OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect of epimedium flavonoids Injection (EFI) on experimental acute myocardial infarction (AMI) rats.

METHODSRats were randomly divided into 6 groups, the acute myocardial infarction model was established by ligating left anterior descending branch of coronary artery (LAD). After operation, the rats in the sham-operation and model group were intravenous injected with 5% glucose injection, those in the positive medicine group were intravenous injected with nitroglycerin 0.3mg/kg, while rats in the low-, middle- and large-dose EFI group were intravenous injected with TFE in a dose of 10, 20, 40 mg/kg respectively. ECG was monitored before and after coronary artery ligation, and after treatment at different time points. At the same time, the millivolt of ST and ST-T segment were measured. The changes of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were determined, and the myocardial infarcted area was detected by MTT respectively 3 h after LAD. Results After intravenous injection of EFI in a dose of 10, 20, 40 mg/kg, the myocardial infarcted area of AMI rats could be decreased in different degree, the activity of serum CPK, LDH and the content of MDA decreased (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), while the activity of serum SOD increased significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). It could began to lower the elevated ST-T segment 5 min after medication and the action could last for 3 h (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONEFI has a protective effect against acute myocardial ischemia caused by LAD, and the effect is quickly initiated.

Animals ; Creatine Kinase ; blood ; Epimedium ; chemistry ; Female ; Flavonoids ; isolation & purification ; therapeutic use ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; blood ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; drug therapy ; Phytotherapy ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Superoxide Dismutase ; blood

Objective To characterize the audiological features in the infants with otitis media with effusion(OME)and to investigate the utility of variety of objective andiometry methods in diagnosis and intervention on OME.Methods Fifry six infants(40 males and 16 females)were investigated,who were referred to our clinic at the General Hospital of Chinese People's Liberation Army by the other hospitals from December 2004 to June 2007 when the infants were diagnosed or highly suspected of OME.The ages at the initial diagnosis ranged from 42 days to three years,with an average of five months.The infants,after receiving the conventional otolaryngological exams,were subjected to the tests of auditory brainstem response (ABR),otoacoustic emission(OAE),tympanometry(226 Hz and 1000 Hz)and behaviors audiometry.Results Among 56 affected infants.87 ears were diagnosed with OME,of which 31 infants were affected bilateral and 25 with monaural.For the 49 infants who received hearing screening at birth.36 infants were referred at the initial screening.For the 52 infants who received repeated screening.all subjects were referred.Six infants without receiving hearing screening came to clinic when their parents observed their kids'hearing impairment.Among the 52 cases(104 ears)who received tympanometry test,20 subjects (28 ears)showed B or C type tympanometry curve.Thirty-nine cases(78 ears)were given tympanometry test at 1000 Hz,of which 38 cases(55 ears)showed abnormal hearing.Among 56 infants(112 ears)with ABR test,49 subjects(74 ears)exhibited prolonged ABR type Ⅰ curve.All 56 infants(112 ears)received OAE test,of which 55 subjects(81 ears)were referred Four infants(8 ears)accepted the behavior test and all of them showed A-B Gap.Conclusions The combined tympanometry test at both 226 Hz and 1000 Hz,ABR latency or threshold test,infant's behavior test and OAE,used jointly,enable characterizing better OME in infants.thus helping early diagnosis of this hearing disorder.

To explore the effect of magnitude and duration on the performance of Cumulative Sum (CUSUM),with simulation method used on the subject after the insertion of 11 outbreak events into baseline data with Poisson distribution.Sensitivity fluctuated from 9.1％ to 100.0％ with specificities higher than 98.6％.Sensitivity was significantly correlated with magnitude,and increased along with the increase of magnitude.However,no significant correlation was observed between sensitivity and duration.A magnitude which was at least 2.6 times higher than that of the mean daily baseline could result in the sensitivity of 100.0％.Time-lag would be improved along with the increase of magnitude.Time between onset and detection of an outbreak was no longer than one day when magnitude was more than 1.8 of the mean daily baseline.In summary,the performance of CUSUM was influenced by magnitude,but not by duration.CUSUM had the advantage of good time-lag and high sensitivity when the outbreak magnitude was more than 2.4 time over the baseline data.

Animals ; Aorta ; pathology ; Apolipoproteins E ; deficiency ; Atherosclerosis ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Glycosides ; isolation & purification ; pharmacology ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism ; Mice ; Plants, Medicinal ; chemistry ; Polygonum ; chemistry ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo observe the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on serum content of neuronal specific enolase (NSE) and function recovery in patients with cerebral hemorrhage (CH) for exploring the therapeutic action of PNS in treating CH.

