Varieties and standards of Corydalis medicinal plants / 中国中药杂志

Through literature research and standard retrieval, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, the origins, and related standards were summarized. Finally, 27 medicinal materials were screened out, involving 71 species(varieties). Among them, only 11 are recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020), National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs·Tibetan Medicine, Tibetan Medicine Standards, and other local standards, including Corydalis Bungeanae Herba and Corydalis Herba. The names and original plants of the medicinal materials are different in different standards, and the phenomena of "same medicinal material with different names" and "same name for different medicinal materials" are prominent. Most standards only include the traits, microscopic identification, and physico-chemical property identification, with unsound quality criteria. Thus, efforts should be made to strengthen the sorting of Corydalis medicinal plants, herbal textual research, and investigation of the resources and utilization. Moreover, via modern techniques, the chemical components and medicinal material basis of different original plants should be explored and sound quality standards should be established to improve the safety and quality of Corydalis-derived medicinal materials. Summarizing Corydalis medicinal plants, Corydalis-derived medicinal materials, and related standards, this study is expected to provide a reference for the standard formulation, quality evaluation, expansion of drug sources, and rational development and utilization of Corydalis resources.

The etiologies of post-stroke depression: Different between lacunar stroke and non-lacunar stroke

Abstract Objectives: Depression is common after both lacunar stroke and non-lacunar stroke and might be associated with lesion locations as proven by some studies. This study aimed to identify whether lesion location was critical for depression after both lacunar and non-lacunar strokes. Methods: A cohort of ischemic stroke patients was assigned to either a lacunar stroke group or a non-lacunar stroke group after a brain MRI scan. Neurological deficits and treatment response was evaluated during hospitalization. The occurrence of depression was evaluated 3 months later. Logistic regressions were used to identify the independent risk factors for depression after lacunar and non-lacunar stroke respectively. Results: 83 of 246 patients with lacunar stroke and 71 of 185 patients with non-lacunar stroke developed depression. Infarctions in the frontal cortex, severe neurological deficits, and a high degree of handicap were identified as the independent risk factors for depression after non-lacunar stroke, while lesion location was not associated with depression after lacunar stroke. Conclusion: The main determinants for depression after lacunar and non-lacunar stroke were different. Lesion location was critical only for depression after non-lacunar stroke.

Herbal Textual Research on Local Varieties of Codonopsis Radix / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Codonopsis Radix， one of the bulk commodities， has been commonly used for tonification in clinical practice. Apart from the medicinal purpose， it can also be utilized as food. Among the multiple local varieties， the ones called "Luduiduoji" in Tibetan medicine cannot be neglected， which have frequently been adopted for diminishing inflammation and swelling， invigorating spleen and stomach， and tonifying Qi， etc. Considering its complex origins and frequent substitution by or confusion with other medicinal materials， this paper reviewed the Si Bu Yi Dian， Jingzhu Bencao， ministerial and local standards， modern literature on Tibetan medicine， and the results of field investigation in major Tibetan medicine hospitals and medicinal material markets of Sichuan， Qinghai and Tibet to figure out the name， original plants， medicinal parts， effects， and local varieties of Codonopsis Radix in Tibetan medicine. The results showed that the names of local varieties were diverse， many of which were transliterated into Tibetan， with "Luduiduoji" being most well-known. It was derived from 14 species in genus Codonopsis and one in Adenophora of family Campanulaceae， with Codonopsis foetens subsp. nervosa， C. thalictrifolia var. mollis， C. canescens， C. alpina， and C. pilosula being the main species. According to literature records， the roots， aerial parts， and whole plants could all be employed as medicine， but there were certain differences in their clinical applications. At present， in order to protect the medicinal resources， Tibetan medical workers mostly collect the aerial parts， which are applicable to patients with yellow water， rheumatism， Gamba disease， and leprosy. This literature review of local varieties for Codonopsis Radix and textual research on their original plants are of great significance for elevating the standard， accelerating the pharmacodynamic research， expanding the sources and promoting the rational use of Codonopsis Radix.

