Application of ureteral access sheath in the operation of middle and lower ureteral calculi in patients with massive benign prostatic hyperplasia / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To examine the effectiveness and safety of application of the ureteral access sheath in the treatment of middle or lower ureteral calculi in patients with large-volume benign prostatic hyperplasia above grade Ⅲ, which is expected to avoid the simultaneous or staged treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia via eliminate the difficult angle and resistance of ureteroscopy caused by severe prostatic hyperplasia. Methods: From April 2018 to December 2020, the clinical data of 27 patients with massive benign prostatic hyperplasia above grade Ⅲ and middle and lower ureteral calculi treated with indwelling ureteral access sheath plus ureteroscopy holmium laser lithotripsy at Department of Urology, Zhejiang Quhua Hospital were retrospectively analyzed and followed up. All the patients were male, aged (69.7±12.8) years (range: 55 to 87 years). Prostate volume measured by transrectal ultrasound was (94.8±16.2) cm3 (range: 85 to 186 cm3). The ureteral access sheath was indwelled in advance, and then the semirigid ureteroscopy was introduced through the working channel of the sheath. Holmium laser lithotripsy was performed, and intraoperative and postoperative complications were recorded. Urinary abdominal plain X-ray or CT urography were performed at 1-and 2-month postopaerative to evaluate the residual stones and clinical efficacy. Results: The ureteral access sheath was placed and holmium laser lithotripsy under a semirigid ureteroscopy was performed successfully in all the 27 patients. In 2 patients, a second session of auxiliary procedure was required due to the large load of preoperative stones and residual stones after surgery, among whom 1 patient received extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy and 1 patient underwent extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy plus ureteroscopic lithotripsy. The stone free rate at 1-and 2-month postoperative were 92.6% (25/27) and 100% (27/27), respectively. There were no severe complications such as ureteral avulsion and perforation, perirenal hematoma, septic shock, severe hematuria, urinary retention, iatrogenic ureteral stricture occurred during and after the surgery. The ureteral calculus was wrapped by polyps heavily in 1 patient, he was diagnosed as ureteral stenosis 1 month postoperative, receiving laparoscopic resection of ureteral stricture plus anastomosis 3 months postoperative. Conclusions: In the operations of middle and lower ureteral calculi in patients with large-volume prostatic hyperplasia above grade Ⅲ, the ureteral access sheath can be placed first to effectively eliminate the difficult angle and resistance of ureteroscopy caused by severe prostatic hyperplasia, and then semirigid ureteroscopic lithotripsy can be safely performed. It could avoid the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia at the same time or by stages.

Bioinformatics and expression analysis on MYB-related family in Angelica dahurica var. formosana / 中国中药杂志

