OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in the clinical effect on post-stroke hand spasm among the combined treatment of penetrating acupuncture and kinesiotherapy, the simple application of penetrating acupuncture and the simple application of kinesiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 105 patients with post-stroke hand spasm were randomized into a penetrating acupuncture group, a kinesiotherapy group and a combined treatment group, 35 cases in each one, of which, 2 cases were dropped out in either the combined treatment group and the penetrating acupuncture group, and 1 case dropped out in the kinesiotherapy group. The routine rehabilitation training, e.g. occupational therapy and Bobath exercise and medication were adopted in all of the three groups. In the penetrating acupuncture group, the penetrating needling technique was exerted from Hegu (LI 4) to Houxi (SI 3) and from Waiguan (TE 5) to Sidu (TE 9) on the affected side. In the kinesiotherapy group, the persistent movement or passive movement was exerted on the wrist joint, the metacarpophalangeal joints and the interphalangeal joints. In the combined treatment group, the penetrating acupuncture (the same as the penetrating acupuncture group) was exerted combined with kinesiotherapy (the same as the kinesiotherapy group). In each group, the treatment was given once a day, 30 min in each time, 6 treatments a week in total, with the interval of 1 day between the courses. The treatment for 2 weeks was as one course and 2 courses were required totally. Before and after treatment, the scores of hand spasm index, hand-wrist motor function and the activity of daily living (ADL) were compared in each group. RESULTS: After treatment, the scores of hand spasm index were reduced as compared with those before treatment in each group (<0.05) and the scores of hand-wrist motor function and ADL were increased significantly as compared with those before treatment in each group (<0.05). After treatment, the reducing degree of the score of hand spasm index in the combined treatment group was greater than the penetrating acupuncture group and the kinesiotherapy group (<0.01), and the increasing degree of the scores of hand-wrist motor function and ADL were higher than either the penetrating acupuncture group or the kinesiotherapy group (<0.01). The improvements in each index were not different statistically between the kinesiotherapy group and the penetrating acupuncture group (>0.05). CONCLUSION Compared with the simple application of either penetrating acupuncture or kinesiotherapy, the combined treatment of them achieves the significant improvements in hand spasm degree, hand wrist motor function and ADL in patients with stroke.
Acupuncture Points ; Acupuncture Therapy ; Humans ; Kinesis ; Spasm ; etiology ; therapy ; Stroke ; complications ; Stroke Rehabilitation ; Treatment Outcome

Objective To analyze the frequency of interleukin (IL)-22+CD161+CD4+ T cells in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients compared with healthy control subjects and investigate the relationship of IL-22+CD4+CD161+ T lymphocyte frequency changes with RA disease activity.In addition to explore the pathogenesis of RA,and to look for new treatment targets for RA.Methods Twenty-one RA cases were included in the Department of Rheumatology of Tangshan Gongren Hospital from 2017 to 2018.Fourteen patients were female and 7 were male with the age ranged from 36 to 74 years old.The average age of this group of patients was (55±10) years,the average disease course was (60±50) months.All patients fulfilled the classification criteria of American College of Rheumatology [American College of Rheumatology (ACR)].Twenty-one subjects were enrolled as the control group,all of them came to Tangshan Gongren Hospital for regular health check-up.Fifteen subjects in the control group were female and 6 were male.Their age ranged between 40-78 years old with the average age of (55±9) years.IL-22+CD4+CD161+ T cells in PBMCs were detected by flow cytometry.The frequency variation of different CD4+CD161 + T was compared between case and control groups.The correlation was studied between the frequency and RA disease activity score (DAS28),tender joints number,swollen joints number,red blood cell sedimentation rate,high sensitive C reactive protein and white blood cell counts,red blood cell counts,platelet counts,IgG,IgA,IgM,complement C3 level,complement C4 level.T-test or Mann-Whitney U test were used for single-factor analysis,Pearson's test was used for correlation analysis.Results The percentage of RA group secreted CD4+ T cells (0.33± 0.20)％ of INF-γand IL-22,CD4+ T cells (0.51±0.29)％ of IL-22,and CD4+CD161+ T cells of IL-22 simultaneously.The number (0.55 ±0.28)％ was.significantly higher than that of the healtby control group [(0.22±0.14)％,(0.25±0.18)％,(0.36±0.24)％],and the differences were statistically significant [P=0.002,P=-0.0.45,P=0.026].Conclusion The percentage of IL-22+CD4+CD161+ T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood monocytes in RA patients is significantly higher than that in the healthy controls.The results of this study suggest that IL-22+CD4+CD161+ T lymphocytes in RA patients maybe related to RA disease activity and joint lesions.

