A commonly used Chinese crude drug Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus has been shown to possess good anticancer activities and related properties such as antioxidation, nitrite scavenging, nitrosamine synthesis blocking and immune enhancement, and has been widely used as an effective auxiliary drug in the treatment of some malignant tumors. This paper systematically reviews the advances in the study of anticancer-related activities of Allii Macrostemonis Bulbus's various components such as raw juice, extracts, saponins, volatile oil, polysaccharides, nitrogen compounds, etc.
Allium ; chemistry ; Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic ; pharmacology ; Antioxidants ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Oils, Volatile ; pharmacology ; Plant Extracts ; pharmacology

This paper discusses the relationship between stimulating pulse width and the threshold of electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP). Firstly, the rheobase and chronaxy from strength-duration curve of nerve fiber was computed using the shepherd's experiment results. Secondly, based on the relationship between ECAP and the action potential of nerve fiber, a mathematical expression to describe the relationship between stimulating pulse width and ECAP threshold was proposed. Thirdly, the parameters were obtained and the feasibility was proved to the expression with the results of experiment using guinea pigs. Research result showed that with ECAP compared to the action potential of nerve fiber, their threshold function relationship with stimulating pulse width was similar, and rheobase from the former was an order smaller in the magnitude than the latter, but the chronaxy was close to each other. These findings may provide meaningful guidance to clinical ECAP measurement and studying speech processing strategies of cochlear implant.
Action Potentials ; Animals ; Auditory Threshold ; Cochlear Implantation ; Cochlear Implants ; Electricity ; Evoked Potentials ; Guinea Pigs ; Neural Conduction

Spinal biomechanics, especially the range of spine motion,has close connection with spinal surgery. The change of the range of motion (ROM) is an important indicator of diseases and injuries of spine, and the essential evaluating standards of effect of surgeries and therapies to spine. The analysis of ROM can be dated to the time of the invention of X-ray and even that before it. With the development of science and technology as well as the optimization of various types of calculation methods, diverse measuring methods have emerged, from imaging methods to non-imaging methods, from two-dimensional to three-dimensional, from measuring directly on the X-ray films to calculating automatically by computer. Analysis of ROM has made great progress, but there are some older methods cannot meet the needs of the times and disappear, some classical methods such as X-ray still have vitality. Combining different methods, three dimensions and more vivo spine research are the trend of analysis of ROM. And more and more researchers began to focus on vivo spine research. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of the methods utilized recently are presented through viewing recent literatures, providing reference and help for the movement analysis of spine.
Animals ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; instrumentation ; methods ; trends ; Radiography ; Spine ; diagnostic imaging

High-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was used to high performance separate and prepare lignans from Schisandrae chinensis fructus. The solvent system is composed of n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (9 : 1 : 5 : 5) and n-hexane-ethyl acetate-methanol-water (9 : 1 : 9 : 5), speed is at 900 r.min-1, and flow rate is at 2.0 mL.min-1. Five fractions from Schisandrae chinensis fructus extract were separated and prepared with one HSCCC process. They were identified as schisandrin, gomisin J, schisandrol B, schisantherin A and deoxyschizandrin by electrospray ionization-multiple tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MSn), respectively. Their contents were obtained in 98.74%, 94.32%, 99.53%, 94.23% and 98.68% by ultra high performance liquid chromatography (UPLC), separately. The rapid and simple method can be applied for the preparation of lignans from Schisandrae chinensis fructus.
Countercurrent Distribution ; Cyclooctanes ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Dioxoles ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Fruit ; chemistry ; Lignans ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Molecular Structure ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polycyclic Compounds ; chemistry ; isolation & purification ; Schisandra ; chemistry ; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry

A L9 (3(4)) orthogonal design table to be used to get nine combinations of extraction of three herbs of Wuji pill: Coptis chinensis, Tetradium ruticarpum and Paeonia lactiflora Pall., and nine extraction of single herbs correspondingly, altogether eighteen combinations. Quantification of five representative bioactive ingredients: berberine, palmatine, evodiamine, rutaecarpine, paeoniflorin in rat liver by ultra high liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after oral administration at 2 h time point of eighteen combinations. The result shows the bioactive ingredients have different concentrations betweem different combinations and the single herb with the same dosage significantly as well as the same dose combinations. C. chinensis with evodiamine concentration of low and high dose T. ruticarpum was positively correlated. T. ruticarpum with berberine concentration of low dose C. chinensis was negatively correlated and of meddle dose C. chinensis was correlated positively. T. ruticarpum with paeoniflorin concentration of middle dose P. lactiflora was correlated positively. P. lactiflora with palmatine concentration of middle dose C. chinensis was negatively correlated and with evodiamine and rutaecarpine concentration of middle dose T. ruticarpum was negatively correlated. These shows the three single herbs interactions resulted in the differences of each ingredients concentration in rat liver. The orthogonal analysis indicates the combination 12: 6: 6 make the maximum concentration in rat liver.
Administration, Oral ; Animals ; Biological Availability ; Biomedical Research ; methods ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; methods ; Drug Stability ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; administration & dosage ; pharmacokinetics ; Liver ; metabolism ; Male ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tandem Mass Spectrometry ; Temperature