METHODSFifty CH patients with their course of disease not more than 5 days were randomly assigned to two groups, 27 in the PNS group and 23 in the control group, all were treated with conventional treatment, while PNS was given additionally to the PNS group. The serum levels of NSE before and after treatment were determined by electrochemiluminescence, and the recovery of patients, including their neuro-function deficit and daily living activity, was assessed according to scoring by the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Barthel Index (BI) respectively.

RESULTSBefore treatment, the difference between the two groups in serum NSE content and scores of NIHSS and BI was insignificant (P > 0.05). However, after 3 weeks of treatment, the level of NSE and score of NIHSS were significantly lower, while score of BI was significantly higher in the PNS group than those in the control group respectively (all P < 0.01). In the PNS group, the level of NSE showed a positive correlation with the score of NIHSS (r = 0.757, P < 0.05), and a negative correlation with the score of BI (r = - 0.803, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONPNS can effectively protect the neuron and promote functional rehabilitation in patients after CH.

Adult ; Aged ; Biomarkers ; blood ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; blood ; drug therapy ; rehabilitation ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Panax notoginseng ; chemistry ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase ; blood ; Phytotherapy ; Saponins ; therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVETo explore the protection of high intensity microwave radiation on hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA) activity and hippocampal CA1 structure in rats and the protectiveeffect of Qindan Granule (QG) on radiation injured rats.

METHODSTotally 48 Wistar rats were randomlydivided into 8 groups, i.e., the normal control group, post-radiation day 1, 7, and 10 groups, 7 and 10days prevention groups, day 7 and 10 treatment groups, 6 in each group. Rats in prevention groups wererespectively administered with QG liquid (1 mL/100 g, 4. 75 g crude drugs) for 7 days and 10 days bygastrogavage and then microwave radiation. Then preventive effect for radiation injury was statisticallycalculated with the normal control group and the post-radiation day 1 group. Rats in treatment groupswere firstly irradiated, and then administered with QG liquid (1 mL/100 g, 4.75 g crude drugs). Finally preventive effect for radiation injury was statistically calculated with the normal control group, post-radiation day 7 and 10 groups. Contents of corticotrophin releasing hormone (CRH), beta endorphin (beta-EP), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) were detected. Morphological changes and structure of hippocampal CA1 region were observed under light microscope.

RESULTSCompared with the normal control group, contents of CRH and beta-EP significantly decreased in each radiation group. Serum contents of ACTH and beta-EP significantly increased in post-radiation day 1 and 7 groups (P < 0.05). Compared with radiation groups, beta-EP content in serum and pituitary significantly increased, and serum ACTH content significantly decreased in prevention groups (P < 0.05). Pituitary contents of CRH and beta-EP significantly increased in prevention groups. Serum contents of ACTH, beta-EP, and HSP70 were significantly lower in day 7 treatment group than post-radiation day 7 group (P < 0.05). Morphological results showed that pyramidal neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region arranged in disorder, with swollen cells, shrunken and condensed nucleus, dark dyeing cytoplasm, unclear structure. Vessels in partial regions were dilated with static blood; tissues were swollen and sparse. In prevention and treatment groups pathological damage of hippocampal CA1 region was obviously attenuated; neurons were arranged more regularly; swollen, pycnotic, or deleted neuron number were decreased; vascular dilatation and congestion was lessened.

CONCLUSIONQG could affect HPAA function and activity of high intensity microwave radiated rats, showing certain preventive and therapeutic effects of microwave radiated rats by adjusting synthesis and release of partial bioactive peptides and hormones in HPAA, improving pathological injury in hippocampal CA1 region.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; blood ; Animals ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal ; drug effects ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone ; metabolism ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; pharmacology ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; blood ; Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Microwaves ; adverse effects ; Pituitary-Adrenal System ; drug effects ; radiation effects ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; beta-Endorphin ; blood ; metabolism

Objective To investigate the resistant mechanism of imipenem-resistant K. pneumoniae.Methods The minimal inhibitive concentrations (MICs) of the antimicrobial agents were determined by Etest.Isoelectric focusing electrophoresis (IEF),plasmid extraction,conjugation, transformation,PCR amplification,cloning and sequencing were carried out for analyzing the encoding gene of ?-1actamases.Results Three kinds of ?-1actamases were detected with pIs of 7.2,6.7,and 5.4.in a clinical strain of K.pneumoniae.These ?-1actamases were TEM-I (pI,5.4),SHV-12 (pI,8.2) and KPC-2 ( pI,6.7 ) confirmed by sequencing of the PCR products.Only one band of ?-1actamase with pI 6.7 was displayed in the transformant.A 1500 bp segment,which contained the KPC-2 gene confirmed by nucleotide sequence analysis,was cloned from a 60 000 bp plasmid of the transformant.Conclusion The strain of K.pneumoniae resistant to imipenem produces a plasmid-mediated carbapenemase KPC-2 which belongs to Bush group 2f,class A ?-1actamase.