In recent years, the MYB-related gene family has been found pivotal in plant growth and development. MYB-related gene family in Angelica dahurica var. formosana was systematically investigated based on "Chuanzhi No. 2" through transcriptome database search and bioinformatics and the temporal and spatial expression patterns were analyzed through real-time fluorescence-based quantitative polymerase chain reaction(PCR). The results showed that 122 MYB-related proteins family were identified, mainly including the unstable hydrophilic proteins with good thermal stability. Most of the proteins were located in nuclei. The majority of the proteins had the structures of random coil and α-helix. Five MYB-related proteins family of A. dahurica var. formosana had membrane-binding domains. The conserved domain analysis of MYB-related proteins family of A. dahurica var. formosana showed that the MYB domains of genes in five subgroups, similar to 2 R-, 3 R-, and 4 R-MYB proteins, contained three evenly distributed Trp(W) residues in the MYB repeat sequence. The phylogenetic analysis of MYB-related proteins family in A. dahurica var. formosana and Arabidopsis thaliana showed that the MYB-related members were unevenly distributed in five subgroups, and A. thaliana and A. dahurica var. formosana had almost the same number of genes in the CCA1-like subgroup. There were differences in the number, type, and distribution of motifs contained in 122 encoded proteins. Transcription factors with similar branches had similar domains and motifs. The expression pattern analysis showed that the transcription factors AdMYB53, AdMYB83, and AdMYB89 responded to hormones to varying degrees, and they were highly expressed in leaves and responded quickly in roots. This study lays a foundation for further investigating the function of MYB-related transcription factors of A. dahurica var. formosana and solving the corresponding biological problems such as bolting early.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of 88 cases of overlap myositis / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical and immunological characteristics of overlap myositis (OM) patients.@*METHODS@#The data of 368 patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs) admitted to Peking University People's Hospital from January 2004 to August 2020 were analyzed retrospectively, including demographic characteristics, clinical characteristics (including fever, Gottron' s sign/papules, Heliotrope rash, V-sign, Shawl sign, Mechanic' s hands, skin ulceration, periungual erythema, subcutaneous calcinosis, dysphagia, myalgia, myasthenia, arthritis, Raynaud' s phenomenon, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary hypertension and myocardial involvement), laboratory characteristics, immunological characteristics [including antinuclear antibodies, rheumatoid factors, myositis-associated autoantibodies (MAAs) and myositis-specific autoantibodies (MSAs)] and survival. The clinical and immunological characteristics and prognostic differences of OM and non-OM were compared. The Kaplan-Meier and Log Rank methods were used to analyze the survival.@*RESULTS@#A total of 368 patients were included. 23.9% (88/368) of IIMs patients were OM patients. Among the 88 OM patients, 85.2% (75/88) of them were female, and the median interval between disease onset and diagnosis was 13.5 months. The incidence of overlapped connective tissue diseases in the OM patients was dermatomyositis (DM) in 60.2%, polymyositis (PM) in 3.4%, immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM) in 2.3% and anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS) in 34.1%. Compared with the non-OM patients, the proportion of the females in the OM patients was higher (85.2% vs. 72.1%, P=0.016), the OM patients had longer disease duration [13.5(4.5, 48.0) months vs. 4.0(2.0, 12.0) months, P < 0.001]. As for clinical characteristics, compared with the non-OM patients, the incidence of V-sign (25.0% vs. 44.6%, P=0.001) and periungual erythema (8.0% vs. 19.6%, P=0.013) were lower; the incidence of Raynaud's phenomenon (14.8% vs. 1.8%, P < 0.001), interstitial pneumonia (88.6% vs. 72.1%, P=0.001), pulmonary hypertension (22.7% vs. 7.5%, P < 0.001) and myocardial involvement (18.2% vs. 9.3%, P=0.033) were higher. As for immunological characteristics, compared with the non-OM patients, the incidence of elevated aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (31.8% vs. 45.0%, P=0.035) was lower and elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) (58.0% vs. 44.6%, P=0.037) was higher; the positive rates of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) (85.1% vs. 63.4%, P=0.001) and rheumatoid factors (RF) (40.2% vs. 17.8%, P < 0.001) and anti-Ro-52 (71.6% vs. 56.1%, P=0.038) in serum were higher. There was no significant difference in the survival between the OM patients and non-OM patients.@*CONCLUSION@#Pulmonary hypertension and myocardial involvement were frequently observed in OM.

