Objective: To study the mechanism of Heshi-Gejiugao on the nerve endocrine immune network in the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome. Methods: A total of 100 patients with perimenopausal syndrome were randomly divided into treatment group and control group, 50 cases in each group. The control group was only given general treatment, while the treatment group was treated with Heshi-Gejiugao on the basis of general treatment for 30 days. The clinical efficacy, Kupperman score, nerve, endocrine and immune related indexes of the two groups before and after treatment were observed. Results: The total effective rate was 96.0% (48/50) in the treatment group and 50.0% (25/50) in the control group. There was significant difference between the two groups (χ²=37.639, P<0.01). The Kupperman score (17.52 ± 2.73 vs. 24.22 ± 6.87, t=6.409) in the treatment group was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). After treatment, NE (1 878.08 ± 931.57 ng/m vs. 1 278.43 ± 866.32 ng/ml, t=3.331), DA (1 568.56 ± 597.15 ng/ml vs. 1 183.62 ± 798.72 ng/ml, t=2.729) in the treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05); E₂ (42.12 ± 9.77 pg/ml vs. 35.91 ± 12.55 pg/ml, t=2.761), FSH (62.70 ± 15.96 mIU/ml vs. 72.67 ± 30.18 mIU/ml, t=2.065), LH (33.88 ± 12.18 mIU/ml vs. 42.93 ± 9.83 mIU/ml, t=4.089) were significantly lower than those of the control group (P<0.05). CD3⁺ (1 087.34/μl ± 432.19/μl vs. 918.27/μl ± 199.72/μl, t=2.511), CD4⁺ (738.16/μl ± 326.75/μl vs. 588.43/μl ± 212.55/μl, t=2.716) and CD4/CD8 (1.87 ± 0.56 vs. 1.16 ± 0.55), t=6.483) were significantly higher than those of the control group (P<0.05); CD8⁺ (788.32/μl ± 214.56/μl vs. 976.37/μl ± 318.62/μl, t=3.462) was significantly lower than that of the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions Heshi-Gejiugao can reduce the symptoms and improve the quality of life by regulating the multi target and multi direction of the neuroendocrine immune network of perimenopausal patients.

Objective: To summarize the clinical characteristics and treatment experiences of autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Methods: The clinical data of the patient with AIHA after allogeneic HSCT in Hematology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University was analyzed, and the literatures were reviewed. Results: After receiving 2 years of allo-HSCT, one young male patient with severe aplastic anemia showed AIHA in the absence of obvious incentives. The patient healed with the treatments of glucocorticoid, intravenous injection of gamma globulin, plasma exchange combined with injection of CD20 monoclonal antibody. Through the literature review, it showed that AIHA patients after HSCT had a good response to regimens containing rituximab, while adult and malignant patients with post-HSCT AIHA had a higher mortality. Poor response to rituximab was one of the greatest risk factors for poor prognosis. Conclusion AIHA is not sensitive to hormone with a low treatment response, which is a risk factor for the increased mortality of allo-HSCT patients.

Objective To detect mutations in the PTPN11 gene in a family with LEOPARD syndrome (LS).Methods Clinical data were collected from a 7-year-old boy patient with LS.Peripheral blood was obtained from the patient,both of his parents,and 50 healthy controls.All the exons and their flanking sequences of the PTPN11 gene were amplified by PCR followed by direct DNA sequencing.Results A heterozygous missense mutation c.836A ＞ G,which resulted in a substitution of TAT by TGT at codon 279,was found in exon 7 of the PTPN11 gene in the patient.No mutation was detected in the unaffected parents or healthy controls.Conclusion The missense mutation c.836A ＞ G may be the cause of the phenotype of LS in this family.

