Effect of methyl eugenol on hypoxia/reoxygenation injury of human renal tubular epithelial cells and its mechanism / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to investigate the effect of methyl eugenol(ME) on hypoxia/reoxygenation(H/R)-induced injury of human renal tubular epithelial HK-2 cells and its mechanism. The viability of HK-2 cells cultured with different concentrations of ME and exposed to H/R was detected by cell counting kit-8(CCK-8) assay. The effect of ME on the morphology of HK-2 cells was observed under an inverted microscope. The content of intracellular reactive oxygen species in different groups was detected after 2',7'-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate(DCFH-DA) fluorescence staining. Cell apoptosis was determined by flow cytometry. Changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were monitored by JC-1 dye. The concentrations of nuclear factor erythroid 2 related factor 2(Nrf2), heme oxygenase-1(HO-1), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphatase oxidase 4(Nox4) were measured by Western blot, followed by the assay of Nrf2 concentration changes in cytoplasm and nucleus by confocal fluorescence staining. The results showed that when the concentration of ME was 0-40 μmol·L~(-1), the activity of HK-2 cells was not affected. Compared with the model group, ME enhanced the activity of HK-2 cells and the cell morphology was normal. As revealed by further experiments, ME inhibited the release of reactive oxygen species and the decline in mitochondrial membrane potential of HK-2 cells after H/R injury, promoted Nrf2/HO-1 expression and Nrf2 translocation to the nucleus, and down-regulated the expression of Nox4, thereby significantly reducing apoptosis. This protective effect of ME could be reversed by the specific Nrf2 inhibitor ML385. These findings have preliminarily proved that ME effectively protected HK-2 cells against H/R injury, which might be related to its promotion of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and inhibition of Nox4. Such exploration on the possible mechanism of ME in the treatment of renal ischemia-reperfusion injury(IRI) and protection of organ function from the perspective of antioxidant stress has provided reference for related research on the treatment of acute kidney injury with traditional Chinese medicine.

Advances in Dual-task Training for Balance Dysfunction after Stroke (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

Multiple tasks performance is necessary for daily living to adapt environments. The stroke patients often fall in ability of dual tasks, which may be less improved by routine rehabilitation. This paper summarized the researches about the effect of dual-task training on the balance function of stroke patients, and discussed the possible ways to it.

Study on Construction of Practice Ability Index System of TCM Prevention Health Major Degree through Delphi Method / 中国中医药信息杂志

Objective To construct practice ability index system of TCM prevention health major degree; To provide references for building of related postgraduate training mode. Methods Literature research and research group comments were comprehensively collected, to formulate practice ability index system of TCM prevention health major degree. Deplhi method was used to conduct two rounds of expert consultation to finalize the screening standard of practice index system and evaluate expert level of enthusiasm, authority degree and coordination degree. Results A total of 30 experts from top three hospitals in different regions and TCM colleges and universities attended the 2 rounds of consultation. Two rounds of effective questionnaires for recycling were 30 and 26 respectively. The effective recovery rates were 100.00% and 86.67%. After collecting, summarizing and analyzing the opinions of experts, a set of practical ability index system including 6 first-level indicators, 22 second-level indicators and 125 third-level indicators was constructed. Conclusion This study builds a reliable practice ability index system of TCM prevention health major degree.