Clinical and immunological characteristics of patients with anti-synthetase syndrome complicated with cardiac involvement / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical and immunological features of cardiac involvement in patients with anti-synthetase syndrome (ASS).@*METHODS@#In the study, 96 patients diagnosed with ASS hospitalized in the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, Peking University People's Hospital from April 2003 to November 2020 were included. The patients were divided into two groups according to whether they were accompanied with cardiac involvement. Demographic features, clinical characteristics (Gottron's sign/papules, muscle damage, etc.), comorbidities, laboratory indices (creatine kinase, inflammatory indicators, immunoglobulin, complement, lymphocyte subset, autoantibodies, etc.) were collected and the differences between the two groups were analyzed statistically.@*RESULTS@#The prevalence of cardiac involvement in the patients with ASS was 25.0% (24/96). The ASS patients complicated with cardiac involvement presented with elevated cardiac troponin I (cTnI, 75.0%, 18/24), pericardial effusion (33.3%, 8/24), reduction of left ventricular function (33.3%, 8/24) and valves regurgitation (33.3%, 8/24). The age of onset of the patients with cardiac involvement was older than that of the patients without cardiac involvement [(54.58±10.58) years vs. (48.47±13.22) years, P=0.043). Arthritis was observed less frequently in the patients with cardiac involvement than those without cardiac involvement (37.5% vs. 61.1%, P=0.044). In addition, rapidly progressive interstitial lung disease (54.2% vs. 30.6%, P=0.037) was observed more frequently in the patients with cardiac involvement than those without cardiac involvement. As compared with the ASS patients without cardiac involvement, C-reactive protein (CRP) [(13.55 (8.96, 38.35) mg/L vs. 4.60 (1.37, 17.40) mg/L, P=0.001], and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) [408.0 (255.0, 587.0) U/L vs. 259.5 (189.8, 393.8) U/L, P=0.007] were significantly higher in the patients with cardiac involvement. Anti-Ro-52 antibody was detected more commonly in the ASS patients with cardiac involvement compared with the patients without cardiac involvement (91.7% vs. 69.4%, P=0.029). No significant differences were found in the comorbidities, alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), creatine kinase (CK), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), ferritin (Fer), immunoglobulin G (IgG), complement 3 (C3), complement 4 (C4), lymphocyte subset between the two groups.@*CONCLUSION@#Cardiac involvement is common in ASS, mainly manifested as myocardial damage. It is necessary to be aware of cardiac complications in patients with elevated CRP, elevated LDH and positive anti-Ro-52 antibody.

Research status and application prospect of artificial intelligence technology in lung tumors / 第二军医大学学报

Lung cancer is a malignant tumor with the highest morbidity and mortality, which seriously threatens human health. It is important to improve the diagnosis and treatment efficiency of patients with lung cancer. Artificial intelligence technology provides novel promising strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with lung cancer. Numerous studies have focused on the early screening, diagnosis, treatment and health management of lung tumor, and the development of computer-aided diagnosis system based on deep learning technology, and achieved remarkable results. In this paper, we systematically reviewed the progress of artificial intelligence technology in early screening based medical imaging, pathological diagnosis, prognostic evaluation, surgical navigation and immunotherapy of lung tumors. It is believed that artificial intelligence technology will bring new opportunities for the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer, and improve the overall survival and quality of life of patients with lung cancer.

Ultra-trace Metal Elements Analysis of High Purity Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide Using Inductively Coupled Plasma Tandem Mass Spectrometry / 分析化学

An analytical method was proposed to determine the ultra-trace metal elements in high-purity tetramethylammonium hydroxide ( TMAH).A total of 12 kinds of ultra-trace metal elements in 25% ( w/w) high-purity TMAH aqueous solution were directly determined after simple dilution with ultrapure water by inductively coupled plasma tandem mass spectrometry ( ICP-MS/MS ).In MS/MS mode, the spectral interferences were eliminated by the reaction of target ions with O2 or NH3/He (1:9, V/V) in the collision/reaction cell ( CRC ) of the ICP-MS/MS.Cr, Mn, Ni and Mo were determined using the O2 mass shift method.Cd and Pb were analyZed based on the O2 on-mass method.Fe, Co, Cu and Zn were determined using the NH3/He mass shift method.Mg and Al were determined using the NH3/He on-mass.The detection limits for analytes were in the range of 0.3-57.2 ng/L.The spiked recoveries were in range of 92.0%-106.0%, and the relative standard deviations (RSDs) were less than or equal to 4.6%.The procedure was applied for determining ultra-trace metal elements in 25% high-purity TMAH aqueous solution.