ObjectiveTo investigate the expression and significance of CD28- cells, CD4+ and CD8+T lymphocytes in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid in patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ). Methods The expression of CD28, CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes and inducible co-stimulator(ICOS) in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid in 45 patients with RA were detected by three-color flow cytometry. Independent sample's t test was used for statistical analysis between the two groups. ResultsSynovial fluid CD4+CD28+ICOS+, CD4+CD28- ICOS+ , CD8 + CD28 + , CD8 + CD28 + 1COS+ T lymphocytes were significantly increased than the peripheral blood in RA patients[(36±19)％ vs (15±8)％, t=-4.234, P＜0.01; (2.1±2.2)％ vs (0.6±1.4)％, t=-3.143, P＜0.01; (62±15)％ vs (47±18)％, t=-2.885, P＜0.01; (9±9)％ vs (3±3)％,t=-2.131, P＜0.05], Synovial fluid CD8+CD28-T lymphoc-ytes were significantly reduced than the peripheral blood[(38±15)％ vs (54±18)％, t=2.975, P＜0.01], Synovial fluid CD8+ CD28-ICOS+, CD4+CD28+and CD4+ CD28- T lymphocytes had no significant difference than the peripheral blood (P＞0.05). Compared with peripheral blood in the same patients with RA, CD4+CD28+ ICOS+, CD8+ CD28+ T lymphocyteswere significantly increased[(38±18)％ vs (16±10)％, t=-4.065, P＜0.01 ; (61±16)％ vs (41±21)％, t=-4.065,P＜0.01], CD8+CD28-T was significantly reduced[(39±16)％ vs (59±21)％, t=2.949, P＜0.01]. The level of CD4+ CD28-, CD8+ CD28-, CD28-ICOS+ T lymphocytes in the active and remission patients with RA was not significantly different (P＞0.05). ConclusionSynovial fluid CD28T lymphocyte subsets disturbance and the abnormal expression of ICOS in patients with RA may play important roles in the mechanism of joint damage.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the adverse events occurred during tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-αblocker treatment in Chinese Han population patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS).MethodsThis study had enrolled 369 Chinese Han population patients with ankylosing spondylitis.They all received TNF-αblocker treatment in the hospital.All 1011 administration were recorded in total.All of them were evaluated for adverse events 2 hours after injection,126 of them had received long-term TNF-α blocker injection,and they were followed-up at week 8,12,52,104.Mild immediate adverse events and long-term adverse events were all counted.SPSS 10.0 software package was used for Fisher's exact test.ResultsThree hundred and sixty-nine patients had 1011 administrations in total,652 had received rhTNFR:Fc,316 had infliximab,21had etanercept,22 had adalimumab injections.Adverse events 2 hours after injection were:17 (2.6％) for rhTNFR:Fc,12 (3.8％) for infliximab,0 for etanercept,1 (4.5％) for adalimumab.Twenty adverse events were mild(12 for rhTNFR:Fc,9 for infliximab),5 events were moderate(3 for rhTNFR:Fc,1 for infliximab,1 for adalimumab),4 events were severe(2 for rhTNFR:Fc,2 for infliximab).The frequency of adverse events were comparable between rhTNFR:Fc and Infliximab injection in immediate adverse reactions (P=0.31).One hundred and twenty-six (69 rhTNFR:Fc,57 infliximab) patients had long-term usage,and were followed-up at week 8,12,52,104,39 patients had adverse reactions:20 (51.3％) for rhTNFR:Fc,19(48.7％) for infliximab.Thirty-seven patients had infectious events(94.9％ ),1 neurological event(2.6％),and 1 patient had tuberculosis relapse (2.6％).Outcomes were comparable with rhTNFR:Fc and infliximab in long-term usage(P=0.69).ConclusionAttention should be paid to the above events in Chinese Han patients with ankylosing spondylitis who were treated with TNF-α blocker treatment.Special attention should be paid to those patients who are in their third or fourth injection.The occurrence of immediate reaction or long-term adverse events between rhTNFR:Fc and infliximab are comparable.

Objective Using an in vivo adeno-associated virus(AAV)-mediated gene transfer technique,this study was designed to evaluate the protective effects of human osteoprotegerin(OPG)transgene against joint destruction in collagen induced arthritis(CIA)model.MethodsAfter CIA was established in the Sprague-Dawley rats,the experimental animals were treated with PBS or rAAV-EGFP or rAAV-hOPG (100μl/d)intra-articular injection 25 days after arthritis induction for 10 days.Paraffin-embedded joints were then analyzed histologically.The joint destruction was evaluated by Larsen Score.The protein expression of OPG,IL-1,MMP-3 was identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results Suecessful trans-gene expression was confirmed by the detection of OPG by ELISA and positive fluorescence of the frozen joint section. Image analysis revealed that the expression of OPG significantly protected against joint destruction by 30% compared with the CIA group. Conclusion OPG gene transfer mediated by rAAV effectively protects against bone destruction induced by CIA model. Those data suggest that gene transferring using rAAV-OPG may be a feasible and effective therapeutic approach to treat or prevent joint destruction in inflammatory arthritis.

