Cancer Associated Cells in Tumor Microenvironment of Esophageal Carcinoma： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Esophageal carcinoma is one of the malignant tumors with a high mortality rate， accounting for nearly 570，000 cancer deaths worldwide annually， and this number is increasing year by year. In recent years， despite the continuous improvement of treatment programs for esophageal carcinoma， the overall five-year survival rate of esophageal carcinoma is still less than 20% due to the development of drug resistance and the tolerance of patients during the treatment process. Tumor microenvironment （TME） is composed of various cells and related components with tumor cells as the core and featured by hypoxia， acidosis， chronic inflammation and immunosuppression， which plays an important role in the progression of tumors. Studies have found that tumor-associated fibroblasts， tumor-associated macrophages， myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells in TME can promote the proliferation， migration， invasion， and lymph node metastasis of cancer cells by secreting cytokines and activating pro-inflammatory pathways， and promote cancer progression by inducing the drug resistance of cancer cells and evading immunosuppression. Because cancer-associated cells in TME are genetically more stable than cancer cells， have fewer mutations and have lower chance of drug resistance， targeting cancer-associated cells in TME by regulating TME is a new research direction of cancer therapy. Traditional Chinese medicine has the advantages of multi-component and multi-target. It can participate in the regulation of TME through multiple ways， reduce the number of cancer-associated cells in TME， inhibit crosstalk between TME and cancer cells， and restore immune cell function. It is an important source for the regulation of TME and the research and development of drugs targeting cancer-associated cells in TME. In this paper， the role of cancer-associated cells in the TME of esophageal cancer and the current application of traditional Chinese medicine targeting cancer-associated cells in TME are reviewed， so as to provide reference for the research and development of TME targeted drugs for esophageal carcinoma.

Research Progress on Anti-tumor Effect and Mechanism of Cucurbitacins / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Cancer is a major global public health problem. Statistics from the national cancer center of China also show that cancer has become a major disease threatening human health with increasing morbidity and mortality. The occurrence and development mechanism of cancer is complex， involving multiple stages， multiple genes and multiple signaling pathways. Conventional chemoradiotherapy and emerging targeted therapy methods are the main methods in treatment of tumor. However， the quality of life of patients as well as the sustained and effective therapeutic effect are seriously affected due to the toxic side effects and drug resistance. Therefore， it is the global focus to find safe and effective anti-cancer drugs. The research and development and application of anti-cancer herbal medicines such as paclitaxel， vinblastine， podophyllin， ginsenoside and ginseng polysaccharide have brought new hope for the treatment of cancer. Cucurbitacine from Chinese medicine cucurbitaceae plantsare is a kind of highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpene compound with extensive pharmacological effects and complex mechanism. In the family of cucurbitacines， cucurbitin B， D， E and I have been studied most frequently on anticancer effect， and in a large number of studies， they have been found to play an important role in tumor diseases of the digestive system， respiratory system， reproductive system， blood system， urinary system and so on. With significant effect in inhibiting tumor cells proliferation， blocking the cell cycle， inducing apoptosis and autophagy death， inhibiting cell migration and invasion， inhibiting tumor angiogenesis， regulating the levels of reactive oxygen species and regulating immune system， such cucurbitacins are expected to be developed as a new kind of anti-cancer drugs. The authors of this study aim to provide reference for the further research and development of new anti-cancer drugs about cucurbitines by summarizing the anti-tumor effect and mechanism of the cucurbitacins.

Chinese Medicine Injections in Treatment of Esophageal Cancer： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Esophageal cancer has a high morbidity and mortality worldwide， and the burden of esophageal cancer is still heavy in China. The conventional treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy fail to yield a satisfactory outcome， implying that the safe and effective treatments are not available for the majority of patients. At present， esophageal cancer is mainly treated by Chinese medicine combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The retrieval of related papers in Chinese and English reveals that Kang'ai injection， Compound Kushen injection， Kanglaite injection， Xiaoaiping injection， Aidi injection， Bruceae Fructus Oil Emulsion， Cinobufotalin injection， and Shenmai injection have been commonly used in esophageal cancer treatment. These eight injections are either single medicinal or compound preparations， involving 11 Chinese medicinals， which synergize the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy and reduce their adverse reactions in the treatment of esophageal cancer. Due to the complexity of Chinese medicinal components， a series of adverse reactions such as phlebitis， phlebosclerosis， and hemolysis may be caused by irrational dosage， administration speed， and compatibility in the use of injection. There are many clinical studies on Chinese medicine injections for anti-esophageal cancer but few studies on their active components and molecular mechanism. This paper reviewed the active components， effectiveness， safety， and mechanism of Chinese medicine injections frequently employed for treating esophageal cancer， in order to provide reference for their clinical application as well as the development of new Chinese drugs.