Validity and reliability of the Uighur version of Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire / 中国心理卫生杂志

Objective:To test the validity and reliability of the Uighur version of Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire (CSPQ) in Uygur ethnic group of recruited youtt.Methods:Using the two-way checklist,all the items were judged by professors as their items belonging to test the content validity.Totally 101 Uygur population of permanent residents and totally 102 patients with schizophrenia in remission in sample 1 were tested for discrimination validity analysis.Totally 460 Uygur youths were recruited to complete the Uygur form of CSPQ for subscale normal distribution analysis and reliability analysis in sample 2.Totally 118 students of Urumqi College of Land Army from sample 3 were selected and retested for test-retest reliability with three weeks interval.Results:Uygur form of CSPQ had 283 items and 8 dimensions.Classification and recognition rate judged by professors ranged from 74.6％ to 91.5％.Patients with schizophrenia scored higher than normal people in all scales.Reliability coefficients of the 8 dimensions ranged from 0.69 to 0.91,and the test-retest reliability ranged from 0.85 to 0.92.Conclusion:It suggests that Uighur version of Chinese Soldier Personality Questionnaire is of good validity and reliability.

Using folic acid-modified polyethylenimine-SPIO nanoparticles for PD-L1 siRNA delivery to target gastric cancer / 中国病理生理杂志

AIM: To synthesis and characterize a multi-functional siRNA delivery agent with effective thera-peutic effects and MR-tracing ability for programmed death ligand-1 ( PD-L1 ) positive gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell line . METHODS:The characterization , binding ability , cytotoxicity , transfection efficiency and cellular internalization of the polyplex were determined .The PD-L1 knockdown effect was analyzed , and cytokines secreted by cocultured T cells were measured.RESULTS:We developed folic acid (FA)-PEG-SS-PEI-SPION as siRNA delivery agent for PD-L1 knockdown. At N/P ratio of 10, the FA-PEG-SS-PEI-SPION bound PD-L1 siRNA to form polyplex in a diameter of (116.7 ±2.5) nm with zeta potential of (9.14 ±0.80) mV.Transfection efficiency of the targeted polyplex was (95.06 ±0.44)%, com-pared with ( 93.87 ±1.05 )% of the untargeted polyplex .Mean fluorescence intensity of the targeted polyplex was 1892.67 ±81.51, significantly higher than 1324.33 ±186.58 of the untargeted.The cellular magnetic resonance (MR) imaging showed the polyplex also acted as T 2 weighted contrast agent for cancer MR imaging .The relative mRNA level of PD-L1 in polymer/siRNA-2 treatment group was (9.07 ±0.79)%.Decreased protein expression of PD-L1 was showed by Western blot .The secretion levels of IFN-γand TNF-αin cocultured T cells increased , while that of IL-10 decreased . CONCLUSION:Our findings highlighted the potential of the multifunctional theranostic nanoparticles for effective targe -ting PD-L1 knockdown therapy and MR imaging diagnosis in gastric cancers .

Feasibility study on monitoring blood pressure of the superficial temporal artery in neonates / 中华护理杂志

Objective To explore the feasibility of monitoring blood pressure via superficial temporal artery catheterization in neonates,which may provide more ways to monitor arterial blood pressure of neonates.Methods By lottery method,64 neonates from NICU who met inclusion criteria and needed arterial blood pressure monitoring were randomly divided into two groups.Thirty-two cases in the experimental group were treated with superficial temporal artery catheterization,while 32 cases in the control group were treated with radial artery catheterization.The success rate of one-time catheterization,indwelling time of catheter,blood pressure and the rate of complications were compared between two groups.Results There were no significant differences between two groups in the success rate of one-time catheterization,indwelling time of catheter,systolic blood pressure and the rate of complications (P＞0.05).Results showed there was significant difference in diastolic blood pressure between two groups(P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Compared with radial artery blood catheterization,neonatal superficial temporal artery catheterization showed equivalent effect,which made it more convenient for observing condition of neonates.

Feasibility study on monitoring blood pressure of the superficial temporal artery in neonates / 中华护理杂志

Objective To explore the feasibility of monitoring blood pressure via superficial temporal artery catheterization in neonates,which may provide more ways to monitor arterial blood pressure of neonates.Methods By lottery method,64 neonates from NICU who met inclusion criteria and needed arterial blood pressure monitoring were randomly divided into two groups.Thirty-two cases in the experimental group were treated with superficial temporal artery catheterization,while 32 cases in the control group were treated with radial artery catheterization.The success rate of one-time catheterization,indwelling time of catheter,blood pressure and the rate of complications were compared between two groups.Results There were no significant differences between two groups in the success rate of one-time catheterization,indwelling time of catheter,systolic blood pressure and the rate of complications (P＞0.05).Results showed there was significant difference in diastolic blood pressure between two groups(P＜ 0.05).Conclusion Compared with radial artery blood catheterization,neonatal superficial temporal artery catheterization showed equivalent effect,which made it more convenient for observing condition of neonates.

