Objective To observe the clinical curative effect of levocarnitine injection combined with mecobalamine injection and hemodialysis in uremic peripheral neuropathy.Methods The patients with uremic peripheral neuropathy were divided into treatment group and control group according to cohort method.The patients in the control group was given mecobalamine injection,0.5 g each time,after each dialysis,3 times a week,intravenous drip.On the basis of the treatment of the control group,the treatment group was given levocarnitine injection,1 g each time,after each dialysis,3 times a week,intravenous drip.Both groups were treated for 12 weeks.Results There were 35 cases in control group and 45 cases in treatment group.After treatment,total response rates of treatment group and control group were 93.33％(42 cases/45 cases)and 77.14％(27 cases/35 cases),the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).After treatment,sensory nerve conduction velocity(SCV)of common peroneal nerve in treatment group and control group were(41.73±4.05)and(38.67±3.73)m·s-1;MCV of common peroneal nerve were(46.62±4.41)and(43.51±4.29)m·s-1;levels of serum advanced oxidized protein product were(81.75±14.36)and(109.43±18.57)μmol·L-1;levels of glutathione peroxidase were(73.39±6.05)and(61.83±5.72)U·L-1;levels of superoxide dimutase were(90.68±11.28)and(79.95±9.03)U·L-1,differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The adverse drug reactions in treatment group were mainly on rash,loss of appetite and dizziness,while which in control group were mainly on loss of appetite,diarrhea and vomiting.There were no significant difference in total incidence of adverse drug reactions between treatment group and control group[11.11％(5 cases/45 cases)vs 8.57％(3 cases/35 cases)].Conclusion Curative effect of levocarnitine injection combined with mecobalamine injection and hemedialysis is significant in patients with uremic peripheral neuropathy,which can relieve clinical symptoms and promote the recovery of nerve conduction velocity.

Objective To observe the clinical curative effect of levocarnitine injection combined with mecobalamine injection and hemodialysis in uremic peripheral neuropathy.Methods The patients with uremic peripheral neuropathy were divided into treatment group and control group according to cohort method.The patients in the control group was given mecobalamine injection,0.5 g each time,after each dialysis,3 times a week,intravenous drip.On the basis of the treatment of the control group,the treatment group was given levocarnitine injection,1 g each time,after each dialysis,3 times a week,intravenous drip.Both groups were treated for 12 weeks.Results There were 35 cases in control group and 45 cases in treatment group.After treatment,total response rates of treatment group and control group were 93.33％(42 cases/45 cases)and 77.14％(27 cases/35 cases),the difference was statistically significant(P＜0.05).After treatment,sensory nerve conduction velocity(SCV)of common peroneal nerve in treatment group and control group were(41.73±4.05)and(38.67±3.73)m·s-1;MCV of common peroneal nerve were(46.62±4.41)and(43.51±4.29)m·s-1;levels of serum advanced oxidized protein product were(81.75±14.36)and(109.43±18.57)μmol·L-1;levels of glutathione peroxidase were(73.39±6.05)and(61.83±5.72)U·L-1;levels of superoxide dimutase were(90.68±11.28)and(79.95±9.03)U·L-1,differences were statistically significant(all P＜0.05).The adverse drug reactions in treatment group were mainly on rash,loss of appetite and dizziness,while which in control group were mainly on loss of appetite,diarrhea and vomiting.There were no significant difference in total incidence of adverse drug reactions between treatment group and control group[11.11％(5 cases/45 cases)vs 8.57％(3 cases/35 cases)].Conclusion Curative effect of levocarnitine injection combined with mecobalamine injection and hemedialysis is significant in patients with uremic peripheral neuropathy,which can relieve clinical symptoms and promote the recovery of nerve conduction velocity.

