OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at changbing fang (prescription for intestinal disease) on autophagy of colonic cells and gut microbiota in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC), and to explore the mechanism of EA in the treatment of UC. METHODS: Thirty-two SD male rats were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, an EA group and a sham-EA group, with 8 rats in each group. Except the control group, the UC rat model was established by free drinking of 5% dextran sulfate sodium solution for 7 days in the other groups. In the EA group, changbing fang was adopted, in which, EA was applied at "Tianshu" (ST25) and "Shangjuxu" (ST37), at disperse-dense wave and frequency of 10 Hz/50 Hz, for 20 min in each intervention. In the sham-EA group, shallow transcutaneous puncture was performed at the sites, 5 mm away from the points as the EA group, with the same parameters as the EA group. The intervention was delivered once daily for 3 consecutive days. The body weight was measured daily and the disease activity index (DAI) score was calculated before and after intervention. After intervention completion, the colon length was measured. Using HE staining, the colon morphology was observed and the score of colonic pathology was assessed. With ELISA adopted, the contents of tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2 and IL-10 in the serum of the rats were detected. The ultrastructure of the colon tissue was observed under electron microscopy. Using Western blotting, the protein expression was detected for microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)Ⅱ, LC3Ⅰ, autophagy-related genes (ATG) 5, ATG12, sequestosome 1 (p62), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT), protein kinase B (AKT), and phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the colon tissue. The mRNA expression of PI3K, AKT and m-TOR in the colon tissue was detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The 16S rRNA gene sequencing was used to analyze the structure of gut flora in the feces of rats. RESULTS: From day 1 to day 7, compared with the control group, the body weight decreased in the model group, EA group, and SEA group (P<0.05, P<0.01). From day 9 to day 10, the EA group showed an increase in body weight compared with the model group and SEA group (P<0.05, P<0.01). Before intervention, the DAI score in the model group, EA group, and SEA group was higher than the score of the control group, respectively (P<0.01). After intervention, the DAI score in the EA group was reduced compared with the model group and SEA group (P<0.01). Compared with the control group, in the model group, the colon length of rats was shorter (P<0.01); it showed the distorted crypts, thinner mucosal layer, reduced goblet cells, inflammatory cell infiltration and the disarranged histological structure; and the pathological score of the colon tissue increased (P<0.01); the serum contents of TNF-α and IL-1β increased (P<0.01), and those of IL-2 and IL-10 decreased (P<0.01). The structure of colon epithelial cells was disarranged, with cilia pelt off, and a large number of vacuoles in the cytoplasm; the mitochondria were swollen, with unclear structure and cristae partially disappeared; and few autophagosomes were observed. The value of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand the protein expression of ATG5 and ATG12 in the colon tissues were reduced (P<0.01), the protein expression of p62 and PI3K, and the values of p-AKT/AKT, and p-mTOR/mTOR increased (P<0.01), and mRNA expression of PI3K, AKT and mTOR was elevated (P<0.01). The indexes of Chao1, Ace and Shannon decreased (P<0.01). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes decreased (P<0.05), that of Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria increased (P<0.05, P<0.01). At the genus level, the relevant abundance of Lactobacillus decreased (P<0.05), while that of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group and Phascolarctobacterium increased (P<0.01, P<0.05 ). Compared with the model group and SEA group, in the EA group, the colon length increased (P<0.01), the infiltration of inflammatory cells was reduced, the arrangement of intestinal epithelial cells was arranged regularly, with a small amount of shedding, and the pathological score of the colon tissue decreased (P<0.01). The serum contents of TNF-α and IL-1β decreased (P<0.01), and those of IL-2 and IL-10 increased (P<0.01). The colonic epithelial cells were arranged relatively, the morphology of organelles was basically normal, and autophagosomes were visible. The value of LC3Ⅱ/LC3Ⅰand the protein expression of ATG5 and ATG12 in colon tissue increased (P<0.01, P<0.05), the protein expression of p62 and PI3K, and the values of p-AKT/AKT, and p-mTOR/mTOR decreased (P<0.01); and mRNA expression of PI3K, AKT, m-TOR was reduced (P<0.01). The indexes of Chao1, Ace and Shannon increased (P<0.01). At the phylum level, the relative abundance of Firmicutes increased (P<0.01), while that of Bacteroidetes decreased (P<0.01). At the genus level, the relative abundance of Lactobacillus increased (P<0.05), whereas that of Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group decreased (P<0.01). When compared with the model group, the relative abundance of Proteobacteria decreased (P<0.05), and that of Phascolarctobacterium was reduced (P<0.05) in the EA group. CONCLUSION EA at changbingfang alleviates UC symptoms probably through inhibiting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway to regulate colonic autophagy and improve the intestinal flora.
Animals ; Electroacupuncture ; Colitis, Ulcerative/metabolism* ; Male ; Rats ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Colon/metabolism* ; Humans ; Autophagy ; Acupuncture Points ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/genetics* ; Interleukin-10/genetics*