Effects of salvianolic acid B preconditioning endothelial progenitor cells on expressions of myocardial genes in bone mesenchymal stem cells at the early cell differentiation stage of rats / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effects of Salvianolic acid B preconditioned endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) on the Nkx2.5 and GATA-4 gene expressions at the early stage of cell differentiation of bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSc) transplanted into infarcted myocardium, in order to find out the best synergism for co-transplantation of the two kinds of cells.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BMSc and EPCs of rats were isolated and cultured, and rats were modeled into acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by left coronary artery ligation. Then the EPCs preconditioned with different concentrations of Salvianolic acid B and BMSc or DMEM medium were implanted into heart ischemia area. Expressions of Nkx2.5 and GATA-4 mRNA expressions in myocardium were detected by Real-time RT-PCR 4 weeks later.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with those in the non-implanted model rats' myocardium, the gene expression of Nkx2.5 and GATA-4 mRNA were significantly higher in all the transplantation receptive groups, comparisons between the implanted groups showed that the highest value of expressions (2. 654 +/- 0.606 of Nkx2.5 and 1.573 +/- 0.372 of GATA-4) displayed in the group contained more EPCs, for 8-fold to BMSc in volume.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>BMSc can differentiate into cardiac muscle like cells, and condition of their differentiation is related with the degree of the internal environment improved.</p>

Clinical application of a new device for minimally invasive circumcision / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>AIM</b>To study the clinical effects of a disposable circumcision device in treatment of male patients of different ages with either phimosis or excess foreskin.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>One thousand two hundred patients between the age of 5 and 95 years underwent circumcision using this procedure in the 2-year period between October 2005 and September 2007. Of these cases, 904 had excess foreskin and 296 were cases of phimosis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In 96.33% of the cases the incision healed, leaving a minimal amount of the inner foreskin with no scarring and producing good cosmetic results. There were no incidents of device dislocation or damage to the frenulum. The average operative time was 2.5 min for excess foreskin, and 3.5 min for phimosis. During the 7 days of wearing the device, mild to moderate edema occurred in 10.08% of cases with excess foreskin and in 2.58% of those with phimosis. Edema in the frenulum was seen in 1.67% of patients, and only 0.67% had an infection of the incision. A total of 86.25% of patients reported pain due to penile erection. After removal of the device, 0.58% of the cases had minimal bleeding around the incision, and 2.42% had wound dehiscence.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The new device can be applied to an overwhelming majority of patients with phimosis and excess foreskin. This technique is relatively simple to perform, and patients who underwent this surgery had very few complications. Antibiotics were not required and patients reported less pain than those who were circumcised using conventional methods. Circumcision with this device requires minimal tissue manipulation, and is quicker and safer than circumcision using conventional techniques.</p>

Effects of electroacupuncture at different frequencies on morphological changes of nervous tissues and electromyogram of skeletal muscles in the rat with injury of sciatic nerve / 中国针灸

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe effects of electroacupuncture of different frequencies on morphological changes of nervous tissues and electromyogram (EMG) of skeletal muscles in regeneration,so as to find more proper parameters of electroacupuncture.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The nerve regeneration chamber was built after the sciatic nerve was transected, and acupuncture was given at "Huantiao" (GB 30) , "Zusanli" (ST 36) and "Sanyinjiao" (SP 6) at the affected side with different frequencies (5 Hz, 100 Hz), 30 min each time,once every other day, 3 time each week, for 20 weeks and a control group was set up for natural recovery. The nerve fibers were stained by silver dying and ultrastructures of nerve tissues were observed. EMG of gastrocnemius was determined by Biopac physiologic apparatus.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Electroacupuncture could promote the recovery of form of nerve tissues after the transection of sciatic nerve and functions of de-innervated muscle tissues after lesion of sciatic nerve, and the therapeutic effect of electroacupuncture at 5 Hz was the best.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Electroacupuncture is an important way of promoting the regeneration of the lessoned peripheral nerve.</p>

Study on thinking of clinical scientific research of acupuncture and moxibustion / 中国针灸

Under guiding of correct thinking of scientific research, development of clinical scientific research of acupuncture and moxibustion is of important significance for promoting academic progresses of acupuncture and moxibustion, increasing clinical therapeutic effect of acupuncture and moxibustion. This paper probes thinking of clinical scientific research of acupuncture and moxibustion and puts forward the guiding principles, i.e. testing and verifying therapeutic effect, searching for laws, expounding mechanisms and guiding clinical practice.