Identification and Expression Analysis of TIFY Transcription Factor in Eucommia ulmoides / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To identify the TIFY gene family in <italic>Eucommia ulmoides</italic> and analyze its expression from the whole genome level to lay the foundation for further study on <italic>EuTIFYs</italic> gene function. Method:Based on the <italic>E. ulmoides</italic> genome database，the TIFY gene family was identified through bioinformatics analysis tools such as National Center for Biotechnology Information（NCBI），MEME，PlantCare，Expert Protein Analysis System（ExPASy），and TBtools. Physicochemical properties，phylogenetic evolution，gene structure，<italic>cis</italic>-acting elements of the promoters and their expression patterns in leaf development and gum formation of the gene family were systematically analyzed. Result:In this study，fourteen <italic>EuTIFY</italic> genes （<italic>EuTIFY1</italic>-<italic>EuTIFY14</italic>） were identified in the <italic>E. ulmoides</italic> genome. The <italic>EuTIFYs</italic> were composed of 312-1 074 bp nucleotides encoding 102-357 amino acid residues，with isoelectric points of 4.99-10.06 and molecular weight in the range of 10.8-39.14 kDa. According to putative subcellular localization，proteins，which were mainly hydrophilic proteins，localized in the nucleus. The 14 <italic>EuTIFYs</italic> were unevenly distributed on 13 chromosomes. <italic>EuTIFY</italic> gene family was divided into four subfamilies： <italic>TIFY</italic>，<italic>JAZ</italic>，<italic>ZML</italic>，and <italic>PPD</italic>，which contained three，four，five，and two members respectively. The promoters of <italic>EuTIFYs</italic> contained multiple photoperiodic and abiotic stress-responsive cis-acting elements，which were involved in plant growth and abiotic stress regulation. Expression pattern analysis showed that <italic>EuTIFYs </italic>exhibited different expression levels in different development stages of <italic>E. ulmoides</italic> leaves and multiple interactions，and most of the genes were highly expressed in the early stage of leaf development and positively regulated the formation of <italic>E. ulmoides</italic> gum. Conclusion:Fourteen <italic>EuTIFYs</italic> were identified from the whole genome of <italic>E. ulmoides</italic>，and their structural characteristics and expression patterns were analyzed by bioinformatics. The findings of this study are expected to provide references for further research on the function of <italic>EuTIFYs</italic>.

Genome-wide development of polymorphic microsatellite markers and their application in peanut breeding program

BACKGROUND: Cultivated peanut (Arachis hypogaea. L) represents one of the most important oil crops in the world. Although much effort has been expended to characterize microsatellites or Simple Sequence Repeats (SSRs) in peanut, the quantity and quality of the markers in breeding applications remain limited. Here, genome-wide SSR characterization and marker development were performed using the recently assembled genome of the cultivar Tifrunner. RESULTS: In total, 512,900 microsatellites were identified from 2556.9-Mb genomic sequences. Based on the flanking sequences of the identified microsatellites, 7757 primer pairs (markers) were designed, and further evaluated in the assembled genomic sequences of the tetraploid Arachis cultivars, Tifrunner and Shitouqi, and the diploid ancestral species, A. duranensis and A. ipaensis. In silico PCR analysis showed that the SSR markers had high amplification efficiency and polymorphism in four Arachis genotypes. Notably, nearly 60% of these markers were single-locus SSRs in tetraploid Arachis species, indicating they are more specific in distinguishing the alleles of the A and B sub-genomes of peanut. In addition, two markers closely related with purple testa color and 27 markers near to FAD2 genes were identified, which could be used for breeding varieties with purple testa and high-oleic acid content, respectively. Moreover, the potential application of these SSR markers in tracking introgressions from Arachis wild relatives was discussed. CONCLUSIONS: This study reported the development of genomic SSRs from assembled genomic sequences of the tetraploid Arachis Tifrunner, which will be useful for diversity analysis, genetic mapping and functional genomics studies in peanut

Professor 's experience of four elements of acupuncture manipulation practice / 中国针灸

Through collecting the 30-year medical experience of professor , the methods of acupuncture manipulation practice were summarized so as to provide the reference for the medical staffs in acupuncture teaching and clinical work. Professor proposes four key elements of acupuncture manipulation practice, i.e. the style of needling practice, the consciousness of needling practice, the strength of needling practice and of needling practice. Acupuncture manipulation is a highly operational clinical skill. The knowledge learning from the experience of the instructors is the important way to improve acupuncture techniques. Besides, beginners need to improve their techniques through learning the theories, a large amount of exercises as well as the self-perception.