Objective:To investigate the effects of 3 adhesives on the bond force and durability of polished and glazed zirconia ceram-ics to orthodontic metal brackets respectively.Methods:Universal adhesives,Single Bond Universal(SBU)and Prime&Bond Universal(PBU)were respectively used to bond polished and glazed zirconia to metal braces of maxillary central incisors using TransbondTM MIP(TM)as the control.The shear bond strength(SBS),the fracture morphology and adhesive residual index(ARI)were examed after wa-ter bath or water bath-thermal cycling storage.Results:The adhesive(P＜0.001)and storage conditions(P＜0.001)significantly af-fected the shear bond strength of zirconia to brackets.There was no significant difference between the polished or glazed groups(P=0.09).SBU showed the stronger SBS and lower ABI,there were significant differences in ARI scores among the 3 cements(P＜0.001).Conclusion:SBU may have better bonding performance than PBU and TM in the orthodontic bonding of polished or glazed zir-conia surfaces to the zirconia ceramics.

Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the bile duct (IPMN-B) is a special type of tumor occurring in the biliary system, with no specific clinical manifestations and imaging findings, and thus it is difficult to diagnose before surgery. It is often considered when a large amount of mucus is found in the bile duct during surgery and then it is forced to change the surgical plan. Clinicians lack an understanding of this disease due to its low incidence rate. This article reviews the recent research advances in the etiology and classification, clinical features, differential diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of IPMN-B, so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of IPMN-B among clinicians.

The information-based management of medical device standards is of great significance for promoting the development of the medical device standardization. Here we analyzed the important role of the information-based management of medical device standards in the delicacy management of the whole process of establishing and modifying medical device standards, introduced its present situation and upgrade of information-based management system of medical device standards, and put forward work ideas and suggestions for it.
Equipment and Supplies ; standards ; Information Management ; standards ; trends ; Reference Standards

It is recognized that the increasing prevalence of diastolic heart failure in adults has signifi-cantly worsen the quality of life and shorten lifespan.However,the assessment and diagnostic criterion of dias-tolic heart failure in children is controversial.The diagnosis and treatment of DHF are mainly based on small samples of clinical research and clinical experience.There is no effective treatment plan of diastolic heart failure from evidence-based medicine.In this article,we review the progress of diastolic heart failure in children in as-pects of its pathological mechanism,clinical manifestations,function evaluation,diagnosis and treatment.

OBJECTIVETo introduce the Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition (ASQ-3), to China, created ASQ-Chinese (ASQ-C) and carried out studies of its national norm and the psychometrical properties in the children aged 1-66 months in the mainland of China in collaboration with the author of the ASQ System and under the authorizations from its publisher on translation, researches, publication and distribution of the ASQ-3.

METHODThe ASQ-3 questionnaires were translated and adapted into a Simplified Chinese version, the ASQ-C, with six steps such as translation, back-translation and adaptation and so on to ensure consistency with the core of the original document and to have the cultural relevance in China.A stratified cluster sampling method was utilized to recruit children aged 1-66 months with respect to demographic characteristics such as the proportion of population in each administrative region and in urban and rural areas and so on that are representative of 2010 China census data.A sample size of over 200 was collected for each ASQ-C age interval.Children were excluded from the normative sample who (1) are from communities or villages at an elevation of 2 000 m or above and(or) where simplified Chinese is not the official language, or (2) had been diagnosed as having a developmental delay by any authoritative organizations.The national normative sample for the ASQ-C had a total sample size of 4 452, sample size within each age interval ranged from 218 to 227, including 2 230 male cases and 2 222 female cases, 2 236 urban cases and 2 216 rural cases.A convenience sample was recruited from the normative sample to examine inter-rater reliability and test-retest reliability in all six administrative regions.Researchers completed the ASQ-C on the same child with their parents for 162 children for inter-rater reliability(the size of each ASQ-C age interval was 5-9); parents of 168 children completed another age-appropriate ASQ-C for test-retest reliability during 10-15 days after they completed the normative ASQ-C(The size of each ASQ-C age interval is 6-10). Another convenience sample was recruited from the follow-up of low birth weight infants for the concurrent validity of the ASQ-C in comparison with the Beijing Gesell.Parents of 198 children completed age-appropriate ASQ-C and professional administered to the children with the Beijing Gesell.In the ASQ-C norm and test-retest reliability, parents completed the age-appropriate ASQ-C, independently or with needed assistance. In inter-rater reliability, researchers completed the same ASQ-C after parents. In validity test, after parents completing age-appropriate ASQ-C, professional tested children with the Beijing Gesell.Data were analyzed using SPSS version 13.0 software.The mean and standard deviation of the national normative sample were calculated, reliability and validity of the ASQ-C was examined.