Optimal Treatment Strategies of Clozapine for Refractory Schizophrenia / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To systematically evaluate the efficacy of clozapine combined with other antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. Methods We searched Medline, EMBASE, and China Biology Medicine databases in both English and Chinese for randomized controlled trials, quasi-randomization controlled trials, and clinical controlled trials concerning the combinations of clozapine with other antipsychotic drugs for refractory schizophrenia. Quality assessment and data extraction were conducted with the Cochrane collaboration's RevMan 5.3 software. Results Totally 47 trials met the inclusion criteria, in which clozapine was combined with risperidone, aripiprazole, sulpiride, ziprasidone, modified electroconvulsive therapy, valproate, or lithium carbonate, respectively. Analysis showed that most combination strategies were superior to clozapoine alone (P<0.05), except for the combination with lithium carbonate(8 weeks: RR=1.27, 95%CI=0.82-1.97,P=0.28; 12 weeks: RR=1.53, 95% CI=0.45-5.13, P=0.49). Conclusion Reasonable combination of clozapine with other drugs may improve the therapeutic effectiveness and reduce adverse reactions and thus can be effectively used for treating refractory schizophrenia.

Determination of 5 nucleosides components in culture of Paecilomyces hepialid by HPLC / 中国中药杂志

The concentration of 5 nucleosides, uracil, uridine, guanidine, adenine and adenosine in culture of Paecilomyces hepialid was determined by the developed method of HPLC. The HPLC method was performed on a Waters SunFire C18 (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 μm) column with methanol-water gradient elution as the mobile phase. The detection wavelength was 260 nm and the colunmn temperature was controlled at 30 °C. The linear range was 10.00-200.00 mg · L(-1) (r = 0.9994) for uracil, 10.10-202.00 mg · L(-1) (r = 0.9992) for uridine, 10.00-200.00 mg · L(-1) (r = 0.9991) for guanidine, 10.30-206.00 mg · L(-1) (r = 0.9992) for adenine and 10.45-209.00 mg · L(-1) (r = 0.9991) for adenosine, respectively. The RSD of precision was 0.032%, 0.035%, 0.039%, 0.049%, 0.00080%, respectively. The average recoveries of uracil, guanidine, adenine, and adenosine were 97.34%, 99.10%, 101.6%, 98.61% and 100.2% with RSD of 1.3%, 2.1%, 0.96%, 0.95%, and 1.3% respectively. The method showed high sensitivity, good selectivity, linearity and repeatability, which was suitable for the content analysis of 5 nucleosides components in P. hepialid and its extracts.

Crebanine inhibits voltage-dependent Na+ current in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes / 中国天然药物

AIM@#To study the effects of crebanine on voltage-gated Na(+) channels in cardiac tissues.@*METHODS@#Single ventricular myocytes were enzymatically dissociated from adult guinea-pig heart. Voltage-dependent Na(+) current was recorded using the whole cell voltage-clamp technique.@*RESULTS@#Crebanine reversibly inhibited Na(+) current with an IC50 value of 0.283 mmol·L(-1) (95% confidence range: 0.248-0.318 mmol·L(-1)). Crebanine at 0.262 mmol·L(-1) caused a negative shift (about 12 mV) in the voltage-dependence of steady-state inactivation of Na(+) current, and retarded its recovery from inactivation, but did not affect its activation curve.@*CONCLUSION@#In addition to blocking other voltage-gated ion channels, crebanine blocked Na(+) channels in guinea-pig ventricular myocytes. Crebanine acted as an inactivation stabilizer of Na(+) channels in cardiac tissues.

