The most common forms of treatment for amblyopia are occlusion therapy and pharmacologic penalization. But these methods can not recover all the visual deficits of amblyopes and there are some disadvantages of the treatment which need to be considered, including adverse effects, compliance and social stigma. Recently, some novel approaches are investigated for improving the effectiveness and compliance of treatment for amblyopia.

Objective To observe the effect of low molecular weight heparin calcium combined with astraga-lus injection in the treatment of diabetic nephropathy.Methods From January 2013 to December 2014,78 patients with stage III diabetic nephropathy in our hospital were enrolled into the study.They were randomly divided into con-trol group(41 cases) and treatment group(37 cases).The control group received general therapy,such as low protein diets,compound alpha keto acid,insulin,irbesartan,simvastatin.The treatment group was treated with low molecular weight heparin calcium and astragalus injection on the basis of general therapy.The changes of urinary albumin and 24 hours urinary protein after treatment in the two groups were observed.Results After treatment,the negative rate of urinary micro albumin in the treatment group ( 75.68%) was significantly higher than that of the control group (29.27%)(χ2 =16.765,P<0.01).24 hour urinary protein of the treatment group[(176.2 ±82.3)mg/24h]was significantly lower than that of the control group[(223.8 ±87.8)mg/24h](t=2.471,P<0.05).Conclusion Low molecular weight heparin calcium combined with astragalus injection can reduce the proteinuria of diabetic nephropa-thy,it is an effective intervention therapy for early diabetic nephropathy.

The technique of liquisolid compress is a new technique developed in 1990s, which was considered to be the most promising technique to improve the dissolution of water-insoluble drugs. In this article, tanshinone II(A) and the extracts of the ester-solubility fractions were chosen as the model drugs to evaluate the effects of the liquisolid technique for enhancement of dissolution properties of tanshinone II(A). Several liquisolid tablets (LS) formulations containing different dosage of drugs and various liquid vehicle were pre-pared and for all the formulations, microcrystalline cellulose and silica were chosen as the carrier and coating materials to evaluate their flow properties, such as angle of repose, Carr's compressibility index and Hausner's ratio. The interaction between drug and excipients in prepared LS compacts were studied by differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD). The dissolution curves of tanshinone II(A) from liquisolid compacts were investigated to determine the technique's effect in improving the dissolution of tanshinone II(A) and its impacting factors. According to the results, the dissolution increased with the rise in the dissolution of the liquid-phase solvent. The R-value and drug dosage can significantly affect the drug release, but with less impact on active fractions. This indicated that liquisolid technique is a promising alternative for improvement of dissolution property of water-soluble drugs, and can make a synergistic effect with other ester-soluble constituents and bettern improve the release of tanshinone II(A). Therefore, the technique of liquisolid compress will have a better development prospect in traditional Chinese medicines.
Calorimetry, Differential Scanning ; Diterpenes, Abietane ; chemistry ; Solubility ; X-Ray Diffraction

Objective: To observe the level of pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in young and senile rats. Methods: POMC mRNA was determined with in situ hybridization, the hybridization signals and areas of POMC mRNA-positive cells were measured with computer image analysis system. Results: Compared with young rats, average gray values of POMC mRNA-positive neurons in the hypothalalmic arcuate nucleus and near region in the senile rats decreased, but the numbers of POMC mRNA-positive neurons did not change significantly. Conclusion: The decrease of POMC mRNA expression level in individual neurons in hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of senile rats is one of the causes that decrease the expression of peptides-derived from POMC gene.

