It is proposed that although allergic rhinitis manifests primarily in the nasal orifices， its root lies in deficiency of the lung and spleen and insecurity of the lung defensive qi， while deficiency of healthy qi with latent pathogen， triggering by external stimuli， and constraint of defensive yang constitute the key pathogenesis. The onset of disease is not caused solely by newly contracted external pathogens. Rather， on the basis of insecurity of the lung-defense qi， external stimuli such as wind-cold and abnormal qi， dust mites， pollen， and sudden climatic changes， activate the latent pathogen， resulting in constraint of defensive yang， disharmony between nutritive and defensive qi， impaired diffusion of lung qi， failure to contain body fluids， and dysfunction of the nasal orifices. The disease progression can be summarized as following steps， deficiency of healthy qi with latent pathogen， activation by external stimuli， constraint of defensive yang， dysfunction of the nasal orifices， incomplete elimination of the pathogen and incomplete recovery of healthy qi. The general therapeutic principle is to consolidate the defensive qi and vent the latent pathogen while regulating the lung and nasal orifices simultaneously. The empirical prescription Xingui Fangzhi Decoction （辛桂防芷汤） is used as the basic formula and modified dynamically according to the attack and remission stages. During the attack stage， treatment focuses on dispelling wind and cold， regulating defensive qi， and venting the latent pathogen； during the remission stage， it emphasizes supplementing qi， consolidating the defensive exterior， and reinforcing the spleen to resolve the latent pathogen.

Bladder cancer is a common malignancy in the genitourinary system and the current therapeutic approaches are unsatisfactory. Urinary cell-free DNA (ucf DNA) has the ability to give comprehensive and crucial information on cancer as it carries genetic messages from cells shedding directly into urine as well as transporting from circulation. The ucf DNA of patients with bladder cancer carries disease information, suggesting that ucf DNA may have the ability to detect, monitor, and prognosticate patients with bladder cancer. The ucf DNA analysis bridges the gap between current techniques and enhances diagnostic and detection capabilities, and has a very promising future in term of translation into clinical practice. This article reviewed the progress of clinical applications of ucf DNA in bladder cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the hematological characteristics of HbE homozygotes. METHODS: Complete blood cells count and hemoglobin electrophoresis were used for phenotypic analysis of 78 cases with HbE homozygotes from Yunnan province, China. The PCR-fluorescence hybridization was used to detect the common gene mutation of thalassemia. The hematological indexes, including MCV, MCH, Hb, HbA2, HbF and HbE were statistically analyzed between groups with different sex, ages and compound α thalassemia status. RESULTS: In HbE homozygotes (HbEE), 89.5% (17/19) children presented mild to moderate microcytic hypochromic anemia, and 10.5% of them presented moderate anemia. 39.6% (19/48) of women with HbEE developed mild anemia ,while 11 cases of male with HbE homozygotes were asymptomatic. The levels of MCV and MCH in HbE homozygotes increased by co-inheritance of α thalassemia mutation. CONCLUSION The clinical phenotype of HbE homozygote shows highly heterogeneous, which is relates with age, sex and co-inheriting α-globin genotypes. In Hb EE women and children are more likely to develop mild to moderate anemia. The microcytic hypochromic anemia degree is relieved when HbEE combined with α- thalassemia.
Child ; China ; Female ; Genotype ; Hemoglobin E ; genetics ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Male ; Phenotype ; alpha-Thalassemia

The biologically active constituents in Gynostemma pentaphyllum are dammarane-type glycosides,called gypenosides.They are believed to be the highest contents of this herb,easy to obtain,and mainly active in anti-tumor,controlling the blood glucose,lipid-lowering,cardiovascular protection,etc.The saponins may change into sub-glucoside after hydrolysis,for the intemal acetal glucoside structure is vulnerable to acid,alkali,and enzyme degradation.Through searching the literatures in recent years,this paper summarized the chemical constituents in the hydrolyzed products of gypenosides,for providing references to discover novel and more active lead compounds.

