Analysis on quality value transfer of substance benchmarks of Zhenwu Decoction / 中国中药杂志

By preparing 15 batches of Zhenwu Decoction substance benchmarks,the characteristic map,index component content and paste-forming rate were determined to define the peak attribution,similarity range,paste-forming rate range,paeoniflorin and6-gingerol content range and transfer rate range. The similarity between the substance benchmark characteristic map and the control map R generated from the 15 batches of substance benchmarks was higher than 0. 970. There were 19 characteristic peaks in total. By further summarization of the characteristic peaks,it could be seen that tuckahoe had 3 characteristic peaks,white peony root had 10 characteristic peaks,atractylodes had 3 characteristic peaks,ginger had 1 characteristic peak,and Aconite root had 3 characteristic peaks; among them,white peony root and aconite root had 1 common peak. The contents and transfer rates of the 15 batches were0. 50%-0. 93 and 16. 11%-26. 20%; those for 6-gingerol were 0. 018 2%-0. 033 9% and 13. 16%-24. 10%,respectively. The pasteforming rate ranged from 10. 00% to 14. 85%. In this study,the transfer process of substance benchmark value of classic formula Zhenwu Decoction was analyzed based on the characteristic map,the paste-forming rate and the content of the index components; a scientific and stable substance benchmark quality evaluation method was preliminarily established to provide a basis for subsequent development of classic formula Zhenwu Decoction and quality control of relevant preparations.

Characteristic spectrum and decoction process of classical prescription Qingwei San / 中国中药杂志

In this experiment, by determination of the HPLC characteristic spectrum of the classical prescription Qingwei San decoction, the contents of isoferulic acid, palmatine and paeonol in Qingwei San decoction and the extraction rate were investigated. The factors such as the crushing degree of decoction pieces, the amount of decocting water, the decocting time, the filter material and the decocting container involved in Qingwei San decoction process were examined to make a detailed comparison of Qingwei San's decoction processes during the development.HPLC characteristic spectrum method of Qingwei San was established, and then the decoction process parameters of Qingwei San were optimized, with the similarity of characteristic spectrum, the concentration of the index components and the extraction rate as indexes. The decoction process of Qingwei San was determined as follows: Qingwei San decoction pieces were weighed according to the prescription amount and pulverized into the most coarse powder; the powder was put in a ceramic pot, added with 225 mL water, heated to boiling, cooked for 50 minutes with gentle heat(100 W), and filtered with a layer of 300 mesh nylon cloth.The similarity of Qingwei San's characteristics pectrum of different decoction methods was all above 0.9, and the concentration of isoferulic acid, palmatine and paeonol in Qingwei San under determined decoction process was 40.74, 26.73, 65.73 μg·mL~(-1), respectively, with an extraction rate of 33.80%.The characteristic spectrum determined in this experiment can better express the information and index components of Qingwei San, and if combined with the extraction rate information, it can provide the general information, index component content and extraction information. The decoction process after detailed investigation can better reflect the quality of Qingwei San decoction, with easier control and operation. It can provide a basis for the subsequent research and development of Qingwei San decoction standard, and can also provide experimental basis and reference for the decoction process research of other classical prescriptions.

Analysis on quality value transmitting of substance benchmarks of Linggui Zhugan Decoction / 中国中药杂志