Objective To evaluate the therapeutic effect of etanercept in patients with Behcet's disease (BD). Methods Twenty six patients with active BD were eligible for anti-TNF-α treatment, which failed previously to commonly used drugs. All the patients were stopped previous therapy and treated with etanercept 25 mg twice a week. The clinical responses and laboratory parameters were evaluated at the baseline, week 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24, and week 12 of etanercept withdrawal. Results Etanercept was effective in several clinical lesions and lab. parameters at all time points. Especially at week 2, including oral ulcers, genital ulcers, erythema nodosum, pseudofolliculitis and swollen joints (P<0.01). Two of four cases of uveitis were contro-lled with addition of topical corticosteroids; The ileocecal junction ulcer of 1 patient healed after 2 months etanercept therapy; four cases of epididymitis reached complete remission at week 4. ESR(P=0.012) and CRP (P=0.013) were also rapidly decreased at week 2. Most patients were relapsed at week 12 of etanercept withdrawal compared with baseline except for swollen joints (0.65±1.09 vs 0.31±0.60, P<0.01) after etanercept withdrawal, in which the typical rebound was CRP from (481±312) mg/L to (549±267) mg/L (P=0.013).Conclusion Etanereept has rapid efficacy onset for most of the mucocutaneous disorders and possibly effective for arthritis, ophthalmitis, epididymitis and colonic ulcer of BD.

Objective This study was designed to investigate the expression changes of osteopro-tegerin (OPG), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) mRNA in collagen induced arthritis(CIA) rats. Methods After CIA was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats, the experimental animals were treated with PBS or rAAV-EGFP or rAAV-hOPG (100 μl/day) intra-articular injection for 10 days. Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) were obtained from CIA synovium 40days after first immun-ization. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were carried out to detect the mRNA encoding OPG, TRAP, VEGF and β-actin, which acted as inner control. The genes detected clearly by RT-PCR were quantified using real-time PCR. Results The expression of all genes was confirmed by specific single bands in RT-PCR. Real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of TRAP and VEGF were increased, whereas those of OPG mRNA were decreased in CIA group compared with normal controls. The intra-articular gene transduction markedly increased the gene copies of OPG by 128.21% (P<0.01). The expression change of OPG in synovium also caused the decrease of the expression levels of TRAP and VEGF by 58.79% (P<0.01)and 17.85% (P>0.05) respectively, however, the expression change of VEGF was not statistically significant. Conclusion OPG gene mediated by rAAV can be successfully tranfered to knee joint synovium in vivo. The results of this study suggest that gene transfer using rAAV-OPG may be a feasible and effective therapeutic approach to treat or prevent joint destruction in inflammatory arthritis.

Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of ibuprofen arginate,a new nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug,with that of ibuprofen,in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or knee osteoarthritis and to evaluate the safety and tolerability of ibuprofen argihate.Methods This is a muhicenter,random,open,active comparator-controlled,parallel clinical trail in which 171 patients with rheumatoid arthritis or knee osteoarthritis were enrolled.Patients were randomized to 2 groups:400 mg of ibuprofen arginate three times daily and 400 mg of ibuprofen three times daily respectively.Clinical efficacy and safety were evaluated after 4-week treatment.Results Ibuprofen arginate,at dosages of 400 mg three times daily,had shown significant efficacy in relieving pain,tenderness and swelling of joints and there was no significant difference when compared to that of ibuprofen.There was no difference in clinical adverse effects between the two groups and no serious adverse effects were repofled.But ibuprofen arginate could initiate effectiveness more rapidly than ibuprofen in both rheumatoid arthritisand osteoarthritis patients.Conclusion Ibuprofen arginate has the same clinical efficacy and safety profiles as itmprofen in treating rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.However,its onset is more rapid than ibuprofen.

Objective To analyze the clinical features,and prognosis of the interstitial lung disease (ILD) in patients with dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) by chest X-ray,chest high-resolution CT scan (HRCT) and pulmonary lung function.Methods Thirty-three patients hospitalized with DM/PM associated ILD were retrospectively analyzed.Results Thirty-three patients with ILD were confirmed by HRCT.Abnormal pulmonary function tests were available in 82% of patients.Clinical-imaging analysis revealed that the pathological features of ILD were non-specific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP,57%) and unusual interstitial pneumonia (UIP,25%).UIP types showed a poor prognosis and high mortality (70%).Conclusion This study shows that HRCT is more sensitive for the diagnosis of ILD than lung function tests and chest X-ray.Combined HRCT and chest X-ray with lung function tests and blood gas analysis have shown that the major pathological types of ILD are NSIP and UIP,in which UIP are associated with high mortality and poor prognosis.