RESULTThe demographic characteristics of this Chinese sample match the 2010 China census data on gender, urban or rural location, and family income.All 20 intervals of the ASQ-C were standardized on 21 national normative samples.Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the whole measure was 0.8.The Pearson correlation coefficient between the ASQ-C total scores of the two raters was 0.8.The Pearson correlation coefficient between the ASQ-C total scores of the two times was 0.8 (all P<0.000 1). The sensitivity of ASQ-C was 87.50% and the specificity of ASQ-C was 84.48%.The percentage of the agreement between the ASQ-C and the Beijing Gesell was 84.74%.

CONCLUSIONThese findings indicate that the ASQ-C is a reliable and valid measure with a representative national sample aged 1-66 months.It can be used to screen and monitor the development of children in the mainland of China.

Beijing ; Child Development ; Child, Preschool ; China ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Language ; Male ; Parents ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objective To investigate the difference of effect between interventional treatments and intravenous therapy of lidamycin on VX2 rabbit liver cancer.Methods VX2 Carcinoma cells were surgically implanted into the left liver lobe of 12 New Zealand white rabbits to establish the VX2 rabbit liver tumor model.Tumor size was detected by type-B ultrasonic diagnostic instrument.The rabbits were randomly divided into two groups of six,respectively treated with the hepatic inter-ventional administration of lidamycin (LDM)(1 ml,0.05 mg/kg)under the guidance of digital subtraction angiography (DSA)(group A)and with the auricular intravenous administration of LDMat the same dose (group B).All the rabbits were sacrificed and anatomized on day 10 after treatment,whose liver tumor was fixed with 4% paraformaldehyde solution and embedded in paraffin.Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)and CD34 expression in the sample sections of tumor tissue were assessed through immunohistochemical staining.The levels of alanine transaminase (ALT)and aspartate trans-aminase(AST)were detected by Cobas 8000.Finally,the inhibition of VX2 tumor was evaluated.Results The VX2 tumor volumes were all increased at 10 day after LDMtreatment.However,the tumors in group A were smaller than those of group B (P <0.05).The results of immunohistochemistry showed that the intervention therapy of LDM could further lower the expression of CD34 and PCNA compared to group B.Conclusion Hepatic interventional administration of LDM under the guidance of DSA produces a better effect on attenuating the tumor growth than the intravenous administration of LDM.

AIM:To explore the change of antithrombin Ⅲ( AT-Ⅲ) in the patients with atherosclerotic cere-bral infarction .METHODS:Chromogenic substrate assay was used to measure the activity of AT-Ⅲ in 55 patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction and 55 healthy controls , and the correlation analysis was applied to determine the AT-Ⅲactivity with the severity of damage in central nervous system and general biochemical parameters .The levels of TNF-αand IL-6 in the plasma were detected by ELISA .Immunocomplex in the plasma was measured by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). The number and phenotype of the monocytes in peripheral blood were analyzed by flow cytometry .ELISA was also applied to determine the secretion of TNF-αand IL-6 from the monocytes after the stimulation of immunocomplex .The expression of AT-Ⅲin human brain vascular endothelial cells after the stimulation of TNF-αand IL-6 was observed by Western blotting . RESULTS:The activity of AT-Ⅲsignificantly decreased in the patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction , and nega-tively correlated with the damage degree of nervous system function , systolic pressure , diastolic pressure , glucose , choles-terol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and homocysteine , while positively correlated with high-density lipo-protein.In addition, the plasma levels of TNF-αand IL-6 increased significantly , accompanied with the enhancement of immunocomplex level .The numbers of CD14 + CD16 + and CD14 + CD32 + monocytes in peripheral blood were not changed , while CD14 +CD64 +monocytes increased obviously .The secretion of TNF-αand IL-6 by monocytes were signifi-cantly enhanced after stimulated with immunocomplex , while the protein expression of AT-Ⅲ in the human brain vascular endothelial cells was down-regulated after co-incubated with TNF-αor IL-6.CONCLUSION:Decreased AT-Ⅲactivity in the patients with atherosclerotic cerebral infarction is one of the risk factors of cerebral infarction , and related with the dis-ease severity .The production of pro-inflammatory cytokines through immunocomplex from CD 14 +CD64 +monocytes may be involved in the mechanism .Improvement of AT-Ⅲactivity may protect against cerebral ischemia .

OBJECTIVETo establish the quality standard for carbonizing drug characteristic of ginger carbon.

METHODGingers and different carbonized gingers were compared by the absorption of pigment, tannin content, pH, mouth's coagulation time and bleeding time.

RESULTThe study resulted in the recommended carbonizing standard that the absorption capacity shall not be less than 7.50 mg x g(-1) for methylene blue, the tannin content shall not be less than 2.103 mg x g(-1), the pH shall be (5.50 +/- 0.10), and coagulation time and bleeding time shall be the shorter the better.

CONCLUSIONThe established assessment standard for carbonizing drug characteristic of ginger carbon is reasonable, easily operated and feasible.

Absorption ; Animals ; Blood Coagulation ; drug effects ; Carbon ; chemistry ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Female ; Ginger ; chemistry ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mice ; Quality Control ; Tannins ; analysis