By preparing 10 batches of the material reference of Linggui Zhugan Decoction,the methodology of the characteristic spectrum of the material reference was created. The creaming rate range,the contents and the transfer rate range of cinnamaldehyde,glycyrrhizin and glycyrrhizic acid,the characteristic peaks and the similarity range of the characteristic spectrum of Linggui Zhugan Decoction were determined to clarify key quality attributes of the material reference of Linggui Zhugan Decoction. In the 10 batches of the material reference of Linggui Zhugan Decoction,the similarity of characteristic spectrum was higher than 0. 9. Furthermore,after summarizing the characteristic peak information,we knew that Fuling had two characteristic peaks,Guizhi had six characteristic peaks,Baizhu had two characteristic peaks and Gancao had 11 characteristic peaks. The average creaming rate of the material reference of the ten batches was( 12. 13 ± 0. 35) %. The average content of cinnamaldehyde was 0. 32%,the average transfer rate was 10. 69%,the content of cinnamaldehyde in the different batches was between 0. 22% and 0. 42%,and the transfer rate was between 7. 48% and13. 90%. The average content of glycyrrhizin was 0. 84%,the average transfer rate was 50. 39%,the content of glycyrrhizin in the different batches was between 0. 42% and 1. 26%,and the transfer rate was between 35. 27% and 65. 51%. The average content of glycyrrhizic was 1. 88%,the average transfer rate was 40. 74%,the content of glycyrrhizic in the different batches was between 0. 94% and2. 82%,and the transfer rate was between 28. 52% and 52. 96%. In this paper,the quality value transmitting of substance benchmarks of Linggui Zhugan Decoction was analyzed by the combination of characteristic spectrum,creaming rate and the content of index component. A scientific and stable method was preliminarily established,which provided scientific basis for the quality control and formulation development of Linggui Zhugan Decoction.

Immunization of category B vaccine and its influencing factors among children aged 0 to 6 in Hangzhou / 预防医学

Objective To explore the immunization of category B vaccine and its influencing factors among children aged 0 to 6 in Hangzhou City. Method We carried out an investigation with 685 parents of children aged 0 to 6 from January to February in 2017 by using stratified random sampling method. Statistical method was used to analyze the knowledge, behaviors and attitudes towards category B vaccine, and logistic regression was applied to explore the determinant factors of category B vaccine behavior. Results 670 parents were under actual survey, 467 children have been vaccinated at least one kind of category B, which accounts for 69.70％ and the rates of five main types of vaccine were lower than 30％. Logistic regression showed that people of citizen (OR=1.54, 95％ CI: 1.14-2.38) , able to distinguish category A or B vaccine (OR=2.05, 95％ CI: 1.26-3.33) , positive attitude towards category B vaccine (OR=2.46, 95％CI: 1.43-4.23), and higher affordable price (OR=3.15, 95％CI:2.07-4.80) were determinant factors of category B vaccine behavior . Conclusion The rate of category B vaccine behavior of children aged 0 to 6 is on a moderate level. The cognition and attitude of children' s parents on category A vaccine and category B vaccine have effect on the immunization status of category B vaccine among children aged 0 to 6 in Hangzhou.

Clinical features of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia complicated by pulmonary infection after chemotherapy / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the clinical features of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) complicated by pulmonary infection after chemotherapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data of 108 ALL children (115 case-times) with post-chemotherapy pulmonary infection were retrospectively reviewed. The risk factors for pulmonary infection and the relationship between pathogens and chest CT findings were evaluated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The highest incidence (77.4% ) of pulmonary infection occurred during remission induction, peaking at 31-60 days after chemotherapy. Patients with neutropenia had the highest incidence rate of pulmonary infection (67.0%). Bacteria (36%) and fungi (41%) were the two most common pathogens in the 41 patients who were etiologically suspected of or diagnosed with pulmonary infection. There was no significant difference in chest CT findings between patients with bacterial and fungal infections.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The children with ALL are most susceptible to pulmonary infection during remission induction, especially when they are neutropenic. Bacteria and fungi are the main pathogens of pulmonary infections in these patients. However, the changes in chest CT images are poor indicators of the nature of pulmonary infection.</p>

Total hip arthroplasty for post-traumatic arthritis after internal fixation of acetabular fracture / 中国骨伤

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical outcome of total hip arthroplasty(THA) for traumatic arthritis after acetabular fracture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>From June 2010 to June 2014, 33 hips in 33 patients with traumatic arthritis after acetabular fracture were retrospective analyzed including 21 males and 12 females with a mean age of 44.6 years old. All the patients received THA with bio-prostheses. Harris score was used to evaluate the hip function of patients before and after operation, the X-ray was adopted for radiographic evaluation of the hip prosthesis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>All patients were followed up for 7 to 38 months with an average of 21.6 months. The Harris score increased from preoperative 53.6±2.4 to 94.0±3.0 at the final follow-up, the difference was statistically significant(=55.37,<0.05). The X-ray evaluation showed the prosthesis was in good position, no loosening of the prosthesis, dislocation and periprosthetic osteolysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>THA is an effective treatment for the traumatic arthritis after acetabular fracture;internal fixation of acetabular fractures could not be removed if it shows difficult but does not affect the prosthesis placement.</p>