Preliminary Investigation of Resources and Medicinal Use of Codonopsis canescens / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To study the resources and medicinal use of Tibetan medicine Codonopsis canescens，analyze its suitable habitat，and protect its wild resources，in order to provide an important reference basis for further rational development and utilization. Method:Combined investigation methods of literature textual research，visiting investigation and on-the-spot investigation were adopted. Result:In this paper，we investigated the resources and medicinal use of C. canescens in 27 cities and counties of Sichuan，Qinghai and Tibet. Compared with historical records of C. canescens，the results showed that there was no obvious change in the distribution range，and the distribution was uneven in different places. Ganzi Prefecture， Sichuan， boasts rich resources； in particular， Luhuo county has as high as 90-120 plants/100 m2， it is estimated that the reserves per unit area of root C. canescens in this area were 3 445.32 g·m-2，which totaled 1 279.18 ton（1 ton=1 000 kg）. In history，the root is the main medicinal part. However， in recent years，in order to protect resources，the aboveground part is frequently used. The clinical efficacy of Tibetan medicine is mainly to tonify Qi and activate blood circulation. It can be combined with other drugs to treat rheumatism，sores，furuncle，carbuncle and other diseases. However，the plants of Codonopsis are mixed with C. canescens in each Tibetan area，and the mixed varieties are determined according to the growing varieties of the same genus in this area. Conclusion:The reserves of wild resources of C. canescens are decreasing with the increase of clinical use and market demand of Tibetan medicine. There is serious mixture of Codonopsis plants in Tibetan areas. It is suggested paying attention to resource protection，carrying out artificial planting，establishing the standard for the medicinal use of Tibetan medicine，and promote rational and sustainable utilization of resources.

Follow-up study of preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction after medication / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To study the effect of levothyroxine sodium tablets on the growth and development and thyroid function in preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for 82 preterm infants who were born in the Department of Obstetrics of the First People's Hospital of Yunnan Province, from January 1, 2013 to December 31, 2017, and these infants were hospitalized after birth in the Department of Neonatology of the hospital. They were regularly followed up to observe growth and development and thyroid function at the outpatient service of the Department of Neonatology. According to thyroid function test results, they were divided into an abnormal thyroid function group (observation group; @*RESULTS@#There were no significant differences in physical development indices (body length, body weight, and head circumference) between the observation and control groups at various gestational ages after follow-up to the corrected age of 12 months (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Early diagnosis and reasonable treatment can reduce the impact on growth and development in preterm infants with thyroid dysfunction. Most preterm infants tend to have transient thyroid dysfunction, while those with positive results of neonatal screening are more likely to develop permanent thyroid dysfunction.

Relationship between lower limb alignment distribution and short-term clinical results after primary total knee arthroplasty in patients with varying degrees of knee varus / 中国骨伤

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the relationship between the distribution of lower limb alignment and short term clinical efficacy in patients with varus-type osteoarthritis after primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA).@*METHODS@#From December 2016 to March 2018, 87 patients (101 knees) with knee osteoarthritis were treated with the first total knee arthroplasty by the same medical group, including 21 males(25 knees) and 66 females(76 knees), ranging in age from 51 to 85 years old, with a mean of (67.6±7.0) years old. According to the difference of hip knee ankle angle (HKA) after total knee arthroplasty, the patients were divided into 4 groups:neutral position group (group A), -3°≤HKA≤3°, 50 knees;slight varus group (group B), 3°0.05). There was no significant difference in knee joint activity among the 4 groups. The score of femoral prosthesis force line within ±3°was better than that of the other group (0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The short term clinical efficacy of patients with knee varus osteoarthritis after primary total knee arthroplasty is related to the distribution of lower limbs alignment. The short-term clinical efficacy of slight inversion position can be similar to that of neutral position. The force line distribution of femoral prosthesis is related to the short term clinical efficacy after primary knee arthroplasty.

