A case of poisoning caused by intramuscular injection of esfenvalerate / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Esfenvalerate is a kind of commonly used highly effective pyrethroid insecticide. It is common for people who are poisoned by contact or misuse, but rarely reported for people who are poisoned by intramuscular injection. This paper reports a case of intramuscular injection of esfenvalerate in the Department of Infection, West China Hospital of Sichuan University in November 2021. The patient was intramuscularly injected with about 20 ml of esfenvalerate, inducing the sense of swelling and tingling, degeneration and necrosis of striated muscle tissue at the injection site, also liver function damage and other manifestations. The patient was discharged from hospital after rehydration, accelerating poison metabolism, anti-infection, liver protection and local puncture.

Progress in the metabolomics study of primary Sj?gren′s syndrome / 中国医师杂志

Metabolomics is an emerging branch of system biology, which comprehensively and systematically analyzes the changes of metabolite levels in the human body after being affected by pathophysiological and other factors. In recent years, metabolomics has been widely used in the study of clinical diseases. Primary Sj?gren′s syndrome (pSS) is a chronic systemic autoimmune disease that can affect multiple organs and systems. The pathogenesis of pSS has not been fully clarified, and early diagnosis and treatment are still difficult, and the research on its pathogenesis is still a challenge at present. Metabolomics provides new avenues for disease research, and there are more and more metabolomics studies of pSS. This review mainly introduces metabolomics and metabolomics research progress of pSS.

A clinical pathway for integrative medicine in the treatment of functional constipation in Hong Kong, China / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#Functional constipation (FC) is a common intestinal disease worldwide. Despite the presence of criteria such as Roman IV, there is no standardized diagnosis and treatment algorithm in Hong Kong that combines both Western and Chinese medicine approaches. This study integrates current effective and safe diagnosis and treatment methods for FC and provides a clear and scientific pathway for clinical professionals and patients.@*METHODS@#A systematic search of the PubMed, Cochrane Library, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was performed from their inception to June 30th, 2022, collecting the current evidence about the efficacious integrative management for FC. We organized a meeting of professionals in fields relevant to treatment and management of FC to develop a consensus agreement on clinical pathway process.@*RESULTS@#We developed a clinical pathway for the treatment of FC based on the most recent published guidelines and consultation with experts. This pathway includes a hierarchy of recommendations for every step of the clinical process, including clinical intake, diagnostic examination, recommended labs, diagnostic flowchart, and guidance for selection of therapeutic drugs.@*CONCLUSION@#This pathway establishes clinical standards for the diagnosis and treatment of FC using Chinese medicine and Western medicine; it will help to provide high-quality medical services in Hong Kong for patients with FC. Please cite this article as: Wei DJ, Li HJ, Lyu ZP, Lyu AP, Bian ZX, Zhong LL. A clinical pathway for integrative medicine in the treatment of functional constipation in Hong Kong, China. J Integr Med. 2023; 21(6): 550-560.

A Bibliometric Analysis and Visualization of Current Research Trends in Chinese Medicine for Osteosarcoma / 中国结合医学杂志

BACKGROUND@#To illustrate the research framework, overall knowledge structure, and development trends of Chinese medicine (CM) treatment for osteosarcoma (OS) by using a bibliometric analysis and newly developed visualization tools.@*METHODS@#Research datasets were acquired from the Web of Science (WOS) database from January 1, 1980 to September 30, 2019. VOS viewer and Citespace software was used to analyze the data and generate visualization knowledge maps. Annual trends of publications, distribution of institutes, distribution of journals, citation and H-index status, co-authorship status, research hotspots and co-citation status were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#A total of 223 publications in the WOS database met the requirement. The number of published articles showed a rise but the citation frequency and the H-index of China were relatively low. The cooperation between the countries, institutes and authors were relatively weak. Most publications were basic researches. Most of the previous researches focused on basic mechanisms of CM in treating OS, and therapy and improvement of dosage form may become a frontier in this research field.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Compared with other fields, the field of CM treatment for osteosarcome is still in infancy. The distribution of researches is imbalanced and cooperation between countries, institutions and authors remains to be strengthened. Furthermore, basic research occupies an absolute dominant position, and the exploration of the molecular mechanism of CM in preventing and treating OS may become a key point in the future.