Cartilage repair using induced pluripotent stem cell derived chondrocytes in osteoarthritis / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Stem cell-based therapy has been proposed for the treatment of osteoarthritis (OA) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are becoming a promising stem cell source as they have strong proliferation and differentiation potentials and no ethics problem. OBJECTIVE: To explore an effective method of iPSCs differentiating into chondrocytes and to study the therapeutic effect of iPSCs derived chondrocytes on osteoarthritis. METHODS: In this study, three steps were developed to induce human iPSCs to differentiate into chondrocytes which were then transplanted into rat OA models induced by monosodium iodoacetate (MIA). There were four groups in the experiment: control group with normal saline injection, model group with MIA injection, iPSCs group with iPSCs transplantation following MIA injection, and differentiated iPSCs group with transplantation of iPSCs derived chondrocytes following MIA injection. At 15 weeks after transplantation, micro-CT was used and histological analysis of the knee joint was performed. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Compared with the iPS group, the expression of chondrocyte specific genes and proteins (Col2A1, GAG and Sox9) were significantly increased in the differentiated iPSCs group after 6 days of embryoid formation and after 2 weeks of cell differentiation. At 15 weeks after cell transplantation, no immune responses were observed, micro-CT showed an improvement in subchondral bone integrity, and histological examinations demonstrated the production of articular cartilage matrix. iPSCs derived chondrocytes showed better effects on articular cartilage repair than the iPSCs. To conclude, iPSCs derived chondrocytes can be effective via transplantation approach for cartilage tissue regeneration in OA rats.

Outcome of childhood high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the ALL-BFM 95 protocol / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the effectiveness and the practicability of the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster 95 (ALL-BFM 95) protocol in treating childhood high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HR-ALL).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A retrospective analysis of 47 children with newly diagnosed HR-ALL between July 2003 and August 2013 was performed. These children were treated by the ALL-BFM 95 protocol. Survival was evaluated by Kaplan Meier analysis and Log-Rank test.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Relapse-related death occurred in 12 of 47 patients (26%), and 5 of 47 patients (11%) were treatment-related mortality. Five-year probability of event-free-survival (pEFS) was 62%. Children with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) after chemotherapy achieved significantly better pEFS than those with chemotherapy alone (77% vs 52%; P=0.035). The patients who were only poor responders to prednisone had a better outcome (5-year pEFS 80%) than the Days 15 and 33 bone marrow M3 subgroups (5-year pEFS 60% and 0 respectively).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>ALL-BFM 95 protocol can improve the outcome of children with high-risk ALL. The major cause of death is attributed to relapse. Chemotherapy plus HSCT can produce a better outcome than chemotherapy alone. The Days 15 and 33 bone marrow M3 subgroups have a poor prognosis.</p>

Clinical features and genotype analysis in a case of dyskeratosis congenita / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the clinical features and genotype in a 8-year-old boy with dyskeratosis congenita (DC).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We reviewed the clinical data of the case and amplified 7 DC-related genes (including DKC1,TERT,TERC,TINF2,NOP10, NHP2 and WRAP53) using polymerase chain reaction for DNA sequence analysis to identify the abnormal exons.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DNA sequence analysis showed a c.85-15T>C mutation in DKC1 gene of the patient. His mother was a carrier of the mutated gene and presented with partial clinical features such as abnormal nails.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mutation of c.85-15T>C in DKC1 gene was reported for the first time in China. The diagnosis of DC should be considered if a young patient presents with mucocutaneous abnormalities, bone marrow failure, cancer susceptibility and a family history of cancer. Early genetic tests can improve the diagnosis rates and reduce misdiagnosis and missed diagnosis.</p>

Progress and potential applications of induced pluripotent stem cell technology / 中国实验血液学杂志