Dynamic Changes and Differences of B-cell Responses between Severe Dengue Disease and Mild Dengue Fever / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

@#【Objective】 To find out the possible marker for early warning or therapeutic target of severe dengue disease ，we studied B cell responses during natural dengue virus（DENV）infection and their association with disease severity.【Methods】Sixty-two cases and their blood samples were collected from the patients hospitalized during September to December in 2014 and three groups were designated as mild dengue（DF，n=33），severe dengue（SD，n=29）and control group（Control ，n=6）. Multicolor flow cytometrywas used to analyze the dynamic changes of B cells and plasmablasts in the peripheral blood of patients during the acute phase and the critical phase. The plasmablasts in a succession of samplesfrom the same infected patients （including 3 mild and 3 severe cases） were further analyzed. We also observed the changes of B cells and their subsets ，including naive B cells ，memory B cells and plasmablasts，during primary and secondary infections. 【Results】 The expansion of B cells in the severe group was significantly higher than that in the mild group（P=0.013），especially on day 5 and day 6 after the symptom onset（P = 0.017 and 0.002，respectively）. Compared with those in the control group，the plasmablasts in the mild and severe groups showed significant proliferation（P=0.011 and 0.032，respectively），but no statistical difference was observed between these two groups. The analysis of the serial blood samples showed that the plasmablasts，in mild cases，peaked on day 7 and 8 and returned to baseline on day 10，whereas in the severe group，peaked on day 7 to 9，and still existed at a certain rate after day 10. In mild dengue group，more proliferative B cells，less naive B cells and memory B cells were found in secondary infection than in primary infection（P = 0.028，0.010 and 0.037，respectively），but plasmablasts revealed no difference. In severe dengue group， only naïve B cells significantly decreased in secondary infection （P = 0.018）. 【Conclusion】 B cell responses between mild and severe dengue after DENV- 1 infection present different trends. The significant proliferation of B cells in the early stage of the disease and the persistent existence of plasmablasts may be related to the severity of the dengue disease.

Effect of Chinese Medicine Regulating Protein Phosphorylation on Tumorigenesis and Development / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Protein phosphorylation is one of the main ways to activate protein bioactivity and make it participate in cell life activities. Researches have shown that approximately 30% of proteins in the human body are modified by phosphorylation at different levels and at different sites. If the protein phosphorylation modification level or site is abnormal, it will cause the occurrence and development of malignant tumors. Malignant tumors have always been a kind of diseases that endanger human life and health. According to statistics, as many as 18 million malignant tumors and more than 9.6 million deaths occur every year worldwide. With the continuous recognition on the abnormality of protein phosphorylation modification in tumorigenesis and development, the research and development of drugs for abnormality of protein phosphorylation modification has become a focus in the field of tumor therapy at present. Each traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) can be regarded as a natural molecular library, and it participates in the regulation of protein phosphorylation modification level with the advantages of multiple components and multiple targets, with slight side effect and low drug resistance, so TCM is one of the main sources of drug development for regulating protein phosphorylation modification levels. Through the search of multiple databases at home and abroad, it was found that certain monomers, parts extracted from TCM, single-TCM and TCM compounds can affect the tumor progression by regulating the level of protein phosphorylation and exert better anti-tumor effect. Based on the current research status of protein phosphorylation regulation by TCM at home and abroad, we found that TCM can inhibit tumor cell proliferation, invasion and metastasis, angiogenesis, and maintenance of stem cell stemness by regulating protein phosphorylation levels, and exert antitumor effects by promoting apoptosis. In order to clarify the molecular mechanism of TCM in regulating protein phosphorylation level and exerting antitumor effect, and provide evidences for the development and clinical application of antitumor TCM, the authors reviewed the mechanism of TCM in regulating protein phosphorylation level and exerting their antitumor effect from different ways in this paper.