Objective To investigate the prevalence and attitude of smoking and its influencing factors among residents in Hongkou District of Shanghai,so as to provide evidence for tobacco control. Methods Nine hundred and sixty residents in Hongkou District of Shanghai aged 15 to 69 years were selected by multi-level random sampling,among whom 958 completed the investigations on smoking status. Results The smoking rate and standardized smoking rate were 20.04% and 18.73%,respectively.The smoking rate and standardized smoking rate of males were 41.05% and 30.07%,and those of females were 0.80% and 1.70%,respectively.The smoking rate of males was higher than that of females(RR=0.02,95%CI: 0.01-0.03).The smoking rates of age groups of 25 years old and over were higher than those of 15 to 24 years old,and the smoking rate of subjects with or above junior college education was lower than that of subjects with or below middle school education(RR=0.45,95%CI: 0.25-0.79).Subjects who drank alcohol smoked more than those did not(RR=2.68,95%CI: 1.76-4.09).Lower annual per capita income and higher knowledge on smoking hazard led to more tendance to object to smoking and agree with anti-smoking. Conclusion The prevalence of smoking of residents aged 15 to 69 years in Hongkou District of Shanghai was relatively lower.Age,gender,education status and alcohol drinking were influencing factors of smoking.Education on tobacco control among subjects aged more than 35 years should be strengthened,and more attention should be paid to those with lower education.Besides,education on alcohol control should be managed together with tobacco control.

This study is to offer a clinical pain-depression dyad therapy of ferulic acid, the pain-depression dyad induced by reserpine was established and the dose-effect relationship of ferulic acid on ameliorating pain-depression dyad was explored. Mice were randomly divided into control group, reserpine + vechile and reserpine + ferulic acid (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg x kg(-1)) groups. The reserpine treated mice were tested with thermal hyperalgesia, mechanicial allodynia and forced swimming tests, and the SOD and NO levels of hippocampus and frontal cortex were measured. Moreover, the HPLC-ECD was used to detect the changes of central monoamines concentrations. Compared with control group, reserpine can induce a significant decrease in the nociceptive threshold and increase in the immobility time of the forced swimming test. The results suggested that reserpine significantly increased the level of nitrite in hippocampus and frontal cortex and reduced the levels of SOD, 5-HT and NE in these two brain regions. However, these indexes can be a dose-dependently reversed by ferulic acid (5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg x kg(-1)). Ferulic acid can reverse pain-depression dyad, especially at the dose of 80 mg x kg(-1). In addition, it can influence oxidative stress and monoamine level.
Animals ; Antidepressive Agents ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Coumaric Acids ; administration & dosage ; pharmacology ; Depression ; chemically induced ; complications ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Dopamine ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug ; Frontal Lobe ; metabolism ; Hippocampus ; metabolism ; Hyperalgesia ; physiopathology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Nitric Oxide ; metabolism ; Norepinephrine ; metabolism ; Pain ; chemically induced ; complications ; metabolism ; physiopathology ; Pain Measurement ; Random Allocation ; Reserpine ; adverse effects ; Serotonin ; metabolism ; Superoxide Dismutase ; metabolism ; Swimming ; physiology

Aim To evaluate the short-term biocompatibility of a newkind of prosthetic nucleus-Evergel, which is made from the modifiedpolyvinyl alcohol hydrogel. Methods According to China national standardGB/T16886 documents, the toxicity of Evergel prosthetic nucleus materialwas investigated by the cytotoxicity test, sensitization test, haemolysis test,Ames test, mice marrow micronucleus test and chromosome aberration test ofmammalian cell in vitro. Results This material had no cytoxicity, no sen-sitivity, no obvious haemolysis, and no mutagencity in Ames test, micemarrow micronucleus test and chromosome aberration test of mammalian cellin vitro. Conclusion The Evergel prosthetic nucleus has a good biocom-patibility and can be used clinically.