Differentiated somatic cells can be reprogrammed to a pluripotent state through ectopic expression of specific transcription factors. These reprogrammed cells, which were designated as induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, are detected to exhibit unlimited self-renewal capacity and pluripotency. This breakthrough in stem cell research provides a powerful and novel tool for the studies on pathogenesis of diseases, reprogramming mechanism and development of new therapies. For this reason, the iPSC technology has currently become one of the hot topics in stem cells research. Recently, major progress in this field has been achieved: initially, researchers succeeded in inducing the reprogramming of mouse fibroblasts by retroviral transduction of four specific transcription factors; in succession, the accelerated development of iPSC technology by employing non-integrating viral vectors, non-viral vectors or removing the introduced foreign genes via gene knock-out has ensured the yields of much safer iPSC; meanwhile, some researches discovered the proofs that a number of micro molecular compounds were potent in accelerating the cellular reprogramming. For a prospect, iPSC are highly promising for regenerative medicine, disease modeling and drug screening. In this review, the recent progress in the generation of iPSC, prospects of their possible clinical applications and problems in the iPSC research are summarized and discussed.

Establishment and evaluation of a modified plasma protamine paracoagulation test / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a modified plasma protamine paracoagulation test.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Plasma protamine paracoagulation, modified plasma protamine paracoagulation and D-dimer (D-D) tests were performed for the plasma samples collected from 98 cases of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and 156 normal subjects. The sensitivity and specificity of the 3 tests were analyzed. The plasma samples from 8 cases of suspected myocardial infarction were detected using modified plasma protamine paracoagulation for diagnostic purpose.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sensitivity of plasma protamine paracoagulation, modified plasma protamine paracoagulation and D-D tests was 16.33%, 88.76% and 77.56%, and the specificity was 100%, 88.46% and 97.44%, respectively. Positive results occurred earlier in modified plasma protamine paracoagulation test than in plasma protamine paracoagulation and D-D tests in 5 cases of myocardial infarction.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The modified plasma protamine paracoagulation test has a higher sensitivity than plasma protamine paracoagulation test and a higher specificity than D-D test, and can be helpful in early diagnosis of thrombosis and fibrinolysis.</p>

Effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide on Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA expression on acute lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide in rat / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuro-peptide that can modulate immunity. Previous studies indicated that VIP can attenuate the deleterious consequences of severe sepsis and septic shock by regulating production of inflammatory cytokines in immune activated cells. The signaling induced by bacterial components occurs primarily through Toll like receptors (TLRs). TLRs have been recognized to play a key role in pathogen recognition and innate immunity. It was convincingly demonstrated that lung is one of early suffered disaster organ and may trigger multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in sepsis. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of VIP on TLR2/4 mRNA expressions on acute lung injury of endotoxic shock induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rat.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, i.e., LPS shock group (n = 16), LPS + VIP group (n = 16), and control group (n = 8). LPS shock model was established by LPS (E. coli O(55)B(5) 10 mg/kg) with tail intravenous injection. The rats in LPS + VIP group were given a bolus of 5 nmol VIP intravenous injection follow by LPS. The rats in control group were given normal saline. The rats were sacrificed at 6 h, 24 h after being injected. The lung tissues were collected. The TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA expressions were detected by RT-PCR from the lung tissues. Pathological changes of the lungs were observed by light microscope and electron microscope 24 h after LPS injection.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>(1) Lung histopathology: the alveolar space was full with leukocyte, necrotic cells, segmental hemorrhage and protein effusion. Partial alveolar space was enlarged, lung interstitial edema were observed in LPS shock group. However, pathological changes of LPS + VIP group were milder than those in LPS shock group. (2) The expressions of TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA were significantly higher in LPS shock group compared with those of the control group (F = 16.638, P = 0.000; t = 5.876, P = 0.000), TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA expression on 24 h was down-regulated in LPS + VIP shock subgroup than those in LPS shock subgroup (F = 16.676, P = 0.000; t = 3.946, P < 0.001).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Expressions of TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA were up-regulated on LPS induced lung injury in rats. VIP mitigated lung injury induced by LPS, which may be related to TLR2 mRNA and TLR4 mRNA down-regulation of expression. The effect of VIP may suggest a protective mechanism in sepsis. VIP may play a potential protective role in severe infection.</p>