Objective:To observe the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment on adenine nucleotides in the myocardial tissues of the myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) rats, and to explore the mechanism of EA pretreatment on myocardial prevention and protection in MIRI rats. Methods:Forty SPF male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: a blank group, a sham operation group, a model group, an EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group and an EA at Hegu (LI 4) group, with 8 rats in each group. Rats in the blank group only received binding to the rat plate, 30 min/time, once a day for 7 d; on the 7th day, rats in the sham operation group were subjected to threading for 40 min at the left anterior descending coronary artery without ligation, and then the rats were allowed to stand for 60 min before collection of the specimens; on the 7th day, rats in the model group were subjected to threading at the left anterior descending coronary artery with ligation, for 40 min before the blood flow was restored, and then the rats were allowed to stand for 60 min before collection of the specimens; on the 7th day of pretreatment with EA at Neiguan (PC 6) or Hegu (LI 4) for 30 min per day (once a day for 7 d), rats in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group and EA at Hegu (LI 4) group were subjected to modeling and sample collection same as in the model group. The left ventricular myocardium of the lower left anterior descending coronary artery was collected from rats in all 5 groups. Hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and transmission electron microscope (TEM) were used to observe the changes in myocardial pathological morphology. The change in the adenine nucleotide level of myocardial tissue was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Results:The HE staining and ultrastructure showed that the myocardial injury was severer in the model group compared with the sham operation group. Compared with the model group, the myocardial injury in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and the EA at Hegu (LI 4) groups was mild or hardly any. The adenine nucleotide levels in the sham operation group and the model group were all decreased compared with the blank group (allP<0.05); compared with the sham operation group, the adenine nucleotide level of the model group was also decreased, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05); compared with the model group, the adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group was increased (P<0.05), and the adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group was significantly increased (P<0.01). The adenine nucleotide level in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group was higher than that in the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group, but the difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Compared with the EA at Neiguan (PC 6) group, the levels of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine monophosphate (AMP) in the EA at Hegu (LI 4) group were significantly increased (allP<0.01). Conclusion:Both EA at Neiguan (PC 6) and Hegu (LI 4) can alleviate the pathological damage to myocardium in MIRI rats, and increase the adenine nucleotide level in myocardial tissues, and thus protect MIRI rats. EA at Hegu (LI 4) has a better protective effect than Neiguan (PC 6).

OBJECTIVETo investigate whether single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in DNA repair gene XPD751 is associated with sensitivity and time to progression (TTP) for platinum-containing combination chemotherapy in advanced colorectal carcinoma.

METHODSA total of 98 patients pathologically diagnosed as advanced colorectal cancer were treated with FOLFOX chemotherapy. TheDNA of peripheral blood-leukocytes was obtained before treatment, and XPD genetype was detected by PCR-RFLP analysis.

RESULTSThe frequency of XPD751 Lys/lys was 76 cases (77.6%), lys/Gln 17 cases (17.4%), and Gln/Gln genetype 5 cases (5.1%). The effective rate of FOLFOX chemotherapy among patients with XPD751 Lys/lys was 50.0%, lys/Gln 29.4%, and Gln/Gln genetypes 20.0%. The difference between Lys/lys and lys/Gln was statistically significant, χ(2) = 4.04, P < 0.05. The results indicated that the failure of chemotherapy in patients with Lys/Lys genetype was 3.8-fold to those with Lys/Gln, by adjusting of gender, age, and tumor metastasis (OR = 3.800). The MTTP of the 98 patients was 10.1 months. The MTTP was 11.3 months for patients with Lys/Lys genotypes of XPD751 gene and 2.9 months for patients with Lys/Gln and Gln/Gln genotypes of XPD751 gene, the difference between Lys/Lys and at least one Gln was significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSSingle nucleotide polymorphism of XPD751 correlates with the clinical response to FOLFOX chemotherapy. XPD751 genetic polymorphisms may be associated with TTP of advanced colorectal carcinoma patients treated with oxaliplatin as the first line chemotherapy. XPD751 genotype detected by the PCR-RFLP method may be a predictor of prognosis for FOLFOX chemotherapy.

Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols ; therapeutic use ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; genetics ; pathology ; DNA Repair ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; therapeutic use ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genotype ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; therapeutic use ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group D Protein ; genetics