Method establishment and preliminary application of sandwich ELISA for detecting Cryptosporidium parvum antigen / 中国人兽共患病学报

We established the method of Sandwich ELISA to detect Cryptosporidium parvum antigen.Purified anti-Cryp-tosporidium IgG and IgY were used as a capture antibody and detection antibody respectively to develop sandwich ELISA.A checkerboard titration study was carried out to determine the optimal conditions of ELISA.The PCR based on 18SrRNA was used to evaluate the pre-treatment effect of three methods (saturated sucrose solution floating,saturated salt water floating and PBST detergent washing).The optimum concentration of coated antibody,antigen,detection antibody and enzyme-labelled an-tibody were 1:800,2.5 μg/mL,1:100 and 1:5 000 respectively.The coating condition,antigen antibody reaction,opti-mum reaction time of enzyme-labelled antibody were 4 ℃ through the night after 37 ℃,incubated at 37 ℃ for 30 min and 45 min respectively;the optimal termination condition was 2 mol/L H2SO4,50 μL/well;TMB developed 10 minutes at room temperature.The developed sandwich ELISA has no cross reaction with the eggs/oocyts of Nematode,Coccidium and Asca-rid;coefficient of variation of intra-assay and inter-assay were all less than 10%.The results showed that the total coincidence rate of the three pre-treatment methods with nested PCR were 95.83%,91.67% and 83.33%,respectively,and the Saturated Sucrose Floatation method was the best one among the three methods,the sensitivity of the method was lower than the Cry p-tosporidium detection kit of IDEXX(6×103/mL),and whole test process was longer than the kit.While,its specificity and reproducibility were consistent with that of IDEXX kit,and the developed method was more economical.The method is simple,rapid,sensitive,and can be used for clinical epidemio-logical investigation of Cryptosporidiosis or pathogen detection.

Liver and cardiac iron overload is harmful to HLA-identical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in thalassemia children: an MRI detection / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: The majority of children with β-thalassemia major have iron overload, and iron overload may have negative effects on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of liver and cardiac iron overload detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) T2* on HLA-identical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with β-thalassemia major. METHODS: Eighty-one children with β-thalassemia major who were over 3 years of age and could cooperate with MRI detection were subjected to liver and heart MRI T2* tests before or after HLA-identical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. According to the test results, we calculated the liver and cardiac iron content, defined as an indicator of liver and heart iron overload. Then, there was a correlation analysis between the liver and cardiac iron content and serum ferritin, time of hematopoietic reconstitution, mortality rate, implantation rate and the morbidity of transplantation related complications, such as graft-versus-host disease, infections, autoimmune hemolysis, pancytopenia, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, septicemia. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The liver iron content was positively correlated with the time of hemoglobin implantation (r=0.229, P=0.043), and the cardiac iron content were positively correlated with the mortality rate (r=0.266, P=0.017); the serum ferritin level was negatively correlated with the implantation rate (r=-0.289, P=0.009), and positively correlated with the morbidity of septicemia (r=0.251, P=0.024) and pancytopenia (r=0.276, P=0.013). Therefore, iron overload exerts negative effects on HLA-identical allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in β-thalassemia major children, and it is necessary to detect serum ferritin level and assess liver and cardiac iron overload before cell transplantation.

Effect of high amounts of medium chain triglyceride and protein enteral nutrition on gut barrier function during the perioperative period in patient with malignant obstructive jaundice / 肠外与肠内营养

Objective:To investigate the effect of Nutrison MCT and Nutrison MF enteral nutrition on gut barrier function during the perioperative period in patient with malignant obstructive jaundice.Methods:82 cases of patients with malignant obstructive jaundice were randomized divided into Nutrison MCT group with 40 cases and Nutrison MF group with 42 cases.Enteral nutrition was given on admission.The level of urinary lactulose and mannitol(L/M) ratio,plasma endotoxin and diamine oxidase(DAO) activity on the 2nd day after admission,lday before surgery,5 days after full dose of enteral nutrition were collected.Results:Before surgery,no statistical significance difference of urinary L/M ratio,plasma endotoxin and DAO activity were found between the 2nd day after admission and 1day before surgery.After full dosing of enteral nutrition,urinary L/M ratio,plasma endotoxin and DAO activity were decreased,while Nutrison MCT group decreased more significantly than Nutrison MF group.Conclusion:Nutrison MCT can improve the gut barrier function of patients with malignant obstructive jaundice more earlier than Nutrison MF after surgery.