Comparison of 3D conformal radiotherapy with conventional radiotherapy in gliomas on dosimetry and prognosis / 重庆医学

Objective In contrast to conventional radiotherapy ,analyze the dosimetry and prognosis of 3D conformal radiothera-py in the treatment of gliomas with different pathological stages .Methods 97 patients with gliomas were selected ,and divided into two groups as conventional radiotherapy group (CR group) and 3D conformal radiotherapy group(3D group) .analyzed the influence of different radiotherapy to the gliomas in the same pathological stage .Compared the dosimetry differences between these two radio-therapies .Results There was no obvious differences in 3 year survival rate between CR group and 3D group at low grade gliomas . But 3D group had better 3 year survival rate than CR group at high grade gliomas .And 3D group had lower rate of relevant sequel after radiotherapy .3D group had higher conformal index (CI) and average dosage of radiation than CR group .Conclusion 3D radio-therapy has better dosimetry and conformal index than conventional radiotherapy ,especially has better prognosis in high grade glio-mas and lower rate of relevant sequel after radiotherapy .

Akaloids from roots of Stephania dentifolia / 中国中药杂志

Eight alkaloids were isolated from the thin sulfuric acid extracts of the fresh roots of Stephania dentifolia by aluminum oxide, silica and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography methods. Based on the spectroscopic analysis and chemical evidence, the structures of these alkaloids were identified as sinoacutine (1), sinomenine (2), cephamonine (3), tetrahydropalmatine (4), capaurine (5), stepharanine (6), (+)-stepharine (7) and palmatine (8). All compounds were obtained from this plant for the first time.

The correlation of synuclein-γ and matrix metalloproteinase 9 in breast cancer / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVES</b>To evaluate the expression of synuclein-γ (SNCG) and metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) both in the invasive ductal breast cancer samples and T47D and T47D(SNCG)- cell lines, to investigate the correlation between SNCG and MMP-9.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 96 invasive ductal breast cancer samples (female, mean age of (56 ± 8) years) were collected between June 2009 and June 2012. The expressions of SNCG and MMP-9 were investigated by immunohistochemistry. T47D and SNCG knock down T47D(SNCG)- cell lines were established and SNCG and MMP-9 protein expression were investigated by Western blot and gene expression by real-time PCR.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Among 96 samples, 26 (27.1%) of them co-expressed SNCG and MMP-9, 30(31.2%) of them expressed neither SNCG nor MMP-9. The expression of SNCG was correlated with the expression of MMP-9 (r = 0.655, P = 0.000).SNCG mRNA level of T47D cell line was 13.5 fold of T47D(SNCG)- cell line and SNCG protein expression was 2.1 fold. While MMP-9 mRNA level of T47D cell line was 7.3 fold of T47D(SNCG)- cell line and MMP-9 protien expression was 1.6 fold.When SNCG was knocked down, the expression of MMP-9 decreased.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>SNCG and MMP-9 are significantly correlated with each other in breast cancer. SNCG may promote the invasion and metastasis of breast cancer mediated by up-regulating the expression of MMP-9.</p>

Research on Chinese medicine pairs (I)--Their formation and development / 中国中药杂志

Chinese medicine pair (CMP) was frequently applied in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinic, and its significance was shown in long-term clinical practices and many accumulated experiences. It is the unique combination of two relatively fixed Chinese medicines in TCM clinic with the basic feature and principle of TCM compatibility, is the most fundamental and the simplest form of TCM formulae with certain theory basis and combinatory reason, which is proven effective. And the unique combination is frequently used for achieving mutual reinforcement or detoxication. CMP is an intermediate point between single herb and many TCM formulae, reflecting the regularity of TCM formulae compatibility and connotation of differential treatment. This paper analyzed and summarized the basic characteristics, development process and research significance of CMP, which aims to lead the modern basic and applied research on compatibility theory of CMP.

