Treatment of Infective Ulcer Patients with Yang Syndrome by External Use of Shengji Ointment: a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Shengji Ointment (SO) (by external use) in treating infective ulcer patients with yang syndrome (YS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A multicenter, stratified, randomized controlled clinical study was used in this study. A random digit table was formed in the ratio of 3:1,440 infective ulcer patients of YS from 5 centers were recruited, 330 in the treatment group (external use of SO, exchange once every 24 h) and 110 in the control group (external use of Votalin, exchange once every 24 h). The therapeutic course consisted of 21 days. The ulcer area, wound depth, pain degree were observed before treatment at day 3, 7, 14, and 21, and safety indices monitored at the same time.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The ulcer area was significantly reduced in the treatment group after 21-day medication, obviously superior to that of the control group (P = 0.002). Ulcer areas at different time points were analyzed. From the 7th day of medication the reduced area was obviously less in the treatment than in the control group (P = 0.002). Besides, the longer the more obvious difference. Compared with the control group, the healing rate of ulcer area, the pain disappearance rate, and the healing rate of ulcer depth were all obviously improved in the treatment group (all P < 0.01). No adverse event occurred in the two groups.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>External use of SO was safe and effective in treating infective ulcer patients with YS. It could accelerate wound healing with better analgesic effect.</p>

MRI scan of striatum volume in healthy adults / 浙江大学学报·医学版

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To examine the age, sex, and hemispheric differences in volume of the striatum by MRI in healthy adults.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The volumes of the bilateral caudate nucleus and putamen were measured on MR images in 100 healthy right-handed adults (18-70 y).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The volume of bilateral caudate nucleus and putamen in healthy adults was (8.42 +/-0.88) cm(3) and (8.90 +/-0.89) cm(3), which were decreased with aging (for caudate nucleus r=-0.727, P<0.001; for putamen r=-0.709, P<0.001). The average annual shrinkage rate was 0.52 % in the caudate nucleus and 0.50 % in the putamen. There were no gender differences in the volume of the striatum, however, the age-related shrinkage of the striatum was more evident in men than that in women. The volume of the left caudate nucleus (t=4.43, P<0.001) and the putamen (t=4.88, P<0.001) was greater than that of its right counterpart.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Bilateral age-related shrinkage of the striatum is found in healthy adults, which is more evident in men than that in women. In both sexes, significant leftward asymmetry in volume of the caudate nucleus and the putamen is found.</p>

Optimizing the operating variables that affect the transfection experiment of antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide by gas-filled microbubbles / 药学学报

To optimize the operating variables that affect the transfection of antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide (AS-ODNs) by insonated gas-filled lipid microbubbles, SF6-filled microbubbles were prepared by sonication-lyophilization method. An AS-ODNs sequence and a breast cancer cell line SK-BR-3 were used to define the various operating variables determining the transfection efficiency of SF6-filled microbubbles. Three levels of mixing speed, different durations of mixing and various delay time before ultrasound were examined, separately. Transfection efficiency was detected by fluorescence microscopy. Transfection results with and without incubation of AS-ODNs and microbubbles before mixing cells were compared. From the results, there is no significant difference between the transinfection efficiency with or without incubation of AS-ODNs and microbubbles before mixing cells. AS-ODNs transfection efficiency showed an increasing trend with mixing speed and mixing duration, but there is a negative relationship with delay time before ultrasound. The optimum parameters for AS-ODNs transfection by SF6-filled microbubbles were found at a mixing speed of 40-50 r x min(-1) for 30-60 s with less than 60 s delay before ultrasound. For a successful transfection, long time of incubation with gene is essential for normal nonviral vectors such as liposomes or cationic lipid-polymer hybrids, because these vectors depend on endocytosis and membrane fusion to realize transfection. Unlike liposomes and cationic lipid-polymer hybrids, gas-filled lipid microbubbles depend on sonorporation effect to realize transfection. Therefore, the incubation of gene and microbubbles before mixing cells may not be necessary. Ultrasound-mediated AS-ODNs transfection enhanced by gas-filled lipid microbubbles represents an effective avenue for gene transfer.