Clinical significance of deubiquitinase UCHL5 expression in thyroid carcinoma and its relationship with malignant behaviors of carcinoma cells / 中国肿瘤生物治疗杂志

@#[Abstract] Objective: To explore the clinical significance and in vitro biological effect of ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L5 (UCHL5) expression in thyroid carcinoma (TC) tissues. Methods: TCGAdata were used to analyze the expression of UCHL5 in thyroid carcinoma tissues and its relationship with the prognosis of patients. 82 pairs of TC tissues and corresponding adjacent tissues were collected in the Department of Vascular and Thyroid Surgery, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital from May 2018 to July 2019; TC cell lines (KTC-1 and WRO) were cultured in vitro, and transfected with UCHL5 overexpression vectors or their control vectors via lentivirus. The mRNAand protein expressions of UCHL5 and B-Raf proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase (BRAF) in tissues and cells were detected by qPCR and Western blotting, respectively. Cell proliferation was detected by CCK-8, and cell invasion and migration were detected by Transwell and Wound-healing experiments. Results: The expression of UCHL5 was low in TC tissues (P<0.01), and its expression was upregulated in tumor tissues with high TNM stage (P<0.01). The expression of UCHL5 was significantly correlated with BRAF expression and TNM stage of patients (all P<0.01), but not significantly related with patient's age, gender, pathological type and BRAF mutation (all P>0.05). In vitro overexpression of UCHL5 in KTC-1 and WRO cells could significantly promote BRAF expression, cell proliferation and metastasis (all P<0.01). Conclusion: The expression of UCHL5 is low in TC tissue, but upregulated with tumor progression. The high expression of UCHL5 in TC patients suggests poor prognosis. Meanwhile, UCHL5 can promote the malignant behaviors of TC cells in vitro.

Application of laryngeal mask airway inhalated with desflurane anesthesia in the interventional treatment of in-fant facial superficial mixed hemangioma / 局解手术学杂志

Objective To investigate the application effect of interventional surgery in the treatment of facial superficial mixed hemangi-oma through the laryngeal mask ventilation under desflurane anesthesia. Methods In the period from February 2016 to April 2017 in our hospital 118 cases of facial superficial hemangioma under interventional surgery in infants( aged 3-15 months) were retrospectively analyzed;according to the difference of anesthesia,they were divided into control group (51 cases) and observation group (67 cases);the two groups of children were administered sufentanil anesthesia, in the control group laryngeal mask airway under propofol, the observation group was giv-en under laryngeal mask airway inhalation of desflurane maintenance. Then was compared the difference in anesthesia monitoring indexes of the two groups, such as mean arterial pressure ( MAP) , saturation of pulse oximetry ( SpO2 ) , heart rate ( HR) , end-tidal carbon dioxide ( ETCO2 ) , laryngeal mask removal time, loss of consciousness time, laryngeal mask removal time, consciousness recovery duration, clinical efficacy and intraoperative and postoperative adverse reactions difference. Results For the control group, the laryngeal mask removal time and consciousness recovery time length were significantly longer than those of the observation group and the difference was statistically signifi-cant (P<0. 05);after anesthesia induction, the laryngeal mask insertion time, operation start time and laryngeal mask removal time, MAP and HR of the observation group and the control group were lower than those before anesthesia induction, and MAP and HR of control group were lower than those of the observation group and the deference was statistically significant (P<0. 05). The total efficiency of the observa-tion group (97. 02％) was significantly higher than the control group (88. 24％), the adverse reaction rate (23. 52％) of children in the control group was significantly higher than that (7. 46％) of those in the observation group, and the differences were statistically significant (P<0. 05). Conclusion In the infant facial superficial hemangioma interventional surgery, laryngeal mask airway can be used for anesthe-sia maintenance for desflurane effect and clinical curative effect in the effective protection of anesthesia at the same time, but also can reduce the risk of anesthesia and intraoperative blood pressure fluctuations, especially in the stabilization of hemodynamics of the patients.