Adrenal function evaluation using ACTH stimulation test in children with sepsis and septic shock / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Sepsis and septic shock remain a common problem that results in significant mortality and morbidity in pediatric intensive care units (PICU). According to literature, the use of more physiologic steroid replacement therapy is associated with hemodynamic and survival benefits in adult patients with relative adrenal insufficiency (RAI) and catecholamine-resistant septic shock. But little information is available in children. The aim of the current prospective study was to determine the prevalence of adrenal insufficiency in children with sepsis and septic shock using a low-dose adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) stimulation test (1 microg/1.73 m2) in children.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The authors performed cortisol estimation at baseline and after low-dose (1 microg/1.73 m2) ACTH stimulation at 30 mins in children during the first 24 hours in patients with sepsis or septic shock admitted to our PICU. Adrenal insufficiency was defined as a response < or = 90 microg/L. Absolute adrenal insufficiency (AAI) was further defined as baseline cortisol (T0) < 200 microg/L and RAI insufficiency by T0 > or = 200 microg/L.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixty-two consecutive cases with sepsis and septic shock admitted to PICU of Shanghai Jiaotong University Affiliated Children's Hospital from April, 2006 to March, 2007. The median age was 37.6 months (range, 2 - 168 months), and their gender distribution was 42 (67.7%) males and 20 (32.3%) females, 53 cases had sepsis (85.5%) and 9 had septic shock (14.5%). The mean pediatric critical illness score (PCIS) was 79.3 +/- 9.2 and median pediatric risk of mortality score (PRMSIII) 11.3 (5 - 19), respectively. Overall mortality of sepsis and septic shock was 27.42%. The evaluation of adrenal insufficiency was conducted as follows. (1) The mean cortisol levels at baseline (T0) and 30 mins after ACTH stimulation (T1) were (318.6 +/- 230.4) microg/L, (452.3 +/- 230.7) microg/L and (454.7 +/- 212.7) microg/L, (579.3 +/- 231.9) microg/L in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock group, respectively. There were no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). (2) The proportion of patients with adrenal insufficiency in the study population was 40.3% as defined by a response < or = 90 microg/L post test. The proportion of patients with adrenal insufficiency in sepsis and septic shock were 39.6% and 44.4%, respectively (chi2) = 0.073, P > 0.05). (3) The serum T0 and T1 levels were (320.5 +/- 223.9) microg/L, (462.3 +/- 212.0) microg/L and (384.3 +/- 258.3) microg/L, (500.7 +/- 470.6) microg/L, respectively, and the proportion of patients with adrenal insufficiency were 37.8% and 47.1% in the survivors and the dead (P > 0.05). The levels of T0 and T1 were related to the PCIS (P < 0.05). The morbidity of adrenal insufficiency was not related to the PCIS, PRISMIII, and number of organ that developed functional insufficiency (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Adrenal insufficiency may occur in patients with sepsis and septic shock in children. ACTH stimulation test may be helpful to determine whether corticosteroid therapy has a survival benefit in patients with relative adrenal insufficiency. A low-dose ACTH stimulation test can be used to evaluate the adrenal function status of severe sepsis and septic shock in children.</p>

Effects of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on the expression of chemokine receptors of spleenocytes after phytohemagglutinin stimulation / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effect of mouse bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) on the expression of chemokine receptors in T lymphocytes in vitro.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Mouse bone marrow MSCs were separated with Percoll, cultured and expanded in low glucose DMEM. C57BL/6 mouse spleenocytes were cultured in the 24-hole flasks by the density of 1 x10(6)/hole. Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) was then added to the holes and cultured for 72 hrs. This study consisted of three groups. Groups A and B were co-cultured by adding MSCs as the ratio of 0.1 and 0.01 to spleenocytes respectively. The control group was cultured without MSCs. Three days later the suspended spleenocytes were harvested for detecting the expression of three chemokine receptors CXCR3, CCR5 and CCR7 in T lymphocytes by the flow cytometry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The expression of CD3(+)CCR5(+) and CD3(+)CCR7(+) were statistically different among the three groups. Group A had the strongest expression, followed by group B and the control group. The expression of CD3(+)CXCR3(+) in group A was statistically higher than that in group B and the control group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MSCs could up-regulate the expression of chemokine receptors CXCR3, CCR5 and CCR7 in T lymphocytes stimulated by PHA.</p>