Objective To analyze the dosimetric and delivery efficiency differences between IMRT plans based on Halcyon and Trilogy Accelerator for left side breast cancer.Methods A total of 10 patients with left side breast cancer based on the Trilogy platform were retrospectively analyzed.For each patient,plan based on Halcyon was redesigned using Eclipse Version 15.1 TPS.In order to evaluate plan quality,dose coverage of target and dose to organs at risk,monitor unit efficiency,segment size and delivery time were compared.Results Halcyon treatment platform could meet the clinical objective.Dose distribution of the target volume had no significant difference with the Trilogy plans (P＞0.05).Volumes receiving 10 Gy,20 Gy and D of the left lung were significantly reduced(Z=-2.22--1.78,P＜0.05).V5 of heart for Halcyon and Trilogy was(27.80±7.66)％ and (23.18±8.19)％,respectively(Z=-0.71,P＜0.05),while D was (7.03± 1.8)Gy and(7.11±2.40)Gy,respectively(P＞0.05).Halcyon increased the monitor unit from 1 526.2±227.7 by Trilogy to 1 770.5±383.9(Z=-0.71,P＜0.05),but decreased the delivery time from (12.38± 1.49) min by Trilogy to (3.01 ±0.28) min (Z =-3.42,P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Halcyon treatment platform can meet the clinical requirements,reduce dose to normal tissue with high delivery efficiency.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC) and their special calcium-activated chloride channel, anoctamin-1 (ANO1) play pivotal roles in regulating colonic transit. This study is designed to investigate the role of ICC and the ANO1 channel in colonic transit disorder in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-treated colitis mice. METHODS: Colonic transit experiment, colonic migrating motor complexes (CMMCs), smooth muscle spontaneous contractile experiments, intracellular electrical recordings, western blotting analysis, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction were applied in this study. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expressions of c-KIT and ANO1 channels were significantly decreased in the colons of DSS-colitis mice. The colonic artificial fecal-pellet transit experiment in vitro was significantly delayed in DSS-colitis mice. The CMMCs and smooth muscle spontaneous contractions were significantly decreased by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB), an ANO1 channel blocker, and NG-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase activity, in DSS-colitis mice compared with that of control mice. Intracellular electrical recordings showed that the amplitude of NPPB-induced hyperpolarization was more positive in DSS-colitis mice. The electric field stimulation-elicited nitric-dependent slow inhibitory junctional potentials were also more positive in DSS-colitis mice than those of control mice. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that colonic transit disorder is mediated via downregulation of the nitric oxide/ICC/ANO1 signalling pathway in DSS-colitis mice.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Chloride Channels ; Colitis ; Colon ; Dextrans ; Down-Regulation ; In Vitro Techniques ; Interstitial Cells of Cajal ; Mice ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myoelectric Complex, Migrating ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Sodium

Dasatinib is a highly effective second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In 2007, a pivotal phase-2 study of dasatinib as second-line treatment was initiated in 140 Chinese CML patients. This report from the 4-year follow-up revealed that 73% of 59 patients in chronic phase (CML-CP) and 32% of 25 patients in accelerated phase (CML-AP) remained under treatment. The initial dosage of dasatinib for CML-CP and CML-AP patients were 100 mg once daily and 70 mg twice daily (total = 140 mg/ day), respectively. The cumulative major cytogenetic response (MCyR) rate among patients with CML-CP was 66.1% (versus 50.8% at 18 months), and the median time to MCyR was 12.7 weeks. All CML-CP patients who achieved MCyR after a 4-year follow-up also achieved a complete cytogenetic response. The cumulative complete hematological response (CHR) rate among patients with CML-AP was 64% (16/25), with three CML-AP patients achieving CHR between 18 months and 4 years of follow-up; the median time to CHR was 16.4 weeks. The adverse event (AE) profile of dasatinib at 4 years was similar to that at 6 and 18 months. The most frequently reported AEs (any grade) included pleural effusion, headache, and myelosuppression. These long-term follow-up data continue to support dasatinib as a second-line treatment for Chinese patients with CML.