Artificial cornea preparation using collagen/chondroitin sulfate/fibroblast growth factor composite film / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND:The traditional corneal scaffolds exhibit poor strength and biological compatibility. Little is reported on the artificial cornea prepared by collagen and chondroitin sulfate (CS), which consist of the natural corneal tissue. OBJECTIVE:To prepare the collagen/CS/fibroblast growth factor (FGF) composite artificial cornea with slow-release growth factor, high strength and light transmittance, as well as good biocompatibility. METHODS:Regenerated collagen films were prepared by 1％, 5％, 10％ collagen solutions using flow casting method, and the regenerated collagen film with the best bioactivity that was prepared by 5％ collagen solution was screened through a biomechanical test. Then, the CS/collagen composite film was achieved by cross-linking the CS (2, 20, 80 g/L) with collagen by using N-(3-Dimethylaminopropyl)- N'S-ethylcarbodimide hydrochloride-N-Hydroxysuccinimide. The composite film made of 20 g/L CS was confirmed to have the best transparency, which was used to be mixed with 5, 25, 50 mg/L FGF in PBS for 24 hours to prepare the collagen/CS/FGF composite films. ELISA method was used to detect the FGF level in the supernatant. Afterwards, corneal epithelial cells were co-cultured with regenerated collagen film, collagen/CS composite film and collagen/CS/FGF composite film, respectively. After 48 hours of co-culture, cell proliferation was detected by MTT method, based on which we could screen the optimal collagen/CS/FGF composite film. After co-culture with the collagen/CS/FGF composite film for 48 and 72 hours, cell morphology was observed by confocal microscope and scanning electron microscope, respectively. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION:The release amount of FGF from the composite films was dependent on the initial loading amount of FGF. Meanwhile, FGF released slowly from the three kinds of composite films, and the release amount was 11％, 23％, 30％ at 72 hours after culture, in accordance with the pharmacokinetic process. MTT findings indicated that the optimal loading concentration of FGF was 25 mg/L. Under the microscope, the collagen/CS/FGF composite film promoted the adhesion, growth and proliferation of corneal epithelial cells. To conclude, the collagen/CS/FGF composite film is expected to be an ideal scaffold material for artificial cornea preparation.

Effects of piogiltazone on the expression of hemooxygenase-1 in aortic atherosclerosis plaque area in rabbits / 西安交通大学学报(医学版)

Objective To investigate the effects of piogiltazone on the expression of hemooxygenase-1 in aortic atherosclerosis plaque area in rabbits .Methods We randomly divided 36 Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbits into 3 groups:control group ,high-cholesterol diet group ,and high-cholesterol diet with pioglitazone [8 mg/(kg · d)] group ,with 12 in each .All the animals were fed for 12 weeks and then sacrificed .Rabbit aortic atherosclerosis pathological features were observed by Masson staining ;the expression of hemooxygenase-1 in aortic atherosclerosis plaque area in rabbits was detected by immunohistochemistry , real-time quantitative PCR and Western blot techniques .Results Hemooxygenase-1 expression was obvious in the smooth muscle in aortic vessels and atherosclerosis plaques in the three groups of rabbits . The expression of hemooxygenase-1 was lower in high-cholesterol diet with pioglitazone group than in high-cholesterol diet group and significantly higher than in control group (P<0 .05) .Conclusion Pioglitazone can slow down the progression of atherosclerosis by up-regulating the expression of hemooxygenase-1 .

Effect of Ahmed glaucoma drainage valve implantation on corneal endothelial cell density and intraocular pressure in patients with neovascular glaucoma / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