Objective:To investigate the role of coupler perfusion in transrectal ultrasound in the diagnosis of preoperative T staging of rectal cancer.Methods:A retrospective analysis of the preoperative clinical data of 132 patients with rectal cancer in the People′s Hospital of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region from June 2015 to November 2020. According to whether or not the patients agreed to coupler perfusion before ultrasound examination, they were divided into 2 groups, namely the perfusion group 69 cases and the non-perfusion group of 63 cases, with postoperative pathology as the gold standard, and compared with magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) to evaluate the accuracy of the 2 groups and MRI in the T staging of rectal cancer.Results:The total coincidence rates of the coupling agent perfusion group, non-perfusion group and MRI group for the diagnosis of rectal cancer T staging were 89.9%, 76.2% and 87.9%, respectively, and the difference among the three methods was statistically significant (χ 2=6.096, P=0.047). The diagnostic sensitivity of the coupling agent perfusion group for T1 stage was 96.0%, which was higher than 61.5% of the non-perfusion group and 92.3% of the MRI ( P=0.010). The specificity of the perfusion group for the diagnosis of T2 stage was 95.7%, higher than the non-perfusion group and MRI ( P=0.037), the positive predictive value of the perfusion group for T2 stage was 90.9%, which was higher than the non-perfusion group and MRI ( P=0.035). The diagnostic accuracy of the perfusion group for T2 stage was 94.2%, higher than the non-perfusion group and MRI (χ 2=7.070, P=0.029). There were no statistically significant differences in diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy among the perfusion group and the non-perfusion group and the MRI for T3 and T4 (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Coupled-agent perfusion makes it convenient and fast for intracavity ultrasound to diagnose T staging of rectal cancer, and the diagnostic efficiency is comparable to MRI. In particular, it can be used as a highly reliable imaging method for T1 and T2 rectal cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the linear regression equation between body height and combined length of manubrium and mesostenum of sternum measured by CT volume rendering technique (CT-VRT) in southwest Han population. METHODS: One hundred and sixty subjects, including 80 males and 80 females were selected from southwest Han population for routine CT-VRT (reconstruction thickness 1 mm) examination. The lengths of both manubrium and mesosternum were recorded, and the combined length of manubrium and mesosternum was equal to the algebraic sum of them. The sex-specific linear regression equations between the combined length of manubrium and mesosternum and the real body height of each subject were deduced. RESULTS: The sex-specific simple linear regression equations between the combined length of manubrium and mesostenum (x3) and body height (y) were established (male: y = 135.000+2.118 x3 and female: y = 120.790+2.808 x3). Both equations showed statistical significance (P < 0.05) with a 100% predictive accuracy. CONCLUSION CT-VRT is an effective method for measurement of the index of sternum. The combined length of manubrium and mesosternum from CT-VRT can be used for body height estimation in southwest Han population.
Asian People ; Body Height ; Female ; Forensic Anthropology ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Manubrium/anatomy & histology* ; Regression Analysis ; Sternum/anatomy & histology* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVETo investigate the potential correlation between the level of Th17 cells in peripheral blood and the development of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

METHODSTh17 cells in the blood samples from 61 HCC patients and 38 healthy controls were assessed by flow cytometry (FCM). The mRNA expression levels of IL-17, IL-23p19 and RORc in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR. The potential correlation of increased Th17 cells in blood with the clinical characteristics of the 61 patients, including gender, age, preoperative AFP concentration, tumor diameter, portal vein tumor thrombus (PVTT), metastasis and TNM stages was analyzed. Statistical analysis was performed using the software GraphPad Prizm 5.0.

RESULTSThe number of Th17 cells in 61 HCC patients was significantly higher than that in the normal controls (4.67% ± 0.79% vs 3.25% ± 0.68%, P < 0.0001). The same tendency was also found in the mRNA levels of IL-17, IL-23p19 and RORc in PBMC (P < 0.05). The increased level of Th17 cells in HCC patients showed a positive correlation with the tumor size, PVTT, metastasis and TNM stages (P < 0.05 for each group). The level of Th17 cells in HCC patients was increased along with the increasing TNM stages I to stage IV: 4.05% ± 0.82%, 4.32% ± 0.67%, 4.94% ± 0.70%, and 5.22% ± 0.87%, respectively, where the level of Th17 cells in patients with advanced stage of HCC (III-IV) was significantly higher than that in early stage (I-II, P = 0.0008).

CONCLUSIONThe increased of level of Th17 cells in peripheral blood of HCC is significantly correlated with the tumor size, PVTT, metastasis and TNM stage, indicating that the Th17 cells might participate in promoting invasion and progression of HCC directly or indirectly by secreting characteristic cytokines.

Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; metabolism ; pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-17 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Interleukin-23 Subunit p19 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Liver Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; Lymphocyte Count ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 ; genetics ; metabolism ; Portal Vein ; pathology ; RNA, Messenger ; metabolism ; Th17 Cells ; pathology ; Tumor Burden