Neurogenesis and neuroinflammation under exercise: Alteration and regulation / 中国组织工程研究

BACKGROUND: Studies have found that exercise can regulate neuroinflammation and adult hippocampal neurogenesis, and improve cognitive function. However, the interaction between exercise and neuroinflammation-induced changes in hippocampal neurogenesis and cognitive function is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To analyze and summarize the mechanism by which neuroinflammation-mediated exercise improves adult hippocampus neurogenesis and cognition. METHOD: Using “exercise; neuroinflammation; neurogenesis; Alzheimer’s disease; aging; depression; cerebral ischemia; traumatic brain injury; cognition” as keywords, we retrieved literature regarding the effects or mechanisms of exercise on neuroinflammation, adult hippocampus neurogenesis and cognition in CNKI and Web of Science, and logically analyzed and summarized the included studies. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Neuroinflammation can cause nerve damage, and may lead to cognitive impairment, while exercise can effectively produce anti-inflammatory effects in the brain, and promote adult hippocampal neurogenesis, thereby improving cognitive ability. Exercise cannot only directly increase the expression of neurotrophic factors in the hippocampus and promote hippocampal neurogenesis, but also affect the expression of neurotrophic factors in the hippocampus and the process of neurogenesis through its anti-inflammatory mechanism. However, there is still much work to be done to better understand how the neurogenic and inflammatory environment changes under exercise conditions, and how this altered process can be modulated to promote cognition.

Prevalence of gene mutations in a Chinese 46,XY disorders of sex development cohort detected by targeted next-generation sequencing / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

46,XY disorders of sex development (DSD) is characterized by incomplete masculinization genitalia, with gonadal dysplasia and with/without the presence of Müllerian structures. At least 30 genes related to 46,XY DSD have been found. However, the clinical phenotypes of patients with different gene mutations overlap, and accurate diagnosis relies on gene sequencing technology. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of pathogenic mutations in a Chinese cohort with 46,XY DSD by the targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. Eighty-seven 46,XY DSD patients were enrolled from the Peking Union Medical College Hospital (Beijing, China). A total of fifty-four rare variants were identified in 60 patients with 46,XY DSD. The incidence of these rare variants was approximately 69.0% (60/87). Twenty-five novel variants and 29 reported variants were identified. Based on the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) guidelines, thirty-three variants were classified as pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants and 21 variants were assessed as variants of uncertain significance. The overall diagnostic rate was about 42.5% based on the pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants. Androgen receptor (AR), steroid 5-alpha-reductase 2 (SRD5A2) and nuclear receptor subfamily 5 Group A member 1 (NR5A1) gene variants were identified in 21, 13 and 13 patients, respectively. The incidence of these three gene variants was about 78.3% (47/60) in patients with rare variants. It is concluded that targeted NGS is an effective method to detect pathogenic mutations in 46,XY DSD patients and AR, SRD5A2, and NR5A1 genes were the most common pathogenic genes in our cohort.

Three-Dimensional Heterogeneity of Cerebellar Interposed Nucleus-Recipient Zones in the Thalamic Nuclei / 神经科学通报·英文版

The cerebellum is conceptualized as a processor of complex movements and is also endowed with roles in cognitive and emotional behaviors. Although the axons of deep cerebellar nuclei are known to project to primary thalamic nuclei, macroscopic investigation of the characteristics of these projections, such as the spatial distribution of recipient zones, is lacking. Here, we studied the output of the cerebellar interposed nucleus (IpN) to the ventrolateral (VL) and centrolateral (CL) thalamic nuclei using electrophysiological recording in vivo and trans-synaptic viral tracing. We found that IpN stimulation induced mono-synaptic evoked potentials (EPs) in the VL but not the CL region. Furthermore, both the EPs induced by the IpN and the innervation of IpN projections displayed substantial heterogeneity across the VL region in three-dimensional space. These findings indicate that the recipient zones of IpN inputs vary between and within thalamic nuclei and may differentially control thalamo-cortical networks.

Three-Dimensional Heterogeneity of Cerebellar Interposed Nucleus-Recipient Zones in the Thalamic Nuclei / 神经科学通报·英文版

The cerebellum is conceptualized as a processor of complex movements and is also endowed with roles in cognitive and emotional behaviors. Although the axons of deep cerebellar nuclei are known to project to primary thalamic nuclei, macroscopic investigation of the characteristics of these projections, such as the spatial distribution of recipient zones, is lacking. Here, we studied the output of the cerebellar interposed nucleus (IpN) to the ventrolateral (VL) and centrolateral (CL) thalamic nuclei using electrophysiological recording in vivo and trans-synaptic viral tracing. We found that IpN stimulation induced mono-synaptic evoked potentials (EPs) in the VL but not the CL region. Furthermore, both the EPs induced by the IpN and the innervation of IpN projections displayed substantial heterogeneity across the VL region in three-dimensional space. These findings indicate that the recipient zones of IpN inputs vary between and within thalamic nuclei and may differentially control thalamo-cortical networks.