AIM:To investigate the effect of Ahmed glaucoma drainage valve implantation on corneal endothelial cell density and intraocular pressure in patients with neovascular glaucoma.METHODS:Totally 200 cases (200 eyes) of patients with neovascular glaucoma in our hospital from June 2013 to June 2016 were enrolled in this study.All patients were treated with glaucoma drainage valve implantation.The medical records of the patients were retrospectively analyzed;the evaluation of operation completion was made;intraocular pressure at preoperative and postoperative 1wk,1mo,1a was detected using non-contact tonometry;the corneal endothelial cell density at preoperative and postoperative 1 wk,1mo and 1 a was tested by corneal endothelial microscopy,and visual acuity of patients before operation and at 1 a after operation was recorded.All patients' complications and intervention methods were followed-up and recorded.RESULTS:All patients' complete success rate was 81.0％,the conditional success rate was 92.0％.The proportion of preoperative and postoperative vision without light perception,hand moving to 0.01,0.02-0.05,0.06-＜0.10,≥0.10 had significant difference (P＞0.05).Intraocular pressure before treatment was 42.43±3.43mmHg,and were 13.45 ± 2.34mmHg,15.89 ± 2.67mmHg,16.34±2.88mmHg at 1wk,1mo and 1a after operation respectively,showing significant difference (F=4570.62,P＜ 0.001).Before treatment,corneal endothelial cell density was 2453.67± 342.34/mm2,and were 2216.67-± 332.32/mm2,2087.34 ± 326.45/mm2,1959.67±303.34/mm2 at 1wk,1mo and 1 a after operation respectively,holding significantly different (F=83.42,P＜0.001).There were macular degeneration 20 eyes of hyphema,13 eyes of low pressure,8 eyes of drainage valve displacement and 21 eyes of shallow anterior chamber.CONCLUSION:Ahmed glaucoma drainage valve implantation for neovascular glaucoma can effectively control intraocular pressure but the presence of corneal endothelial cell loss exists,can effectively protect and recover residual vision of patients,relief complications and recover it after simple intervention,it is an effective method for neovascular glaucoma.

Effect of admission blood urea and creatinine levels on mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of admission blood urea and creatinine levels on mortality in elderly patients with hip fracture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Form January 2013 to December 2014, 767 elder patients with hip fracture were treated in our hospital including 253 males and 514 females, aged from 65 to 96 years old with an average of(75.67±6.81) years old. According blood urea and creatinine levels, the 767 hip fracture patients were divided into four groups as follow: group A(blood urea>=5 mmol/L, creatinine>=70 μmol/L); group B (blood urea>=5 mmol/L, creatinine<70 μmol/L); group C (blood urea<5 mmol/L, creatinine>=70 μmol/L); group D(blood urea<5 mmol/L, creatinine<70 μmol/L). In group A, there were 211 patients including 70 males and 141 females, aged from 65 to 95 years old with an average of(80.24±6.51) years old; in group B, there were 355 patients including 125 males and 230 females, aged from 65 to 93 years old with an average of(78.46±7.09) years old; in group C, there were 36 patients including 11 males and 25 females, aged from 65 to 95 years old with an average of (77.83±6.78) years old; in group D, there were 165 patients including 47 males and 118 females, aged from 65 to 96 years old with an average of (76.71±8.35) years old. The survivals and dead patients in four groups were collected and in-hospital mortality rate, 3-month, 12-month and 18-month mortality rate of patients were calculated. COX regression analysis was performed on these data, and clinical significance of serum urea and creatinine at admission in the elderly patients was researched.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All 767 hip fracture patients were followed up from 18 to 24 months with an average of (21.33±1.25) months, 159 patients were died in follow up period. The in-hospital mortality rate in 3-month, 12-month and 18-month mortality rate of the patients with high blood urea and high blood creatinine (urea>=5 mmol/L, creatinine>=70 μmol/L) were 2.37%, 9.95%, 16.11% and 26.07%, and were higher than other three groups respectively. COX regression analysis revealed that the independent predictors effecting the mortality rate included age [=0.000, OR=1.375, 95%CI(1.155, 1.637)], blood urea at admission [=0.000, OR=1.375, 95%CI(1.155, 1.637)], and blood creatinine at admission[=0.037, OR=1.213, 95%CI(1.121, 1.484)].</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Elderly hip fracture patients with high serum urea and high serum creatinine at admission indicate higher fatality rate. Age, serum urea and serum creatinine at admission were independent predictors of fatality rate of elderly hip fracture patients.</p>