The incidence of chronic wounds has been increasing over the past 20 years. However, the standardized diagnosis and treatment practice of chronic refractory wounds have not been established. In addition, the properties of the wound are characterized by morphology and thus correct description of the wound in medical history collection plays a vital role, which directly affects the definitive diagnosis. To develop more accurate format of clinical history record which can correctly reflect a patient's course and treatment progress, and to standardize the medical history record of chronic refractory wounds, at the national or regional level, we designed the WoundCareLog APP. It acts as a recording and communication tool for wound healing specialists at all levels of medical institutions in China. The WoundCareLog APP is fully compatible to meet the criteria and requirements of conventional medical records by embedding 9 modules. In addition, the demands for morphological description of wounds in wound healing diagnosis and treatment have been fulfilled by enroll of digital imaging technology to overcome the inadequacies of traditional medical history records.

OBJECTIVE: Ideal cardiovascular health (CVH) could predict a lower risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the association between ideal CVH and subclinical atherosclerosis in a population cohort of Chinese adults aged ⪖ 40 years. METHODS: This study was designed as a cross-sectional analysis of 8,395 participants who had complete data at baseline and a prospective analysis of 4,879 participants who had complete data at 4.3 years of follow-up. Ideal CVH metrics were defined according to the American Heart Association. Subclinical atherosclerosis was evaluated by plaques in carotid arteries, carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), and urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR). RESULTS: Both the prevalence and incidence of atherosclerosis measures were found to be decreased with increasing numbers of ideal CVH metrics at baseline (all P values for trend < 0.01). The levels of CIMT and UACR at follow-up showed an inverse and significant association with the numbers of ideal CVH metrics at baseline (both P values for trend < 0.05) but a borderline significant association with baPWV (P for trend = 0.0505). Taking participants with 0-1 ideal metric as reference, we found that participants with 5-6 ideal metrics had significantly lower risks of developing carotid plaques (odds ratio, OR = 0.46; 95% confidence interval, CI 0.27-0.79), increased CIMT (OR = 0.60; 95% CI 0.42-0.84), and increased baPWV (OR = 0.57; 95% CI 0.34-0.97) after full adjustments. A significant interactive effect of age and CVH was detected on CIMT and baPWV progression (both P values for interaction < 0.05). CONCLUSION The numbers of ideal CVH metrics showed a significant and inverse association with the risk of developing subclinical atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults, whereas its dose-response effect was attenuated in individuals aged ≥ 60 years and partially weakened in male participants.