OBJECTIVEDiagnosing neonatal asphyxia solely according to Apgar score may lead to misdiagnosis. The aim of this study was to explore new and more accurate diagnostic criteria for neonatal asphyxia.

METHODSTotally 10 376 live born neonates in our hospital were consecutively enrolled into the study. The following five items related to birth asphyxia, i.e., antepartum high-risk factors, Apgar scores, umbilical artery blood pH, organ injury, differential diagnosis on the causes of low Apgar score cases were examined and registered. The relationship among the first 4 items were analyzed. By differential diagnosis, the sensitivity and specificity of each index on diagnosing asphyxia and their complementary value on each other were investigated.

RESULTSThe items correlated well with each other (P < 0.01 or < 0.05) but were not entirely parallel and consistent; they could complement but could not substitute for each other. The sensitivity of antepartum high-risk factors, low Apgar scores, umbilical artery blood pH < 7.00 and organ injury was 100%, 100%, 44.44% and 100%, while the specificity was 17.99%, 98.90%, 96.05% and 96.62%, respectively. Of the 230 low Apgar score cases in this series only 50.9% coincided with asphyxia. For the 230 cases, when low Apgar score was combined with umbilical artery blood pH < 7.00, the sensitivity and specificity were 41% and 99.1% and when low Apgar score was combined with umbilical artery blood pH < 7.20, the sensitivity and specificity were 100% and 29.20%, respectively. After organ injury was added, the specificity was increased to 65.49%. When differential diagnosis was further added to exclude the other causes of low Apgar score cases, the misdiagnosis rate was minimized.

CONCLUSIONUp to now, no single accurate index for diagnosing neonatal asphyxia is available. In order to increase diagnostic bases and reduce misdiagnosis, the criteria of sole Apgar score should be replaced by multi-index diagnostic criteria. Based on the present study, a set of integrated diagnostic criteria for neonatal asphyxia is proposed: (1) prenatal high-risk factors, (2) low Apgar scores (respiratory depression must present), (3) umbilical artery blood pH < 7.00, if only pH < 7.20, the items (2) (4) (5) must be present, (4) hypoxic-ischemic organ injury (at least one organ dysfunction), (5) the other causes of low Apgar scores should be excluded. The last 4 indexes should all be met and the first one serves as reference. If multi-organ (three or more organs) dysfunction and (or) hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy are present, severe asphyxia can be diagnosed.

Apgar Score ; Asphyxia Neonatorum ; blood ; diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diagnostic Errors ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant, Newborn ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Objective To evaluate the self-treatment effectiveness on patients with ehwnic Keshan disease.Methods Twenty patients with chronic Keshan disease were selected from individuals with Keshan disease in Fuyu County,Heilongjiang Province.They were trained three times every three months of self management including pathogenetic condition education,general guidance,drug therapy,and they also taught how to adiust the doBe of drug according to their illness.Major symptom score,heart rate(HR),ultrasoundcardiogram (UCG)index and cardiac functional grading of these patients at basehne,after 3 months and 6 months of treatment were compared.Results The 20 patients rated their main symptoms score as(15.03 ±6.77)before self- treatrnent,and significantly decreased to(7.25±4.82)and(6.70±4.90)after 3 and 6 months treatment(P<0.01); the heart rate(HR) was (76.40±12.06) beats per minute(bpm)before self-treatment,and dramatically decreased to (69.95±12.63),(67.15±9.76)bpm after 3 and 6 months treatment(P<0.01).As for UCG detecting index,left atrial diameter(Lad)aIld left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVEDd)Was(37.85 ±5.23)nun and(52.49± 9.38)mm separately before self-treatment,and notablely decreased to(36.77 ±5.63),(52.15 ±9.24)mm,and (35.29±5.50),(50.81±8.88)mm respectirely after 3 and 6 months of treatment(P<0.01 or<0.05);left ventricuIar ejection fractiOII(LVEF)markedly increased(P<0.05),from(55.15±15.80)%at baseline to(57.35± 12.51)%at 3 months and(60.30±13.42)%at 6 months;there were no significant differences in mitral flow E/A ratio changes before and after treatment(P>0.05);compared with prior to the treatment.cardiac function grading was significantly better aftertreatmentfor 3 months(T=36.0,P<0.05),but not after 6 months(T=17.5,P> 0.05).Conclusions The patients'serf-treatment is effective,which we recommend to uphold and widespread.