Effects of xuebijing on nitric oxide and VEGF-A in exhaled breath condensate of patients with ALI/ARDS / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the clinical significance of changes of nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of patients with acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS) after they were treated by Xuebijing (XBJ), and to evaluate the effect of the EBC detection technology.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Totally 32 ALI/ARDS patients receiving mechanical ventilation at intensive care unit (ICU) were randomly assigned to the treatment group and the control group, 16 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated by routine therapy, while those in the treatment group were treated by routine therapy + XBJ. The therapeutic course for all was 5 days. The EBC sample was collected by improved EcoScreen condenser within 24 h after confirmed diagnosis of ALI/ARDS and on the fifth day of medication. The levels of NO and VEGF-A were measured by EIA in EBC and serum. The changes of NO and VEGF-A in EBC were observed before and after treatment.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with before treatment, the level of NO in EBC and serum decreased and VEGF-A increased after treatment, showing statistical difference (P < 0.05, P < 0.01). After treatment the level of NO in EBC and serum was lower in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The VEGF-A in EBC was higher in the treatment group than in the control group (P < 0.05). There was no statistical difference in the serum VEGF-A level between the two groups (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>XBJ was an effective therapeutic drug capable to control the in vivo inflammation reaction in patients with ALI/ARDS. The detection of changes of VEGF-A and NO levels by EBC could judge the inflammatory reaction degree in ALI/ARDS patients, and help evaluating the therapeutic effect.</p>

Effect of interferon and ribavirin combination therapy in sixty-two patients with chronic hepatitis C originating from a single blood donor / 中华肝脏病杂志

To investigate the efficacy of interferon alpha 2 b plus ribavirin combination therapy in sixty-two patients with chronic hepatitis c (CHC) infection originating from a single blood donor. The 62 patients who developed CHC following blood transfusion from a known single infected donor were treated with interferon and ribavirin combination therapy for 48 weeks and followed-up for 96 weeks. The therapy regimen consisted of subcutaneous administration of 3-500 MIU interferon alpha 2 b every other day and daily oral administration of 0.6-1.0 g of ribavirin. Patients were monitored during treatment and in follow-up for sustained virological response (SVR), early virology response (EVR), treatment end virology response (ETVR), biochemical response of withdrawals, and side effects. The SVR rate was 83.9% (52/62). The EVR rate was 95.2% (59/62). The ETVR rate was 87.1% (54/62). The biochemical response rate after withdrawal of treatment was 100.0%. Eight patients developed mildly abnormal thyroid function as a result of the interferon therapy, but all were able to complete the antiviral treatment regimen under the care of endocrinologists. Younger age, relatively short course of disease, low viral load, and better compliance, but not sex, were correlated to curative effect of the combination therapy. Interferon alpha 2 b plus ribavirin combination therapy had a significant curative effect on a group of 62 CHC patients originating from a single case, with 52 of the patients showing SVR out to 96 weeks after therapy. Antiviral treatment is recommended for hepatitis C virus-positive patients to eradicate the virus and prevent disease progression.

Use of Clozapine for the Treatment of Schizophrenia: Findings of the 2006 Research on the China Psychotropic Prescription Studies

OBJECTIVE: Clozapine is one of the most commonly used antipsychotic drugs in China. To date, few studies have investigated the patterns the prescription of clozapine nationwide. The present study examined these patterns in China in 2006 and identified the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with the use of clozapine. METHODS: Using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure, we surveyed 5,898 patients with schizophrenia in 10 provinces with differing levels of economic development. RESULTS: Overall, clozapine had been prescribed for 31.9% (n=1,883) of the patients; however we found considerable variation among the 10 provinces. The frequency of clozapine use was highest in Sichuan (39.3%) and lowest in Beijing (17.3%). The mean daily dose of clozapine was 210.36+/-128.72 mg/day, and 25.1% of the patients were treated with clozapine in combination with other antipsychotics. Compared with the group not receiving clozapine, clozapine-user had been treated for longer durations and had experienced a greater number of relapses and hospitalizations. Furthermore, those in the clozapine-user had lower family incomes, were less able to seek psychiatric services, and more likely to be male and have a positive family history of schizophrenia. A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that age, sex, professional help-seeking behaviors, duration of illness, economic status, educational level, and clinical manifestations were associated with the use of clozapine. CONCLUSION: Clozapine use is common in China. However, use of the antipsychotic varies among provinces, and demographic and clinical factors play important roles in the prescription of clozapine.