Protective effects of vasoactive intestinal peptide on intestinal lesions induced by endotoxic shock in rat / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is a neuro-peptide that can modulate immunity in several aspects. Previous reports showed that VIP attenuates the deleterious consequences of severe infection and septic shock by regulating production of inflammatory cytokines in immune activated cells. Intestine is one of the major organ of immune system and it may trigger multiple organ dysfunction syndrome in sepsis. The present study was planned to study the change of serum TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-10 level and histopathological alteration of intestinal tract, and protective effects of VIP on endotoxic shock in rat.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty eight SD rats were randomly divided into 3 groups, including control group (8 rats), LPS shock group (10 rats), and LPS + VIP group (10 rats). Endotoxic shock model was established by administration of a single dose of 10 mg/kg LPS in LPS shock group, a bolus of 5 nmol VIP intravenous injection following LPS in LPS + VIP group. The rats in the control group were given the same volume of normal saline injection. Blood samples were taken at time points of 1, 2, 4, and 6 hours after intervention from each group for measuring the level of TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-10 by ELISA. Pathological changes of the intestine were observed by light microscope and electron microscope at the animals death or at the end of the experiment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Serum TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and IL-10 levels elevated at each time point in LPS shock group and LPS + VIP group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). TNF-alpha concentration reached the peak level 2 h after LPS injection; IL-1beta and IL-10 increased continuously till the end of the experiment. In LPS + VIP group, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta elevated slightly and IL-10 increased significantly as compared with LPS shock group (P < 0.01). Leukocyte infiltration, ischemia, segmental hemorrhage or necrosis appeared in intestine under light microscope and cell swelling, cytoplasmic vacuoles and organelle damage were observed under electron microscope. However, pathological changes in LPS + VIP group were milder than those in LPS group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>VIP improved endotoxic shock-associated histopathological alteration of intestine, down-regulated pro-inflammatory cytokines production and up-regulated anti-inflammatory cytokines. These effects may suggest a protective mechanism of VIP in septic shock. VIP is a potential immunoregulatory substance in treatment of septic shock.</p>

Study on Photolysis of Vitamin B_(12) and New Method to Determine the Contents of Vitamin B_(12) in Fermentation Broth / 中国生物工程杂志

The photolytic behavior of deoxyadenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin in water solution was investigated with high performance liquid chromatography. The results indicated that the photolytic cleavage rate increased with the light intensity, according to which a new method was developed to determine the concentration of vitamin B12 in fermentation broth. The samples were completely photolyzed after cell disruption. The content of vitamin B12 was obtained by determining the content of the hydroxycobalamin. The method shows many advantages, such as rapidness, high accuracy and low sample quantity needed, over traditions methods. The developed method may be used in the field of vitamin B12 fermentation.

Cause and mortality analysis of acute intracranial hypertension and cerebral edema in pediatric intensive care unit / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Acute intracranial hypertension/cerebral edema (ICH/CE) is an increase in brain volume caused by an absolute increase in cerebral tissue water content. Severe ICH/CE is often associated with a higher mortality and higher neurological consequence rate in intensive care unit. However, little relevant information is available on critical condition of central nervous system in children. The aim of this survey was to study the causes, clinical epidemiology and risk factors of critical illness with ICH/CE in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Case records of critically ill patients with ICH/CE admitted to PICU in Children's Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University during the period from January, 1999 to December, 2003 were reviewed for causes, case fatality rate, prognosis and relationship with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). Univariate analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with ICH/CE.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>During the 5 years, 1446 cases with critical illnesses were admitted and ICH/CE developed in 216 patients. The leading causes of ICH/CE were central nervous system infection (27.8%), accidental injuries (22.4%), and sepsis (10.2%). The overall mortality of the patients with ICH/CE was 29.2%. The mortality showed no significant change during the years from 1999 to 2003 (chi(2) = 0.371, P = 0.985). There was no significant difference in mortality of patients with ICH/CE between those with and without neurological diseases (chi(2) = 0.546, P = 0.460). Univariate analyses involving 12 factors indicated the following risk factors: younger age, number of failed organ, lower pediatric critical illness score, underlying diseases, abnormal respiration and change in size of pupil (P < 0.05 or < 0.001). The following factors were not associated with higher risk of death from ICH/CE: sex, organ of primary disease, Glasgow coma score (</= 7 versus > 7) on admission, elevated blood pressure and anterior fontanelle change (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The mortality of ICH/CE remains high since 1999. Central nervous system infection, accidental injuries, and sepsis were leading causes of ICH/CE in PICU of the hospital. Children who had ICH/CE due to younger age, lower pediatric critical illness score, and complicated with MODS had a higher mortality rate.</p>