Analysis of Compatibility Laws for Acupoint Selection of Acupuncture in Treating Diabetic Gastroparasis / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize and analyze the compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating diabetic gastroparasis (DGP) in modern literatures of clinical researches.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Retrieved were literatures related to treating DGP by acupuncture or acupuncture combined other therapies from PubMed, CNKI, and WF from 1982 to 2014. Analyzed were frequency of acupoint use, meridians selected acupoints belonged to, regions selected, association laws of selected compatible acupoints.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Retrieved were 35 with compatibility frequencies more than 15 listed as follows: compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was 33 (94.29%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Neiguan (PC6) was 23 (65.71%), compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%), compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Neiguan (PC6) was 22 (62.86%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zhongwan (CV12) and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 16 (45.71%); compatibility frequency of Zusanli (ST36), Zhongwan (CV12), and Sanyinjiao (SP6) was 15 (42.86%). Meridians selected acupoints belonged to were sequenced as Foot Yangming Stomach channel, Ren channel, Foot Taiyang Bladder channel, and so on. Acupoints selected were mainly in lower limbs, chest and abdomen, waist and back. The compatibility of Zusanli (ST36) and Zhongwan (CV12) was the most often used with the highest frequency.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture in treating DGP were mainly dominated as upper-lower selection, three regions selection, local selection, anterior-posterior selection. The compatibility laws for acupoint selection of acupuncture along meridians were mainly dominated as the convergence points and exterior-interior meridian points.</p>

Effects of Qizhi Jiangtang capsule on protein expressions of InsR, PI3K, GLUT2 and p-JNK in hepatic tissues of rats with type 2 diabetes / 中国中药杂志

To observe the hypoglycemic effect of Qizhi Jiangtang capsule in rats with type 2 diabetes, and investigate the preliminary mechanism of its hypoglycemic effect, type 2 diabetes rat models were established by high glucose and high fat combined with small dose of streptozotocin (STZ). After continuous administration for 6 weeks, blood glucose, and glycosylated serum protein (GSP) levels were detected in all of the animals; immunohistochemistry assay was used to detect the number of islet β cells; Western blot assay was used to detect the protein expression levels of insulin receptor (InsR), phosphoinositide-3 kinases (PI3K), glucose transporter-2 (GLUT2) and phosphorylated Jun N-terminal kinases (p-JNK)in hepatic tissues. The results showed that Qizhi Jiangtang capsule could reduce the blood sugar and GSP levels in serum in animals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, increase the level of insulin in serum and number of islet β cells, increase the protein expression levels of InsR, PI3K and GLUT2, and reduce the level of p-JNK protein expression. In conclusion, Qizhi Jiangtang capsule has relatively stable hypoglycemic effect, and the mechanism may be associated with increasing the number of islet β cells and level of insulin in serum, up-regulating the protein expression levels of InsR, PI3K and GLUT2, down-regulating the level of p-JNK protein expression in hepatic tissues, and reducing the level of insulin in hepatic tissues.

Effect of transcatheter embolization by autologous fat particles in the treatment of coronary artery perforation during percutaneous coronary intervention / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Coronary artery perforation (CAP) is a rare but severe complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect and safety of transcatheter embolization by autologous fat particles in the treatment of CAP.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Once the CAP was confirmed, a little autologous subcutaneous fatty tissue was obtained from the groin of the patient and then was made into 1 mm × 1 mm fat particles. The perforated vessel was embolized by fat particles via a micro-catheter. There were eight patients undergoing transcatheter embolization by autologous fat particles in the treatment of CAP during PCI in Peking University Third Hospital from February 2009 to June 2014, and the clinical data of these patients were collected and analyzed retrospectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The lesion morphology of the patients was classified based on the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force classification, there were one patient with Class B2 lesion and seven patients with Class C lesions (there were five patients with chronic total occlusion lesions). According to the Ellis classification of CAP, there were six patients with Class II perforations and two patients with Class III perforations. The causes of perforation included that seven patients induced by guide wire and one patient by balloon predilation. Three patients had pericardial effusion. All of the eight patients with CAP underwent transcatheter embolization by autologous fat particles. Coronary angiography confirmed that all of them were embolized successfully. There was no severe complication after the procedure. The coronary angiography of one patient at 1 week and another patient at 2 years after the embolization showed that the embolized arteries had recanalized. The median follow-up time was 20.3 months (8.8-50.2 months), the event-free survival rate was 100%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Transcatheter embolization by autologous fat particles was an effective, safe, cheap, and easy way to treat the perforation of small vessels during PCI.</p>

