Effect of acupuncture on SP-A expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of asthmatic rats / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the mechanism of acupuncture for treatment of asthma.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Forty SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: blank control group, normal saline control group (NS control group), asthma model group, asthma model with acupuncture group (asthma acupuncture group) and asthma model with binding group (asthma binding group). The asthma acupuncture group was treated with acupuncture at "Dazhui" (GV 14), "Feishu" (BL 13) and "Fengmen" (BL 12); the asthma binding group was only binding without acupuncture and no intervention was given in the other groups. Surfactant protein-A (SP-A) expression was examined by Western-Blot.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Airway resistance in asthma model group was significantly higher than that in blank control group and NS control group from 3 to 6 min after asthma provocation (all P<0.01). Western-Blot detection showed that SP-A expression in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of the rats in asthma model group was significantly lower than that in blank control group and NS control group (both P<0.05), and which in asthma acupuncture group was significantly higher than that in asthma model group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The mechanism of prevention and treatment of acupuncture for allergic asthma is related to regulating SP-A expression of airway in asthmatic rats.</p>

Post-coital gross hematuria: an unusual presentation of benign prostatic hyperplasia / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To describe an unusual symptom of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A patient presented to our urology clinic having experienced post-coital gross hematuria for 2 years. He had not experienced lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). A series of examinations were performed to determine the source of bleeding.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prostate was defined as the active bleeding source responsible for the patient's post-coital hematuria. Endoscopic fulguration did not alleviate the symptom. The use of dutasteride, a dual inhibitor of 5alpha-reductase, solved the problem.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study reports for the first time that post-coital gross hematuria is one of the clinical presentations of BPH, which can be successfully treated with 5alpha-reductase inhibitor.</p>

Association among serous and cerebrospinal fluid TNF-alpha level, gene polymorphisms of TNF-alpha and multiple sclerosis in Han nationality of southern China / 中华医学遗传学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the association among serous and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) TNF-alpha level, gene polymorphisms of TNF-alpha and multiple sclerosis (MS) in Han nationality of southern China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MS diagnosis was base on Poser (1983) criteria. Fifty-five patients with nonimmulogical diseases and 68 patients with MS from southern China were enrolled in the study, and their TNF-alpha level of serum and CSF were measured by double antibody sandwich ABC-ELISA. TNF-alpha -308G/A in 106 normal healthy subjects and 68 MS patients was genotyped with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was significant difference in the serous TNF-alpha level between nonimmune patients and active MS patients (234+/- 76 pg/mL vs 276+/- 71 pg/mL, P< 0.05), but not in the CSF (245+/- 83 pg/mL vs 265+/- 78 pg/mL, P> 0.05). The gene frequency distribution of TNF-alpha -308G/A was corresponding with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The positive rate of genotype AA and the gene frequency of allele A of TNF-alpha were 4.4% and 14.0% in MS group, and 0 and 8.50% in healthy subjects, there was no statistical significance (P> 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The TNF-alpha level in serum is associated with active MS, but not in the CSF. The gene polymorphisms of TNF-alpha -308G/A is not associated with MS in Han nationality of southern China.</p>