Prevention and Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis with Traditional Chinese Medicine： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Atopic dermatitis （AD） is a chronic， recurrent and inflammatory skin disease. Modern medical research suggests that AD is related to immune function， genes， skin barrier and other factors， while the specific etiology and pathogenesis remains unclear. The disease has a long course and is prone to reoccur， which seriously affects people’s production and life. Steroids， antihistamines and immunosuppressants are commonly used western medicines for the treatment of AD， which， however， will cause adverse reactions after long-term application. Traditional Chinese medicine （TCM） has a long history， good therapeutic effect and rich clinical experience in the prevention and treatment of AD， and the research on the treatment of AD with TCM has been intensifying. Centering on the theory of TCM， we systematically summarized the research progress related to AD， discussed the etiology and pathogenesis of AD， and summarized the TCM syndrome differentiation of AD from the aspects of eight principles， etiology， Qi-blood-body fluid， zang-fu organs， six meridians， defense-Qi-nutrient-blood and triple energizer. According to the etiology and pathogenesis of AD， we proposed the therapeutic regimens corresponding to the type and stage of the disease. Considering the research progress achieved in the recent years in the prevention and treatment of AD by TCM and the modern pharmacological research on Chinese medicinal materials， we reviewed the classic famous prescriptions， self-made prescriptions and Chinese patent medicines， and expounded the mechanisms of single Chinese medicinal materials in the treatment of AD at the molecular level. The TCM external therapies such as wet compress， medicated bath， gel and ointment are safe and effective. Acupuncture and moxibustion play a role in the prevention and treatment of AD， which is worthy of promotion in clinical practice， and the syndrome differentiation methods of Qi-blood-body fluid and triple energizer are novel in the treatment of this disease. TCM， characterized by diverse therapeutic methods and good clinical efficacy， is worthy of promotion in the treatment of AD， which will contribute to the development of TCM in China.

Endometrial MicroRNA Signature during the Window of Implantation Changed in Patients with Repeated Implantation Failure / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>At present, a diagnostic tool with high specificity for impaired endometrial receptivity, which may lead to implantation failure, remains to be developed. We aimed to assess the different endometrial microRNA (miRNA) signatures for impaired endometrial receptivity by microarray analysis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 12 repeated implantation failure (RIF) patients and 10 infertile patients, who conceived and delivered after one embryo transfer attempt, were recruited as RIF and control groups, respectively. Endometrial specimens from the window of implantation (WOI) were collected from these two groups. MiRNA microarray was conducted on seven and five samples from the RIF and control groups, respectively. Comparative, functional, and network analyses were performed for the microarray results. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed on other samples to validate the expression of specific miRNAs.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those in the control group, the expression levels of 105 miRNAs in the RIF group were found to be significantly up- or down-regulated (at least 2-fold) by microarray analysis. The most relevant miRNA functional sets of these dysregulated miRNAs were miR-30 family, human embryonic stem cell regulation, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and miRNA tumor suppressors by tool for annotations of microRNA analysis. Network regulatory analysis found 176 miRNA-mRNA interactions, and the top 3 core miRNAs were has-miR-4668-5p, has-miR-429, and has-miR-5088. Expression levels of the 18 selected miRNAs in new samples by real-time PCR were found to be regulated with the same trend, as the result of microarray analysis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>There is a significant different expression of certain miRNAs in the WOI endometrium for RIF patients. These miRNAs may contribute to impaired endometrial receptivity.</p>

Diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis: a case report with literature review / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Diffuse pulmonary lymphangiomatosis (DPL) is a rare disease that is characterized by diffuse proliferation of abnormal pulmonary lymphatic channels. DPL occurs mostly in children and young adults and often undergoes a progressive clinical course, eventually causing deterioration of the lung. Both the clinical diagnosis and treatment of DPL remain a challenge. Here, we report a case of DPL in a 53-year-old Chinese woman with comprehensive investigations including pulmonary function tests, computer tomography (CT), bronchoscopy and histological examination of the lung biopsy, and review the literature.

Gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors: a clinical pathologic and immunohistochemical study of 210 cases / 中华胃肠外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinical pathologic and immunohistochemical features of gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumors (GIMTs), and to investigate the value of molecular markers in GIMTs clinical differentiation diagnosis.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical and pathological data of 210 cases of GIMTs, collected from Jan. 1987 to Dec. 2005 in our hospital, were investigated retrospectively. GIMTs were rediagnosed by using standard immunostaining technique in paraffin-embedded tissue. The expression level of CD117, CD34, Desmin, SMA and PS100 were detected by immunohistochemical method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 210 cases of GIMTs, 127 cases were Gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) (60.5%), 33 leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas (15.7%), 27 neurogenic tumours (12.8%), and 23 miscellaneous tumors (11.0%). The incidences of GIST, leiomyoma and leiomyosarcoma were similar among men and women. Men were more likely to develop neurogenic tumors and miscellaneous tumors than women. Of all the GISTs, 51.2% cases originated from stomach, 19.7% from small intestine, 11.0% from esophagus, 10.2% from colon and rectum. The most common location of leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas was esophagus (45.5%). The most common location of neurogenic tumors was retroperitoneum (74.1%). Common symptoms of GISTs included digestive tract hemorrhage in 36 cases (28.3%), abdominal pain in 27 cases (21.3%) and abdominal mass in 24 cases (18.9%). Other GIMT cases except GISTs had no first symptom of digestive tract hemorrhage. It was noticed that 79.5% of GISTs had no obvious invasion, and 72.7% of leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas had no obvious invasion. 33.3% of neurogenic tumors invaded the adjacent organs or tissues. No metastases had been found in other GIMT cases except GISTs. The neoplastic cells of GISTs were composed of various percentage of spindle (72.5%), epithelioid (11.8%) and mixed-type cells (15.7%). The percentage of spindle cells in leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas was 94. The immunohistochemical results of GISTs showed that the positive rate of CD117 was 93.7%, CD34 was 69.3%, Desmin was 13.4%, SMA was 12.6%, and PS100 was 10.2%. The immunohistochemical results of leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas showed that the positive rate of Desmin was 78.5%, SMA was 63.6%, while as the expressions of CD117, CD34, and PS100 were negative. Diffuse strong positive staining of PS100 was observed in 88.9% of neurogenic tumor patients.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>GISTs are the most common tumors among GIMTs. GISTs are different from neurogenic tumors, leiomyomas and leiomyosarcomas in initial symptom, tumor location, biological behavior and immunophenotype. Immunohistochemistry plays an important role in differentiating GISTs from leiomyomas and neurogenic tumors.</p>

Clinicopathologic analysis of 141 cases of metastatic carcinoma in bone / 中华病理学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the clinicopathologic features of metastatic carcinoma in bone and to evaluate the role of immunohistochemistry in delineation of possible primary sites.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One hundred and forty-one cases of metastatic carcinoma in bone encountered during the period from 1998 to 2004 in People's Hospital, Peking University, were reviewed retrospectively. The clinical information, radiographic features and pathologic findings were analyzed. Immunohistochemical study for antigens including cytokeratins, prostatic specific antigen, thyroglobulin, thyroid transcription factor 1 and gross cystic disease fluid protein 15, was performed in 51 cases possessing skeletal metastasis with unknown primary.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Skeletal metastasis occurred more commonly in males (male to female ratio = 1.7:1). The age of patients ranged from 23 to 86 years (mean age = 56.5). The presenting symptoms included pain and dysfunction in the affected bones. The locations of skeletal metastasis were as follows: spine (58), pelvic bone (46), long bone (34) and others (3). Twenty-three cases harbored multiple bony lesions. Radiographically, 99 cases (70.2%) of skeletal metastasis were detected by X-rays, including 85 cases (85.9%) showing lytic changes. The primary sites of the tumor could be determined by clinicopathologic correlation in 90 cases (63.8%) and were unknown in the remaining 51 cases. Upon immunohistochemical study, the primary sites were determined in another 40 cases. Overall, the primary sites were identified in 130 cases (92.2%), which included lung (37), female genital system and breast (25), kidney (18), gastrointestinal system (17), liver (12), thyroid (11), prostate (7), bladder (2) and skin (1).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Skeletal metastasis occurs more often in elderly males. Axial bones (spine and pelvis) are usually affected. Lung and female genital system are frequent the primary sites. Immunohistochemical study is useful in cases with occult primary.</p>