Role of the OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway in the progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease / 临床肝胆病杂志

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has now become the most common liver disease around the world, and there is an urgent need for better diagnosis and treatment of NAFLD. The osteoprotegerin (OPG)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B ligand (RANKL)/receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa B (RANK) signaling pathway is an important signaling pathway involved in the balance of bone metabolism. This article introduces the OPG, RANKL, RANK, and OPG/RANKL/RANK systems and elaborates on the current research on the role of the OPG/RANKL/RANK signaling pathway in regulating the production of inflammatory factors and promoting the progression of NAFLD by activating NF-κB. It is pointed out that the OPG/RANKL/RANK system may be used as a potential target for the treatment of NAFLD.

Clinical observation of dynamic scalp acupuncture combined with task-oriented mirror therapy for upper limbs function impairment in patients with hemiplegia after ischemic stroke / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of dynamic scalp acupuncture combined with task-oriented mirror therapy (TOMT) for upper limb motor function and activity ability of daily living in patients with hemiplegia after ischemic stroke.@*METHODS@#Seventy-eight patients with hemiplegia after ischemic stroke were randomly divided into a dynamic scalp acupuncture group, a TOMT group, and a scalp acupuncture group, 26 cases in each group (1 case dropped off in the TOMT group and the scalp acupuncture group respectively). All three groups received routine rehabilitation training and medication treatment. The TOMT group was treated with TOMT for 40 min a day, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. The scalp acupuncture group was treated with TOMT after the scalp acupuncture, and the dynamic scalp acupuncture group was treated with TOMT during the scalp acupuncture treatment. The scalp acupuncture treatment was applied at ipsilateral up 1/5 and mid 2/5 of and , and the needles were retained for 40 min. The scalp acupuncture treatment was given once a day, 5 days a week for 8 weeks. Before treatment and after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the functions of upper limb and hand were evaluated by simplified Fugl-Meyer assessment (FMA) scale upper limb part and functional test for the hemiplegic upper extremity-Hong Kong version (FTHUE-HK) grade, the muscle tension of the upper extremity flexor elbow muscle group was assessed by modified Ashworth scale (MAS) and the activity ability of daily living was assessed by modified Barthel index (MBI).@*RESULTS@#After 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the FMA scores, FTHUE-HK grades and MBI scores in the three groups were better than those before treatment (<0.01, <0.05), and MAS scores after 4 weeks of treatment in the three groups were better than those before treatment (<0.05). After 4 weeks and 8 weeks of treatment, the FMA scores, FTHUE-HK grades and MBI scores in the dynamic scalp acupuncture group were better than those in the TOMT group and the scalp acupuncture group (<0.05), and these items in the scalp acupuncture group were better than those in the TOMT group (<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The dynamic scalp acupuncture combined with TOMT treatment can effectively improve the upper limb function and the activities ability of daily living in patients with hemiplegia after ischemic stroke, which is better than TOMT after scalp acupuncture and simple TOMT treatment.

Maternal Weight Levels Before and During Gestation as Indicators of Pregnancy Outcomes in Zibo, China

Aims: To examine the correlation of maternal weight gain before and during pregnancy with the health of mother and child, and to provide guidelines on weight control during pregnancy among Chinese women. Study Design: Subjects were grouped according to pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain, and then evaluated based on their risks of pregnancy complications. The birth outcomes were also recorded to study the influence of mothers’ weight gain on the health of their children. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Obstetrics, Zibo Central Hospital, between August and December 2016. Methodology: We included a total of 808 primiparous women who finished all periodic examinations in Zibo Central Hospital, China during the study period. Incidences of multiple common pregnancy complications were recorded to evaluate the health risk of each group. After delivery, the nutritional conditions of newborns were evaluated with their body weights. Results: Observation to subjects reveals the positive correlation between pre-pregnancy BMI and the incidence of gestational hypertension (1.3% vs. 7.7% between low body weight group and obese group). On the other hand, gestational body weight gain was found to be associated with multiple unfavorable pregnancy outcomes including hypertension disorder complicating pregnancy (2.6% vs. 8.9% between weight gain ΔW ≤ 10kg and ΔW ≥ 20kg), gestational diabetes mellitus (9.0% vs. 23.6% between weight gain ΔW ≤ 10kg and ΔW ≥ 20kg) and premature rupture of membranes (3.9% vs. 6.7% between weight gain ΔW ≤ 10kg and ΔW ≥ 20kg). Both pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational body weight correlate positively with infant body weights. Conclusion: Both pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain are indicators of pregnancy outcomes. Particularly, gestational weight increase between 10 and 15 kg is recommended to counteract negative influence of non-optimal pre-pregnancy BMI and lead to satisfactory pregnancy outcomes.