The study was aimed to investigate the synergistically effect of interferon-α (IFN-α) and homoharringtonine (HHT) on the proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle of K562 cells and the expression of β-catenin. The proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle and β-catenin mRNA expression of K562 cells treated with IFN-α and/or HHT were assayed with MTT, flow cytometry or RT-PCR respectively. The results showed that HHT alone, but not IFN-α alone, displayed a proliferation inhibition, apoptosis induction, G(0)/G(1) phase block and down-regulation of β-catenin expression in K562 cells with concentration- and time-dependent manners. The expression level of β-catenin mRNA after being treated with HHT was 0.5576 ± 0.0373, which were lower than that in control group (0.9369 ± 0.0142). The down-regulation of β-catenin expression in group of IFN-α combined with HHT was higher significantly than that in HHT group (0.3737 ± 0.0529 vs 0.5576 ± 0.0373, P < 0.05). Otherwise, HHT combined with IFN-α did not demonstrate obvious toxicologic effect on bone marrow mononuclear cells. It is concluded that IFN-α combined with HHT can enhance the cytotoxic effect of HHT on K562 cells, which may be associated with down-regulation of β-catenin expression.
Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Harringtonines ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha ; pharmacology ; K562 Cells ; beta Catenin ; genetics ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo ascertain the causation of a pregnant woman with undefined pneumonia reported from the People's Hospital of Tongling city in Anhui province on November 2005.

METHODSEpidemiological and clinical information of the case was collected from the keypersons close to the case and referring to the medical record. A medical observation was carried out on the close contacts of the case and sick or dead poultry. Tracheal aspirates being collected were tested by both RT-PCR and real-time PCR to detect viral nucleic acids of A/H5N1, and were inoculated into special pathogen free (SPF) embryonated hens' eggs.

RESULTSThe pregnant woman was found to have been contacted with the sick/dead poultry directly on the 4th day before onset of illness. All the 122 close contacts were healthy after a 10-day medical observation. The major clinical features of the case were viral pneumonia with rapidly developed leukopenia and lymphopenia. The progress to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multiple organ dysfunction syndromes was found at clinical presentation. HA and NA gene of A/H5N1 virus were positive. The 8 gene fragments of A/Anhui/1/2005 (H5N1) isolated from the tracheal aspirates had not carried genes from a human virus through reassortment, and the receptor-binding site of the hemagglutinin was polybasic cleavage site.

CONCLUSIONThis was the first documented case of H5N1 infection in pregnant woman. The immunotolerant state of pregnancy might have predisposed to the fatal outcome of the patient.

Adult ; China ; Fatal Outcome ; Female ; Humans ; Influenza A Virus, H5N1 Subtype ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Influenza, Human ; complications ; pathology ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Pneumonia ; virology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; virology ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Trachea ; virology

BACKGROUNDTo isolate and identify pathogen of atypical pneumonia in Guangdong.

METHODSPathogens were isolated from variety of samples collected from atypical pneumonia patient by using MDCK cells, and identified with serological and molecular methods.

RESULTSA novel coronavirus was isolated from patients with atypical pneumonia, from which an RNA fragment of 279 nt was amplified by nested RT-PCR. And sequence assay showed that only 39-65 percent of sequence of the virus was homogenous to known coronavirus, but almost 100% homogenous (with one base exception, 12a to t) to SARS-associated coronavirus isolated from patients outside Guangdong, such as in Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Italy and so on. Indirect immunofluorescence test showed a specific antigen-antibody reactivity between the coronavirus and convalescent-phase sera of SARS patients.

CONCLUSIONThe pathogen of the atypical pneumonia in Guangdong province was a novel type of coronavirus, which could be isolated by using MDCK cells.

Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cell Line ; China ; Dogs ; Humans ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Phylogeny ; Pneumonia, Viral ; virology ; SARS Virus ; classification ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ; virology

Objective To investigate the accuracy and comparability of ?-glutamyltransferase (?- GT) measurement results on human serum samples and controI materials before and after calibration with a common human serum calibrator.Methods A human serum calibrator was prepared by pooling fresh serum aliquots and assigning a value for ?-GT with the IFCC reference method.The calibrator together with 5 human serum samples and 10 control samples were sent to 15 clinical laboratories and the sermn and control samples were measured with different analytical systems before and after a calibration with the calibrator.The results were analyzed for biases and interlaboratory variations.Results For the serum samples,the calibration resulted in reductions in biases from -9.0%～-14.2% to -0.8%～-7.9%,and in interlaboratory variations from 6.9%～11.6% to 2.8%～4.4%.No improvement was observed on the control samples.Conclusions Accuracy and comparability of serum ?-GT measurements can be improved by using a common human serum calibrator.Some control materials may not be commutable for human serum in ?-GT measurements.