Aged ; Atherosclerosis ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to determine whether coronary atherosclerotic plaque composition is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in Chinese adults. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional analysis in 549 subjects without previous diagnosis or clinical symptoms of CVD in a community cohort of middle-aged Chinese adults. The participants underwent coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography for the evaluation of the presence and composition of coronary plaques. CVD risk was evaluated by the Framingham risk score (FRS) and the 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk score. RESULTS: Among the 549 participants, 267 (48.6%) had no coronary plaques, 201 (36.6%) had noncalcified coronary plaques, and 81 (14.8%) had calcified or mixed coronary plaques. The measures of CVD risk including FRS and ASCVD risk score and the likelihood of having elevated FRS significantly increased across the groups of participants without coronary plaques, with noncalcified coronary plaques, and with calcified or mixed coronary plaques. However, only calcified or mixed coronary plaques were significantly associated with an elevated ASCVD risk score [odds ratio (OR) 2.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.09-5.32] compared with no coronary plaques, whereas no significant association was found for noncalcified coronary plaques and elevated ASCVD risk score (OR 1.25; 95% CI 0.71-2.21) after multivariable adjustment. CONCLUSION Calcified or mixed coronary plaques might be more associated with an elevated likelihood of having CVD than noncalcified coronary plaques.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; Computed Tomography Angiography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; diagnostic imaging ; epidemiology ; Risk Factors

This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms of Yu-Ping-Feng-San (YPFS) on attenuating allergic inflammation in the initial stage of atopic dermatitis (AD). AD mouse model was established with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) sensitization and elicitation. Epithelial barrier structure was observed with transmission electron microscope. The populations of dendritic cells (DCs) and group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s) were detected by flow cytometry. Human immortalized keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells were stimulated with Poly(I:C)/TNF-α in vitro to assessthymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), interleukin (IL)-33 and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) levels or expressions by immunofluorescence, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot. In the initial stage of AD, ear swelling and infiltration of inflammatory cells in ear tissues were markedly attenuated with YPFS treatments. The damaged structures of ear epithelium and the increased levels of Th2-cytokines induced by FITC were significantly rescued in YPFS-treated mice. The production of pro-allergic cytokines, TSLP and IL-33, as well as the cell populations of their target cells DCs and ILC2s were decreased in AD model, respectively. Likewise, the levels of TSLP and IL-33 in Poly(I:C)/TNF-α-stimulated HaCaT cells showed the same results. Lower levels of p-NF-κB were detected with YPFS treatment, and the expressions of TSLP and IL-33 could be further decreased with inhibiting of NF-κB. Therefore, YPFS attenuates allergic inflammation in the initial stage of AD probably through regulating NF-κB-TSLP/IL-33 pathway, which may provide a novel effective target for the prevention and treatment of allergic diseases.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of S100 calcium binding protein A16 (S100A16) in lipid metabolism in hepatocytes and its possible biological mechanism. HepG2 cells (human hepatoma cell line) were cultured with fatty acid to establish fatty acid culture model. The control model was cultured without fatty acid. Each model was divided into three groups and transfected with S100a16 over-expression, shRNA and vector plasmids, respectively. The concentration of triglyceride (TG) in the cells was measured by kit, and the lipid droplets was observed by oil red O staining. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used to find the interesting proteins interacting with S100A16, and the interaction was verified by immunoprecipitation. The further mechanism was studied by Western blot and qRT-PCR. The results showed that the intracellular lipid droplet and TG concentrations in the fatty acid culture model were significantly higher than those in the control model. The accumulation of intracellular fat in the S100a16 over-expression group was significantly higher than that in the vector plasmid transfection group. There was an interaction between heat shock protein A5 (HSPA5) and S100A16. Over-expression of S100A16 up-regulated protein expression levels of HSPA5, inositol-requiring enzyme 1α (IRE1α) and pIREα1, which belong to endoplasmic reticulum stress HSPA5/IRE1α-XBP1 pathway. Meanwhile, over-expression of S100A16 up-regulated the mRNA expression levels of adipose synthesis-related gene Srebp1c, Acc and Fas. In the S100a16 shRNA plasmid transfection group, the above-mentioned protein and mRNA levels were lower than those of vector plasmid transfection group. These results suggest that S100A16 may promote lipid synthesis in HepG2 cells through endoplasmic reticulum stress HSPA5/IRE1α-XBP1 pathway.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress ; Endoribonucleases ; physiology ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; physiology ; Hep G2 Cells ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases ; physiology ; S100 Proteins ; physiology ; Triglycerides ; biosynthesis ; X-Box Binding Protein 1 ; physiology