Analysis of therapeutic effectiveness of Nanfang ALL 99 protocol in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>With more precise diagnostic criteria and risk classifications, more effective therapy administered in clinical trials, and better supportive care, the outcome of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been improved dramatically. Today, approximately 80% of children treated for this disease in developed countries enjoy long-term event free survival (EFS) and in most instances, would be cured. In this study, treatment outcome of 82 childhood ALL patients in the hospital were analyzed, and ways for how to improve the EFS rate in childhood ALL were explored.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-two patients with ALL were enrolled into the Nanfang ALL 99 protocol which derived from German BFM ALL 95 and Hong Kong-Singapore acute lymphoblastic leukemia 97 (HK-SG ALL 97). Dexamethasone instead of hydrocortisone was used for triple intrathecal therapy. Standard at risk patients who had been irregularly treated in other hospitals for short periods of time were classified as at intermediate risk. When ANC was > or = 1.0 x 10(9)/L and platelet > or = 100 x 10(9)/L, chemotherapy was started. Life table method was used to estimate survival rate and statistical analysis was done by using software SPSS for Windows.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>From March 1999 to September 2003, 82 childhood ALL patients were treated with the Nanfang ALL 99 protocol and 78 (95.1%) patients attained complete remission (CR) in a median time of 33 days. Out of 82 patients, 13 patients dropped out of the the Nanfang ALL 99 protocol because of financial difficulty or other reasons. Sixty nine patients were consecutively treated with the Nanfang ALL 99 protocol. The overall EFS rate at 2 years, 3 years and 5 years were 91.3%, 85.9% and 75.2%, respectively, with a median observation duration of 34 months. Three patients died of complications (4.3%). The disease relapsed in 6 patients and they died finally.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The outcome of patients treated with the Nanfang ALL 99 protocol was favorable, and the mortality rate of this chemotherapeutic protocol was low. This protocol was well tolerated by Chinese patients and therefore the protocol is worthy of application in China.</p>

The testing methods of the linearity errors and the cross contamination for clinical analyzers / 中国医疗器械杂志

The measuring methods of the linearity errors and the cross contamination are very hard to grasp in testing the clinical analyzer's specifications. In this paper, the measuring steps and the data processing methods are introduced in detail in combination with the living examples and taking the form of the lists so as to help the technical personnels to understand the verification regulation of clinical analyzers correctly and to carry out the technical supervision effectively.

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for beta-thalassemia major / 中华血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) for beta-thalassemia major.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifteen beta-thalassemia major patients with a median age of 3. 5 years (range 1 - 10 years) received allogeneic HSCT. According to the Pesaro's classification for thalassemia, 12 patients were grade I - II, and 3 grade III. The bone marrow transplantation (BMT) plus peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) transplant mobilized by granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was used when donor is low body-weight.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Of the fifteen patients, nine were disease-free survival (DFS) at a median follow-up of 2.5 years (range 6 - 54 months). Of eight grade I - II patients received HLA identical sibling BMT, seven were DFS, and of two received HLA mismatched marrow from their mother, one DFS, another not engrafted. Two patients received unrelated cord blood HSCT were both not engrafted. Two patients received PBSC transplantation alone were not engrafted, but one of them soon received BMT from the same donor and was DFS. The incidences of grade I - II and grade III acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) were 20% (3/15) and 6.7% (1/15), respectively. Interstitial pneumonia occurred in 4/15 (26.7%) patients. There were no long-term complications in the survivors.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Grade I - II beta-thalassemia major patients received HLA identical sibling BMT had higher DFS. It was propitious for engraftment to use BMT plus PBSC, but with a higher incidence of acute and chronic GVHD.</p>