Effect of different acupoint prescriptions on prevention and treatment of stress gastric ulcer / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of different acupoint combination on prevention and treatment of stress gastric ulcer and to search for a better acupoint combination.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The theoretical basis and experimental research on treatment of stomach diseases with the combination of he-(sea) points and front-mu points as well as back-shu points and front-mu points are analyzed in this article.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The combination of he-sea points and front-mu points is suitable to be applied on acute diseases, febrile diseases and diseases of fu organs. While the combination of back-shu points and front-mu points is more applicable on chronic gastric diseases.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is proved that the combination of he-sea point (Zusanli ST 36) and front-mu point (Zhongwan CV 12) has reliable effect on prevention and treatment of stress gastric ulcer.</p>

Meta analysis on acupuncture-moxibustion for amblyopia correction of agrypnia / 中国针灸

The effectiveness and safety of acupuncture-moxibustion for the treatment of agrypnia was systematically reviewed. The clinical randomized controlled trial (RCT) of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia were collected. The literature and document on acupuncture-moxibustion RCT for the treatment of agrypnia that published from January of 2001 to March of 2012 was searched with computer in PubMed, CNKI, Wanfang and VIP database. According to Cochrane Handbook 5. 1. 0, the bias risk and quality assessment were performed on every included trial and RevMan 5. 0 software was applied to make the Meta analysis. Totally 14 researches were included, involving 2662 cases. The Meta analysis showed that the differences of total effective rate between acupuncture-moxibustion and clinical routine treatment were significant [RR = 1.16, 95% CI (1.12, 1.19), Z = 9.32, P < 0.000 01]. The results indicate that total effective rate of acupuncture-moxibustion for agrypnia is obviously superior to that of clinical routine treatment, meaning clinical efficacy of acupuncture-moxibustion is served credit.

Acupoint combination and acupuncture-moxibustion prescription / 中国针灸

The modern physicians have different views on acupoint combination and acupuncture-moxibustion prescription and confuse them in clinical practice. It is significant to clarify the conception, connotation and relationship between them so as to normalize the therapeutic program of acupuncture and moxibustion and promote the standardization of acupuncture and moxibustion. Through the collection of relevant literature and analysis on the differences in the understandings among physicians, the conception, connotation and relationship between acupoint combination and acupuncture-moxibustion prescription are summarized. It is viewed that the acupoint combination is based on TCM theory. Under the guide of acupoint selection, in combination of the characters of clinical practice and acupoint indications, two or more than two acupoints of the same function are combined to enhance the collaborative effects of acupoints so as to achieve specific efficacy and improve clinical efficacy. Regarding acupuncture-moxibustion prescription, on the basis of disorder and syndrome differentiation of patients, the concrete therapeutic program is put forward, including acupoint composition and therapeutic method. Acupoint combination is the basic element of acupuncture-moxibustion prescription. Acupuncture-moxibustion prescription is the specific application of acupoint combination.

Effect of growth factors (BMP-4/7 & bFGF) on proliferation & osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells.

Background & objectives: BMP (bone morphogenetic protein)-4/7 and bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor) significantly promote the osteogenic activity and the proliferation of rabbit BMSCs (bone marrow stromal cells), respectively. However, their synergistic effects on the proliferation and the differentiation of BMSCs remain unclear. In the present study, the effects of bFGF and BMP-4/7 were investigated on the proliferation and the differentiation of rat BMSCs in vitro. Methods: BMSCs were isolated from New Zealand white rabbits and cultured to the third passage. The samples were divided into five groups according to the material implanted: (A) 80 ng/ml BMP-4/7; (B) 80 ng/ml bFGF; (C) 30 ng/ml BMP-4/7 and 30 ng/ml bFGF; (D) 50 ng/ml BMP-4/7 and 50 ng/ml bFGF; and (E) 80 ng/ml BMP-4/7 and 80 ng/ml bFGF. Cell proliferation was analyzed using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay. Alkaline phosphatase activity and osteocalcin (OC) dynamics were also measured. Results: BMP-4/7 alone significantly (P<0.05) promoted the proliferation of BMSCs. At the same time, it also promoted or inhibited the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The synergistic effects of BMP-4/7 and bFGF significantly promoted both the proliferation and the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. The treatment of the synergistic effects was dose and time dependent. Interpretation & conclusions: A rational combination of BMP-4/7 and bFGF can promote the proliferation and the osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. In addition, the synergistic functions are effective.

