigo (47 cases) and central vertigo(48 cases); the characteristics of eye saccades and velocity gain of six semicircular canals in different patients with vertigo were analyzed, and were compared between the two groups. RESULT: The vHIT result in patients with peripheral vertigo: in 22 patients (23 affected ears) with Meniere's disease, 21 ears were abnormal (91. 3%); the vHIT results in 4 patients with vestibular schwannoma, 2 patients with vestibular neuritis, 5 patients with delayed endolymphatic hydrops, 6 patients with sudden hearing loss accompanied vertigo, and 8 patients with vestibular dysfunction, were abnormal with correct saccades and/or lower velocity gain of vHIT. The abnormal vHIT results were also found in 35 of 48 patients (72. 9%) with central vertigo, which including posterior cerebral circulation ischemia(7 patients), cerebral infarction/stroke(6 patients), and dizziness with vertigo(17 patients) and others(18 patients). Abnormal rate of vHIT in patients with peripheral vertigo was 95. 7% (45/47), which was significantly higher than that (72. 9%) in patients with central vertigo. CONCLUSION It is easy to perform the vHIT which without adverse reactions. We can record high-frequency characteristics of vestibular-ocular reflex among six semicircular canals through vHIT. The vHIT results which show the function of vestibular ocular reflex in different diseases with vertigo, can help discriminate peripheral vertigo from central vertigo, and it is a practical assessment method for vertigo.
Dizziness ; Endolymphatic Hydrops ; diagnosis ; Head Impulse Test ; Humans ; Meniere Disease ; diagnosis ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; diagnosis ; Reflex, Vestibulo-Ocular ; Saccades ; Semicircular Canals ; Vertigo ; diagnosis ; Vestibular Neuronitis ; diagnosis ; Video Recording

Objective: To investigate the changes of adhesion molecules in peripheral blood in patients with recurrent cerebral infarction. Methods: By cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the expression of integrin Mac-1 ?-sub-unit(CD18) ,intercellular adhesion molecule-3(CD50) intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (CD54) ,very late antigen-4 ?-subunit and p-subunit(CD49d and CD29),CD44 and L-selectin(CD62L) in lymphocyte,the expression of platelet membrane glycopro-tein I b- I a complex a-subunit (CD41), P-selectin (CI)62p) ,the serum level of soluble P-selectin(sP-selectin) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) were measured in 33 recurrent cerebral infarction patients and 44 patients with previous ever-single cerebral infarction history. Results: Compared with previous ever-single cerebral infarction history patients, the positive percentage of CD18,CD50,CD54 ,CD49d,CD29,CD44 and CD62L in lymphocytes ,CD41 on platelet did not significantly change,while the positive percentage of CD62p on platelet and the level sP-selectin,sICAM-1 were significantly higher (P

Objective To evaluate the BacT/ALERT 3D liquid rapid culture system for the rapid detection of mycobacterium tuberculosis(MTB)and early diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis.Methods BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture mediums and lowenstein-jensen(L-J)solid culture mediums were applied to detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis sputum specimens respectively.Analysis of detection results and detection time were also performed.Results Average positive days of BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture medium was(13 ±2.05)days,which was shorter than that of L-J solid culture mediums(34.7 ±4.76 )d (P<0.05 ).Compared to the L -J solid culture mediums,BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture medium had higher positive rate for 59 patients whose sputum smear test was positive,and the positive rate were 71.18%(42/59)and 67.80%(40/59)respectively(P<0.05).BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture medium had higher positive rate than L-J solid culture mediums for 106 patients whose sputum smear test was negative,and the positive rate were 39.62%(42/106)and 26.42%(28/106)respectively(P<0.05).Conclusion Compared to the traditional L-J solid culture system,BacT/ALERT 3D liquid culture system can shorten detection time and improve the positive detection rate of MTB in specimens with low concentration.