Analysis of Relationship between Serum Total Light Chain κ/λ Ratio and Proportion of Bone Marrow Plasma Cells in Patients with IgG type and IgA type Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the relationship between serum total light chain κ/λ ratio (sTLC-κ/λ) and proportion of bone marrow plasma cells (BMPC) in patients with IgG type and IgA type multiple myeloma (MM) and its clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The levels of serum IgG, IgA, κ type and λ type total light chain were detected in 79 newly diagnosed patients with IgG type (n=52) and IgA type (n=27) MM by immuno-nephelometric assay and the sTLC-κ/λ ratio was calculated. The proportion of BMPC was determined by bone marrow smears in the corresponding period, and the changes in sTLC-κ/λ ratio and the proportion of BMPC were observed in 19 patients with IgG type(n=16) and IgA type (n=3) MM undergoing treatment, 26 cases of non-phasmocytic proliferative diseases were enrolled in control group.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In MM patients with IgGκ type and IgAκ type, the sTLC-κ/λ ratio was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01), while in MM patients with IgGλ type and IgAλ type, the sTLC-κ/λ ratio was significantly lower than that in the control group (P<0.01). In MM patients with IgGκ, the sTLC-κ/λ ratio was significantly higher than that in MM patients with IgAκ(P<0.01), while the sTLC-κ/λ ratio in MM patients with IgGλ was significantly lower than that in MM patients with IgAλ. The sTLC-κ/λ ratios in MM patients with IgGκ and IgAκ were positively correlated with the concentrations of IgG (r=0.778,P=0.000) and IgA (r=0.601,P=0.039), while the sTLC-κ/λ ratios of patients with IgGλ and IgAλ were negativily correlated with the IgG(r=-0.586,P=0.01) and IgA level(r=-0.718,P=0.003). In addition, a correlation between each type MM was not found except the IgGκ type MM which had a positive correlation between the sTLC-κ/λ ratio and proportion of BMPC (r=0.579,P=0.002). Nonetheless, 18 of 19 patients with IgG type and IgA type MM undergoing treatment showed concordance between the sTLC-κ/λ ratio and proportion of BMPC change.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>There is a lower correlation between the sTLC-κ/λ ratio and the proportion of BMPC in MM patients with IgG type and IgA type, but there is a high concordance between the sTLC-κ/λ ratio and the proportion of BMPC change in the same patient and it suggests that the sTLC-κ/λ ratio plays an important role in the diagnosis and monitoring of IgG type and IgA type MM.</p>

Pharmacophore identification of novel dual-target compounds targeting AChE and PARP-1 / 药学学报

Multi-target drugs attract increasing attentions for the therapy of complicated neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, a computer-assisted strategy was applied to search for multi-target compounds by the pharmacophore matching. This strategy has been successfully used to design dual-target inhibitor models against both the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1). Based on two pharmacophore models matching and physicochemical properties filtering, one hit was identified which could inhibit AChE with IC50 value of (0.337 +/- 0.052) micromol x L(-1) and PARP-1 by 24.6% at 1 micromol x L(-1).

Irregularly shaped lacunar infarction: risk factors and clinical significance / Infartos lacunares com morfologia irregular: fatores de risco e significado clinico

Objective Our study focused on acute lacunar infarct shapes to explore the risk factors and clinical significance of irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions. Methods Based on the shape of their acute lacunar infarct, patients (n=204) were classified into the “regular” group or “irregular” group. The characteristics of the lacunar infarction were compared between the regular and irregular groups, between patients with and without neurological deterioration, and between patients with different modified Rankin scale (mRS) scores. The risk factors for irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions, neurological deterioration, and high mRS scores were identified. Results Blood pressure variability (BPV) was an independent risk factor for irregularly shaped lacunar infarction. Infarction size, prevalence of advanced leukoaraiosis, and irregularly shaped lacunar infarcts were independent risk factors for higher mRS scores. Conclusions The irregularly shaped lacunar infarcts were correlated with BPV. Irregularly shaped lacunar infarctions and leukoaraiosis may be associated with unfavorable clinical outcomes. .