Usefulness of lumen area parameters determined by intravascular ultrasound to predict functional significance of intermediate coronary artery stenosis / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in China. Percutaneous coronary intervention is a recent milestone technology for treatment coronary artery disease. However, clinical decision making for patients with intermediate coronary stenosis is still controversial. We designed this study to assess the optimal intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) criteria for predicting functional significance of intermediate coronary lesions.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We enrolled 141 patients with 165 intermediate coronary lesions located in vessels with a diameter ≥ 2.50 mm. IVUS of intermediate coronary lesions were performed before intervention. Pressure-derived fractional flow reserve (FFR) was measured at maximal hyperemia induced by adenosine infusion. An FFR < 0.80 was considered as abnormal functional significance.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>For the overall 165 lesions, the mean FFR value was 0.84 ± 0.09. The diameter of the stenosis by visual estimation on angiogram was (59.63 ± 11.29)%. Minimum lumen diameter (MLD), minimum lumen area (MLA) and plaque burden (PB) were (2.00 ± 0.36) mm, (3.88 ± 1.34) mm(2), (67.28 ± 9.89)% respectively by IVUS measurements. An FFR < 0.80 was seen in 43 lesions (30.5%). There was a moderate correlation between IVUS parameters and FFR, including MLD (r = 0.372, P < 0.001), MLA (r = 0.442, P < 0.001) and PB (r = -0.172, P < 0.05). MLA was a predictor for FFR as a continuous variable independent of possible confounding variables (P < 0.05), and MLA and PB, were predictors for FFR < 0.80 as binary variables (P < 0.05). The best cutoff value of MLA to predict FFR < 0.80 was < 3.15 mm(2), with a 73.6% diagnostic accuracy; sensitivity 71.4%, specificity 67.0%, AUC = 0.709, and P < 0.001. The cutoff value of the PB to predict FFR < 0.80 was 65.45%; sensitivity 82.6%, specificity 41.2%, AUC = 0.644, and P < 0.01. If both MLA and PB were taken into account, the negative predictive value and the positive predictive value were 88.7% and 64.8% respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Anatomic measurements of intermediate coronary lesions obtained by IVUS showed a moderate correlation to FFR values. IVUS-derived MLA ≥ 3.15 mm(2) may be useful to exclude FFR < 0.80, but poor specificity limits its applicability for physiological assessment of lesions < 3.15 mm(2). MLA was one of many factors affecting coronary flow hemodynamics. Both MLA and PB should be taken into account when determining functional ischemia.</p>

Analysis of death causes of 345 cases with HIV/AIDS in Guangdong area / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To analyze the death causes of 345 cases with HIV/AIDS in Guangdong area.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The situations of 345 hospitalized death cases with HIV/AIDS were conducted by retrospective analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1)There were total 3406 hospitalized cases with HIV/AIDS in a hospital from January 2001 to December 2011 and 345 cases died, the fatality rate was 10. 13%. Since 2005 the introduction of free anti-viral treatment, the fatality rate of HIV/AIDS declined. The fatality rate of the patients whose CD4+ T lymphocyte counts <200 cells/microl was 14.61% (299/2046) and it was significantly higher than that of patients whose CD4 T lymphocyte counts >or=200 cells/microl (P <0.01). (2) 99.42% of the death cases had more than one kind of opportunistic infections (OI) and there were 924 cases of OI totally. 84. 64% of OI related to the death directly. Fungal infection was the most common in OI, followed by bacterial infection. Most OI occurred in the lungs, mouth, other systemic disseminated diseases, gastrointestine, central nerver system, septicemia, skin. The AIDS defining opportunistic infections such as several pneumonia, disseminated penicilliosis marneffei and CNS infections accounted for 29.65%. Other factors that caused HIV/AIDS death included opportunistic tumors, HIV related disease and non AIDS-related disease accounted for 15.36%. No accepted effective highly active antiretroviral therapy (HARRT) also constituted factors of death. Among cases which accepted HARRT treatment, only 6.96% had the period of treatment over three months.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The fatality rate of end-stage AIDS patients was high and the opportunistic infections was the most important cause of death. Early diagnosis and treatment for opportunistic infections, timely effective HARRT were the key to improve the quality of life of AIDS patients.</p>