Objective To investigate the characteristics of traditional Chinese medical syndrome types of fulminant and epidemic dengue fever patients admitted in Guangzhou and Xishuang banna in the year of 2013,and to ex plore the differences of etiology and pathogenesis, illness, and treatment for the patients in the two regions. Methods We collected the clinical data of 78 cases receiving integrative Chinese and western medicine from 255 patients admitted in Guangzhou Municipal Eighth People’s Hospital, and the clinical data of 39 cases receiving integrative Chinese and western medicine from 120 patients admitted in the People’s Hospital of Xishuangbanna Dai Nationality Autonomous Prefecture in the year of 2013. The traditional Chinese medical syndrome types and the syndrome scores of the total of 117 cases were investigated. The method of phenology was used for the analysis of epidemic time and epidemic region of dengue fever, and the theory of defense-qi-nutrient-blood syndrome differentiation of seasonal febrile diseases was used for the analysis of etiology and pathogenesis of dengue fever. Results ( 1) Dengue fever was epidemic in the first ten days of July and in the middle ten days of November of the year 2013 in Guangzhou region, and was epidemic in the middle ten days of August and the first ten days of October in Xishuangbanna region. The epidemicity of dengue fever in Guangzhou covered the end of summer and the whole autumn, and then disappeared before the coming of winter. In Xishuangbanna , the epidemicity of dengue fever was obvious in autumn, and disappeared in late autumn. ( 2) In the two hospitals, dengue fever patients were dominated by the syndromes of excessive heat in both Qifen and Xuefen, blood stasis blended with toxicity, excessive heat in Qifen, and lingering pathogens in order. (3) Before treatment, the scores of fever were higher in patients of Xishuangbanna hospital than those in patients of Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital ( P<0.01) . After treatment for 3 days, fever scores were improved in both hospitals (P<0.05 or P<0.01), but the differences between the two hospitals were insignificant (P>0.05) . After treatment for 6 days, fever disappeared in patients of both hospitals. (4) Before treatment, the scores of syndromes were higher in patients of Xishuangbanna hospital than those in patients of Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital ( P<0.05) . After treatment for 3 days, syndorme scores were improved in both hospitals ( P<0.01) , but the syndrome scores were higher in Xishuangbanna hospital than those in patients of Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital. After treatment for 6 days, syndrome scores were much improved in patients of both hospitals compared with those after treatment for 3 days (P<0.01) . Conclusion In dengue fever patients admitted in Guangzhou and Xishuangbanna region, the syndrome of excessive heat in both Qifen and Xuefen is the leading type, and then comes blood stasis blended with toxicity. The illness state of patients in Guangzhou region is milder than that of the patients in Xishuangbanna region, the time for symptom relief is about one week, and similar therapeutic effect can be achieved in the two regions .

Two γ-glutamyl-cysteine peptides (γ-GCPs ) , ( SC2 RC7 )-γ-L-glutamyl-S-allyl-L-cysteine ( 1 ) and ( SC2 RC7 )-γ-L-glutamyl-S-propyl-L-cysteine ( 2 ) have been isolated from fresh garlic scales using ion-exchange chromatography and pre-HPLC. Their molecular structures were identified by HPLC-MS, CD, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, specific rotation and confirmed by the corresponding standard compounds. The influence of exogenously adding 1 and 2 on the bioavailability of iron and zinc from food legume was examined with soybean and mung bean, in the level of 0. 01 mmol/5 g of legume respectively. The enhancing effect of the two γ-GCPs of compound 1 and 2 on bioaccessibility of iron was generally evidenced in the case of soybean ( from 1 . 88% to 6 . 73% and 4 . 42%) and mung bean ( from 2 . 52% to 12 . 04% and 9 . 38%) . The two γ-GCPs similarly enhanced the bioaccessibility of zinc from the food legume, in soybean ranging from 13. 37% to 23. 95% and 20. 58%, and in mung bean from 15. 98% to 28. 44% and 27. 05%. Thus, both compounds 1 and 2 obviously had a promoting influence on the bioavailability of iron and zinc from food legumes. These findings are of practical value in a food-based strategy to enhance the bioavailability of trace minerals for human health.