Protocol on transcranial alternating current stimulation for the treatment of major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) offers a new approach for adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). The study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of tACS treating MDD.@*METHODS@#This is an 8-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. Ninety-two drug-naive patients with MDD aged 18 to 65 years will receive 20 daily 40-min, 77.5-Hz, 15-mA sessions of active or sham tACS targeting the forehead and both mastoid areas on weekdays for 4 consecutive weeks (week 4), following a 4-week observation period (week 8). The primary outcome is the remission rate defined as the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS-17) score ≤7 at week 8. Secondary outcomes are the rates of response at weeks 4 and 8 and rate of remission at week 4 based on HDRS-17, the proportion of participants having improvement in the clinical global impression-improvement, the change in HDRS-17 score (range, 0-52, with higher scores indicating more depression) over the study, and variations of brain imaging and neurocognition from baseline to week 4. Safety will be assessed by vital signs at weeks 4 and 8, and adverse events will be collected during the entire study.@*DISCUSSION@#The tACS applied in this trial may have treatment effects on MDD with minimal side effects.@*TRIAL REGISTRATION@#Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR1800016479; http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=22048.

Differentially expressed genes in heads and tails of Angelica sinensis diels: Focusing on ferulic acid metabolism / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the scientific connotation of the discrepant pharmaceutical activities between the head and tail of Angelica sinensis diels (AS), an important herb extensively utilized in Chinese medicine, by the approach of transcriptome sequencing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Ten samples of AS were randomly collected in Min County, Gansu Province of China. Transcriptome sequencing of AS was accomplished in a commercial ILLumina HiSeq-2000 platform. The transcriptome of each head and tail of AS were fixed in a gene chip, and detected under the procedure of Illumina HiSeq-2000. Differentially expressed unigenes between the heads and tails of AS were selected by Shanghai Biotechnology Corporation (SBC) online analysis system, based on Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and relevant bioinformatic database.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Totally 63,585 unigenes were obtained from AS by high-throughput sequencing platform. Among which 3359 unigenes were identified as differentially expressed unigenes between the heads and tails of AS by SBC analysis system scanning. Of which 15 differentially expressed unigenes participate in the metabolic regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis (PB) pathway and ferulic acid metabolites, in response to the distinguished pharmaceutical actions of the heads and tails of AS.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Different content of ferulic acid in the heads and tails of AS is related to the differentially expressed genes, particularly involved in the PB pathway.</p>

The Fourier transform infrared spectra of the key organs derived from Kidney (Shen)-yang deficiency syndrome mice / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore an approach to rapidly and accurately identify the compounds as biomarkers of Chinese medicine (CM) syndromes.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry was applied to investigate the characteristic components of a mice model of Kidney (Shen)-yang deficiency syndrome (KDS), and the remedial effect of a typical CM formula Shenqi Pill (). Thirty-six females and 18 males of Balb/c mice were randomly divided into KDS, Shenqi or control group. The females and males of the same group freely were mated for 96 h, and the males were taken out and only the female mice were raised. Females of the KDS group were threatened by a ferocious cat every other day for 14 d. After delivery, the KDS, or gestational threatened, offspring were raised at standard condition for 11 weeks. Then 10 male offspring were randomly selected, anaesthetized and their representative organs, i.e. testes, kidneys, lungs and feet were collected, for the FT-IR scan. Mice of the Shenqi group were intragastric administered Shenqi Pill; while mice in the KDS and control groups were given the same volume of saline.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The attenuated birth outcomes of the KDS group were displayed. The remarkable FT-IR differences of all organs between KDS mice and healthy control were mainly at 1,735-1,745 cm(-1) (indicating the increased levels of lipids) and at 1,640-1,647 cm(-1) and 1,539-1,544 cm(-1) (displaying the decreased proteins). No statistic FT-IR difference between Shenqi and control mice was observed.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>In accordance with major traits of KDS, prenatal stress extensively impaired the building up of proteins and resulting in the excessive lipid storage, and FT-IR could effectively identify the biomarkers of KDS.</p>

Stabilizing the bactericidal activity of hydrogen peroxide: a brand new function of certain Chinese herbs / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore natural herbs to maintain the bactericidal activity of hydrogen peroxide (H).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighteen extracts of Chinese herbs were prepared complying with the standard protocol. Each of the solutions was then mixed with 1% H2O2. The mixtures were handled with two approaches: autoclaved daily for one, two or three times; stored at room temperature from one through five years. Then the bactericidal activity were evaluated by assaying the minimal bactericidal concentration (MBC) and minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) against Gram positive (Staphylococcus aureus, ATCC25923) and Gram negative (Escherichia coli, ATCC12421) bacteria.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>While mixed with 1% H2O2, 10 out of 18 kinds of assessed Chinese herbs displayed MBC values at 1:12800 or higher after three times of autoclaving, and 8 of them preserved such level of MBC value after stored at room temperature for three years. Some Chinese herbs, i.e. R. Scutellariae, R. Coptidis, R. Bupleuri, H. Epimedii, C. Phelledendri and F. Chrysanthemi, can significantly maintain the bactericidal activity of diluted H2O2.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Certain Chinese herbs can effectively stabilize the bactericidal activity of H2O2 undergoing autoclave or long-term storage. This paper reported a brandnew pharmaceutical function of Chinese herbs and provided experimental data for the potential enhancement of H2O2 usage while its stability level is promoted.</p>

Whole course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy for esophageal carcinoma / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective To compare the treatment effects and toxicity of convention fractionation ra- diotherapy(CFR),late course accelerated hyperfractionafion radiotherapy(LCAFR) and whole course accel- erated hyperfractionation radiotherapy(WCAFR) for patients with middle or low thoracic esophageal moder- ately differentiated squamous cell carcinoma.Methods Ninety patients with middle or low thoratic esoph- ageal carcinoma were divided into three groups:1.CFR group,patients were irradiated 2.0 Gy/f,5 times a week,to a total dose of 70 Gy;2.LCAFR group,patients were first irradiated with CFR to 40 Gy,then fol- lowed by 1.5 Gy/f bid,at more than 6 hoursinterval,5 times a week,to a total dose of 70 Gy;3.WCAFR group,patients were irradiated 1.5 Gy/f bid,at more than 6 hoursinterval,5 times a week,to a total dose of 72 Gy.Results The 1-,2-,3-year local control rate was 47%,17% and 0% in CFR group,60%,20% and 20% in LCAFR group,60%,40% and 33% in WCAFR group,respectively.The 1-,2-,3-year survival rate was 47%,20% and 10% in CFR group,63%,43% and 17% in LCAFR group,and 63% ,50% and 33% in WCAFR group,respectively.There were better results in the latter two groups(P＜0.01).The a- cute toxic effect was severer in the WCAHF and LCAF groups than in CF group.Highter grade 2-3 acute esophagitis rate was observed both in WCAHF and LCAF groups.There were no significant differences in late esophagitis rate between the three groups.The grade 1-2 acute radiation pneumonitis rates were higher in WCAHF group than in LCAF and CF groups.One patient died of radiation pneumonitis in WCAHF group. Conclusions Whole course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy can significantly improve the local control rates and the 1-and 2-year survival rates of esophageal cancer,but can also increase the toxicity.