Objetivo Estudar as diferentes formas dos infartos lacunares agudos, investigando os fatores de risco e o significado clinico daqueles com morfologia irregular. Métodos Os 204 pacientes com infartos lacunares agudos foram classificados em dois grupos: aqueles com morfologia regular e aqueles com morfologia irregular. Foram estudadas as características dos dois grupos e caracterizados os fatores de risco para infartos irregulares, deterioração neurológica e altos escores da escala de Rankin modificada. Resultados Variabilidade da pressão arterial é fator de risco independente para infartos lacunares irregulares. Tamanho do infarto, prevalência de leucoaraiose e formato irregular dos infartos lacunares são fatores de risco independentes para escores mais elevados na escala de Rankin modificada. Conclusões Variabilidade da pressão arterial está relacionada ao formato irregular dos infartos lacunares agudos. Este tipo de infarto e a leucoaraiose podem estar relacionado a desfechos clínicos desfavoráveis. .

The 'silence' of silent brain infarctions may be related to chronic ischemic preconditioning and nonstrategic locations rather than to a small infarction size

OBJECTIVE: Silent brain infarctions are the silent cerebrovascular events that are distinguished from symptomatic lacunar infarctions by their 'silence'; the origin of these infarctions is still unclear. This study analyzed the characteristics of silent and symptomatic lacunar infarctions and sought to explore the mechanism of this 'silence'. METHODS: In total, 156 patients with only silent brain infarctions, 90 with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions, 160 with both silent and symptomatic lacunar infarctions, and 115 without any infarctions were recruited. Vascular risk factors, leukoaraiosis, and vascular assessment results were compared. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores were compared between patients with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions and patients with two types of infarctions. The locations of all of the infarctions were evaluated. The evolution of the two types of infarctions was retrospectively studied by comparing the infarcts on the magnetic resonance images of 63 patients obtained at different times. RESULTS: The main risk factors for silent brain infarctions were hypertension, age, and advanced leukoaraiosis; the main factors for symptomatic lacunar infarctions were hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and atherosclerosis of relevant arteries. The neurological deficits of patients with only symptomatic lacunar infarctions were more severe than those of patients with both types of infarctions. More silent brain infarctions were located in the corona radiata and basal ganglia; these locations were different from those of the symptomatic lacunar infarctions. The initial sizes of the symptomatic lacunar infarctions were larger than the silent brain infarctions, whereas the final sizes were almost equal between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ischemic preconditioning and nonstrategic locations may be the main reasons for the 'silence' of silent brain infarctions.

Efficacy of compound Xuanju capsule in the treatment of chronic prostatitis with erectile dysfunction / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of Compound Xuanju Capsule (CXC) in the treatment of chronic prostatitis with erectile dysfunction (ED).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We obtained NIH-CPSI and IIEF-5 scores from 132 chronic prostatitis patients with ED and divided the patients into a control (n = 70) and a treatment group (n = 62), the former treated with oral levofloxacin 0.2 g bid for 4-6 weeks and oral Terazosin at 2 mg qd for 2 months, and the latter with oral CXC once 2 capsules tid for 2 months in addition to the above.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>None of the patients had serious medication-related adverse reactions. After treatment, the control group showed significantly decreased NIH-CPSI scores and slightly increased IIEF-5 scores as compared with the baseline (16.5 +/- 5.9 vs 25.1 +/- 5.5, P < 0.05 and 13.1 +/- 5.2 vs 11.3 +/- 4.5, P > 0.05), while the treatment group exhibited significant improvement in both NIH-CPSI (13.4 +/- 5.7 vs 25.5 +/- 5.3, P < 0.05) and IIEF-5 scores (17.5 +/- 6.5 vs 10.8 +/- 3.8, P < 0.05). The total effectiveness rate for ED was significantly higher in the treatment than in the control group (74.2% vs 20%, P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Compound Xuanju Capsule can significantly alleviate both the symptoms of chronic prostatitis and ED in the treatment of chronic prostatitis patients with ED.</p>