BACKGROUNDAs with many studies carried out in European countries, a quality assurance program has been established by the National Center for Clinical Laboratories in China (NCCL). The results showed that the external quality assessment significantly improves laboratory performance for quantitative evaluation of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA.

METHODSSerum panels were delivered twice annually to the clinical laboratories which performed HCV RNA detection in China. Each panel made up of 5 coded samples. All laboratories were requested to carry out the detection within the required time period and report on testing results which contained qualitative and/or quantitative test findings, reagents used and relevant information about apparatus. All the positive samples were calibrated against the first International Standard for HCV RNA in a collaborative study and the range of comparison target value (TG) designated as +/- 0.5 log.

RESULTSThe numbers of laboratories reporting on qualitative testing results for the first and second time external quality assessment were 168 and 167 in the year of 2003 and increased to 209 and 233 in 2007; the numbers of laboratories reporting on quantitative testing results were 134 and 147 in 2003 and rose to 340 and 339 in 2007. Deviation between the mean value for quantitative results at home in 2003 and the target value was above 0.5 log, which was comparatively high. By 2007, the target value was close to the national average except for the low concentrated specimens (10(3) IU/ml). The percentage of results within the range of GM +/- 0.5 log(10) varied from 8.2% to 93.5%. Some laboratories had some difficulties in the exact quantification of the lowest (3.00 log IU/ml) as well as of the highest viral levels (6.37 log IU/ml) values, very near to the limits of the dynamic range of the assays.

CONCLUSIONSThe comparison of these results with the previous study confirms that a regular participation in external quality assessment (EQA) assures the achievement of a high proficiency level in the diagnosis of HCV infection. During the 5-year external quality assessment, sensitivity and accuracy of detection in most of the clinical laboratories have been evidently improved and the quality of kits has also been substantially improved.

Hepacivirus ; genetics ; Humans ; Laboratories ; standards ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Quality Control ; RNA, Viral ; analysis ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic

OBJECTIVETo study the methods of surgery for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with tumor thrombi in portal vein (TTPV).

METHODSTo Analyze and summarize the clinical information from 138 HCC patients with tumor thrombi in portal vein collected during January 1990 and January 2003.

RESULTSThirty-seven patients receiving palliative therapy died from 1 to 8 months, and average survival time is 3.9 months. 101 patients had operation treatment, 23 of them underwent hepatoma resection, and average survival time was 10.9 months; 78 patients underwent hepatoma resection and removal of tumor thrombi, and average survival time was 26.8 months. 52 of whom underwent hepatic artery and portal vein chemoembolization, the 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates was 96.2%, 51.9%, 11.5%, the 1-, 3-, 5-year survival rates of the 26 patients who didn't undergo chemoembolization were 76.9%, 23.1%, 0%.

CONCLUSIONSOperation treatment can comparatively extend the survival time of hepatocellular carcinoma with tumor thrombi in portal vein patients, and the best choice is hepatoma resection and removal of tumor thrombi, hepatic artery and portal vein chemoembolization after operation can enhance the effect.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Hepatectomy ; methods ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; mortality ; pathology ; surgery ; therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Portal Vein ; pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

The aim of this study is to construct a SARS-CoV S protein-specific phage displayed antigen library for the epitope characterization of anti-S monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). First, the full-length gene of SARS-S protein was PCR amplified, purified and then digested with DNase I to obtain DNA fragments in the size range of 50-500 bp. The resulting fragments were blunt-end ligated to the modified phage display vector pComb3XSS. The reactions were electrotransformed into XL1-Blue and infected with VCSM13 helper phage. The SARS-CoV S protein-specific phage displayed antigen library was biopanned and screened against two anti-S mAbs, S-M1 and S-M2. The results showed that we successfully constructed the phage displayed antigen library with a size of 5.7 x 10(6). After three-rounds of biopanning, 14 positive phage clones for S-M1 and 15 for S-M2 were respectively identified. Sequence analyses revealed the possible epitopes of two mAbs. Therefore, the S protein-specific phage displayed antigen library provides a crucial platform for the epitope characterization of anti-S antibodies and it is highly valuable for development of SARS vaccines and diagnostics.
Antibodies, Viral ; immunology ; Bacteriophages ; genetics ; metabolism ; Epitopes ; genetics ; immunology ; Humans ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; genetics ; immunology ; Peptide Library ; SARS Virus ; genetics ; immunology ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; immunology ; virology ; Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus ; Viral Envelope Proteins ; genetics ; immunology