Effects of acupoint thread-embedding therapy on serum apelin and GLP-1 in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with obesity due to dampness-heat encumbering spleen / 针灸推拿医学（英文版）

Objective: To observe the effects of acupoint thread-embedding therapy on serum apelin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with obesity due to dampness-heat encumbering spleen.Methods: Sixty-six patients were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group according to the random number table method, with 33 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with exenatide and metformin, while patients in the observation group were treated with additional acupoint thread-embedding. After 12-week treatment, the obesity-related indicators, including body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat rate, the glycometabolism indicators, including fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin, and the lipid metabolism indicators, including total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), as well as serum apelin and GLP-1 levels were observed in patients of the two groups. Results: After treatment, the BMI, waist circumference and body fat rate of patients in the two groups were all reduced (all P<0.05), and were lower in the observation group than in the control group (all P<0.05); the fasting blood glucose, 2 h postprandial blood glucose and glycosylated hemoglobin levels of patients in both groups were all decreased (all P<0.05), and were significantly lower in the observation group than in the control group (all P<0.05); the TC level was decreased (P<0.05), while the TG and LDL-C levels did not change significantly in the control group (both P>0.05); the TC, TG and LDL-C levels were all significantly reduced in the observation group (all P<0.05), lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05); the serum apelin level was decreased (P<0.05) and the serum GLP-1 level was increased (P<0.05) in the observation group, statistically different from those in the control group (both P<0.05). Conclusion: Combined with the conventional medication, acupoint thread-embedding therapy can significantly improve the obesity-related indicators, glycometabolism and lipid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients with obesity due to dampness-heat encumbering spleen. This may be achieved by regulating the serum apelin and GLP-1 levels.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Bathing with Chinese Medicine Taohong Siwu Decoction () for Treatment of Diffuse Cutaneous Systemic Sclerosis: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the efficacy and safety of bathing therapy with Taohong Siwu Decoction (, TSD) in the treatment of early-stage, mild-moderate diffuse cutaneous systemic sclerosis (dcSSc).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This randomized, placebo-controlled trial enrolled 148 men and women (18-60 years) with dcSSc (disease duration 12 months) and baseline modified Rodnan skin score (MRSS) 10. Patients were randomized into a TSD group (71 cases bathing with TSD plus oral prednisone) or control group (71 cases bathing with placebo plus oral prednisone). Bathing (40 °C, 30 min) of the upper and lower limbs was carried out once daily for 12 consecutive weeks. The primary outcome measure was MRSS; secondary outcomes were Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) score, quality of life (QOL), physician visual analogue scale (VAS), patient VAS, percent predicted diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO), percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level and overall treatment effect.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The final analysis included 135 patients (control group, 68 cases; TSD group, 67 cases). Primary and secondary outcome measures after 2 weeks of treatment showed no improvement (versus baseline) in both groups, with no differences between groups. At 12 weeks, QOL, physician VAS, patient VAS, ESR and CRP were improved in both groups, but MRSS and RP score were improved only in the TSD group (all P<0.05). MRSS, RP score, QOL, physician VAS, patient VAS, ESR and CRP differed significantly between groups (all P<0.05). Meanwhile, the overall treatment effect was significantly higher in the TSD group than in the control group (P<0.05). Adverse events in the two groups were similar (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Bathing with TSD plus oral prednisone achieves better outcomes than oral prednisone alone in patients with dcSSc and is not associated with serious adverse events.</p>

Efficacy and safety of gefitinib in maintenance therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the efficacy and safety of gefitinib as maintenance therapy for patient with advanced non-small lung cancer (NSCLC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From Oct. 2002 to Apr. 2006, 173 patients with advanced NSCLC received oral gefitinib 250 mg per day after completion of induction chemotherapy (62 patients, maintenance therapy group) or recurrence after one or more regimens of chemotherapy (111 patients, recurrent group). Median survival (MS) and progress free survival (PFS) were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method, and Cox regression analysis was used to analyze the difference between the sub-groups stratified by smoking, pathological type, liver metastasis and gefitinib treatment result.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>MS of maintenance therapy group and recurrent group were 25.0 months (95% CI: 19.3-30.7) and 12.5 months (95% CI: 9.3-15.7), respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between the above two groups (P = 0.0004). PFS of maintenance therapy group and recurrent group was 16.5 months (95% CI: 8.7-24.3) and 9.2 months (95% CI: 7.5-10.9), respectively. There was also a statistically significant difference between these two groups (P = 0. 0000). It was found that median MS in maintenance therapy group was significantly correlated with smoking status, pathology type, liver metastasis and objective response of gefitinib.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Maintenance therapy with gefitinib after induction chemotherapy may improve overall survival in patient with non-small cell lung cancer.</p>

Gefitinib in the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer with brain metastasis / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Brain metastasis is frequently found in patient with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Gefitinib is a inhibitor of epidermal growth factor receptor and can be used for the treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the antitumor efficacy of Gefitinib in advanced NSCLC patients with brain metastasis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty-four consecutive NSCLC patients with brain metastases were treated with gefitinib, which was administered orally at daily dose of 250 mg. Of these patients, 30 had been treated with WBRT and 42 received chemotherapy one month before enrolled into the study.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Partial response (PR) was observed in 14 patients (31.8%), stable disease (SD) in 21 (47.7%) with an overall disease control rate of 79.5%. Median progression-free survival (PFS) was 9 months and median overall survival (OS) was 13.0 months. The difference in disease control rate between the patients who had previous WBRT and those without was not significant (P = 0.566). The toxicity is mild and tolerable.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Our data shows that Gefitinib is safe and may be effective on brain metastasis, which may become an alternative treatment option for the patient with advanced NSCLC.</p>

Gefitinib for advanced bronchioloalveolar carcinoma / 中国医学科学院学报

We described 3 cases of advanced bronchioloalveolar carcinoma (BAC), in whom once-daily treatment with 250 mg Gefitinib (Iressa) demonstrated remarkable antitumor effects. Gefitinib may produce dramatic clinical responses when administered to patients with poor performance status who had received heavy platinum/docetaxel-based prior chemotherapy.

Analysis of DNA fingerprint of Mycobacterium tuberculosis enterbacterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by enterbaeterial repetitive intergenic consensus-polymerase chain reaction(ERIC-PCR)DNA fingerprint. Methods Mycobacterium tuberculosis positive sputum samples between September 2003 to May 2006 were collected and cultured.Chromosomal DNA were extracted and ERIC-PCR DNA fingerprinting was analyzed by software,such as RAPD PHYLIP and Treeview.Results A total of 42 different fingerprints were detected.Phylogenetic analysis showed that they could be classified into three clusters,the clustering rate was 72.6%.The characteristics of ERIC-PCR fingerprint patterns were related to age,drug resistance,and type of resistance.Conclusions ERIC-PCR DNA fingerprinting technique used in this study is good for epidemiological studies with its strong discrimination,simplicity and rapidness.A high level of recent transmission is found in our city.