Atractylodes lancea rhizome water extract reduces triptolide-induced toxicity and enhances anti-inflammatory effects / 中国天然药物

The present study was designed to explore the influence of water extracts of Atractylodes lancea rhizomes on the toxicity and anti-inflammatory effects of triptolide (TP). A water extract was prepared from A. lancea rhizomes and co-administered with TP in C57BL/6 mice. The toxicity was assayed by determining serum biochemical parameters and visceral indexes and by liver histopathological analysis. The hepatic CYP3A expression levels were detected using Western blotting and RT-PCR methods. The data showed that the water extract of A. lancea rhizomes reduced triptolide-induced toxicity, probably by inducing the hepatic expression of CYP3A. The anti-inflammatory effects of TP were evaluated in mice using a xylene-induced ear edema test. By comparing ear edema inhibition rates, we found that the water extract could also increase the anti-inflammatory effects of TP. In conclusion, our results suggested that the water extract of A. lancea rhizomes, used in combination with TP, has a potential in reducing TP-induced toxicity and enhancing its anti-inflammatory effects.

Application of ThinPrep cytology test in the diagnosis of lung cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the diagnostic value of ThinPrep cytology test (TCT) in lung cancer.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>353 cases of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and(or) bronchial brushing cytology (192 cases from lung cancer patients and 161 cases from benign lung disease patients) were detected with TCT and method of direct smear, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of two methods was compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The sensitivity and specificity of TCT were 39.6% and 99.4%. And which of direct smear method were 8.3% and 100%, respectively. The sensitivity of TCT was significantly higher than that of method of direct smear in the diagnosis of lung cancer (P < 0.01). There were 71 patients who underwent BALF and bronchial brushing cytology simultaneously, the sensitivity of TCT of BALF was higher than that of bronchial brushing cytology (P < 0.05). Of the 69 cases which had both TCT and histopathological results, TCT and pathology concordance rate was 84.1%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>TCT has more diagnostic value in lung cancer; BALF is more preponderant than bronchial brushing cytology by TCT in the diagnosis of lung cancer.</p>

The clinical characteristics of hepatic failure with aspergillosis / 中华肝脏病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To study the clinical characteristics of hepatic failure with aspergillosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The data of hepatic failure patients with fungal infection hospitalized in our hospital form January 1985 to June 2006 were collected. This research mainly focused on the clinical characteristics of the patients co-infected with aspergillosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The occurrence of aspergillosis was 20.5% (104 cases) among 507 hepatic failure patients with fungal infection. Compared with other fungal infection in hepatic failure patients, the effective rate of antifungal therapy and the improvement rate of underlying disease were worse in patients with aspergillus infection (36.5% vs 57.8%, P = 0.000; 26.0% vs 36.7%, P = 0.049). Aspergillus fumigatus was the most common species among 108 fungal species. The species next to Aspergillus fumigatus were Aspergillus niger and Aspergillus flavus. The mainly infected organ was lung and its clinical manifestation was atypical. Liver function could be improved with effective anti-fungus therapy.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Diagnosis and treatment of aspergillosis is difficult in hepatic failure patients co-infected with aspergillosis. Early and effective antifungal therapy is helpful to the recovery of liver function in the hepatic failure patients suspected with aspergillosis co-infection.</p>

Retrospective study of liver failure complicated with bacterium and fungous infection / 中华实验和临床病毒学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study clinic character of liver failure complicated with bacterium and fungous infection.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The patients with liver failure complicated with bacterial and fungous infection who were treated in our hospital from January 1986 to June 2006 were studied. All patients had clinical manifestation and positive of bacterium. The data were statistical analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>507 patients diagnosed with fungous infection were found from January 1986 to June 2006 in which 132 patients were diagnosed with bacterial and fungous infection. There were 85 patients (64.39%) with chronic severe hepatitis and 40 patients (30.3%) with decompensation cirrhosis. Bacterial infection happened in 153 cases in which the rate of nosocomial infections was 54.90%. 204 bacterial strains were separated in which 143 strains (70.10%) were gram-negative bacterium and 61 (29.90%) strains were gram-positive bacterium. The main sites of bacterial infection were abdominal cavity (122 cases) and lung (30 cases). Fungous infection happened in 143 cases in which the rate of nosocomial infections was 86.71%. 155 fungous strains were separated in which 90 strains (58.06%) were Candida albicans, 17 strains (10.97%) were Aspergillus fumigatus and 25 (16.13%) strains were non-Candida albicans. The main sites of fouguns infection were lung (94 cases) and mouth (53 cases). 84 patients (63.64%) were ineffective and died after treatment.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The patients with decompensation cirrhosis and chronic severe liver hepatitis were easy to be infected by bacterial and fungous. the rate of fungous nosocomial infections is higher than that of bacterium. The prognosis is bad in patients who had secondary fungous infection.</p>