Standard Protocol Items for Clinical Trials with Traditional Chinese Medicine 2018: Recommendations, Explanation and Elaboration (SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018) / 中国结合医学杂志

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is one of the oldest systems of medicine. More and more attention has been paid to TCM application, but the variable quality of clinical trials with TCM impedes its widespread acceptance. The Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) 2013 Statement has established guidelines for designing clinical trials to ensure that the trial results are accurate and reliable. However, there are difficulties when applying SPIRIT 2013 Statement to trials with TCM, due to the unique theory and the characteristic of TCM intervention. An Extension to the original SPIRIT was developed to ensure the quality of trial design with TCM. As Chinese herbal formulae, acupuncture and moxibustion are common and representative interventions in TCM practice, the executive working group determined that the SPIRIT-TCM Extension focus on these three interventions. Extension was developed through initiation, 3 rounds of Delphi consensus survey, and finalizing expert meeting. Seven items from the SPIRIT 2013 Statement were modified, namely, "title", "background and rationale", "objectives", "eligibility criteria", "interventions", "outcomes", and "data collection methods". The Extension includes the introduction of the concept of TCM pattern and 3 major TCM interventions, with examples and explanations. The SPIRIT-TCM Extension 2018 provides suggestion for investigators in designing high quality TCM clinical trials. It is expected that wide dissemination and application of this extension ensure continuous improvement of TCM trial quality throughout the world.

Whether Syndrome Differentiation Affects Treatment Result: Study Protocol of MaZiRenWan () for Functional Constipation in A Randomized Controlled Trial / 中国结合医学杂志

BACKGROUND@#Syndrome is one of the most important concepts in Chinese medicine (CM) theory. However, it was not well accounted in most of randomized controlled trials (RCTs).@*OBJECTIVES@#To determine whether CM syndrome differentiation affects the treatment results, functional constipation (FC) was selected as a target disease, and MaZiRenWan (, MZRW), a classic CM formula commonly used for constipation with excessive heat syndrome, was selected for study.@*METHODS@#It is an 18-week prospective double-blinded, doubledummy RCT, including 2-week run-in, 8-week treatment and 8-week post treatment follow-up. A total of 120 FC patients diagnosed as excessive heat syndrome will be recruited from the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Baokang Affiliated Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Patients will be randomly allocated into fixed MZRW (f_MZRW) granule group, modified MZRW (m_MZRW) granule group or bisacodyl group. For m_MZRW group, no more than two herbal granules can be added according to the syndrome differentiation for individual participants. The primary end point is the mean of complete spontaneous bowel movements (CSBMs) per week during the treatment period. Secondary end points include mean of CSBMs per week during follow-up, stool form, global symptom improvement, constipation and constipation-related symptoms assessment, CM syndrome change, and reported adverse events.@*DISCUSSION@#This trial is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of these three interventions for FC patients with the CM syndrome of excessive heat, and to determine the change of CM syndrome and the progress of disease during the treatment course. The results are important to explore whether syndrome differentiation is important for the therapeutic effect of a formula on a disease. [Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (Reg No. ChiCTR-TRC-13003742); protocol version: MZRW/NSFC-81173363 (2015.05.04)].

Exploring the relationship of peripheral total bilirubin, red blood cell, and hemoglobin with blood pressure during childhood and adolescence / Explorando a relação entre os níveis periféricos de bilirrubina total, glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina e a pressão arterial na infância e adolescência

Abstract Objective: Total bilirubin is beneficial for protecting cardiovascular diseases in adults. The authors aimed to investigate the association of total bilirubin, red blood cell, and hemoglobin levels with the prevalence of high blood pressure in children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 3776 students (aged from 6 to 16 years old) were examined using cluster sampling. Pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure were respectively defined as the point of 90th and 95th percentiles based on the Fourth Report on the Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were standardized into z-scores. Results: Peripheral total bilirubin, red blood cell and hemoglobin levels were significantly correlated with age, and also varied with gender. Peripheral total bilirubin was negatively correlated with systolic blood pressure in 6- and 9-year-old boys, whilst positively correlated with diastolic blood pressure in the 12-year-old boys and 13- to 15-year-old girls (p < 0.05). Higher levels of red blood cell and hemoglobin were observed in pre-high blood pressure and high blood pressure students when compared with their normotensive peers (p < 0.01). The increases in red blood cell and hemoglobin were significantly associated with high blood pressure after adjusting for confounding factors. The ORs (95% CI) of each of the increases were 2.44 (1.52-3.92) and 1.04 (1.03-1.06), respectively. No statistical association between total bilirubin and high blood pressure was observed (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Total bilirubin could be weakly correlated with both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as correlations varied with age and gender in children and adolescents; in turn, the increased levels of red blood cell and hemoglobin are proposed to be positively associated with the prevalence of high blood pressure.

Resumo Objetivo: A bilirrubina total é benéfica para proteger contra doenças cardiovasculares em adultos. Nosso objetivo foi investigar a associação dos níveis de bilirrubina total, glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina com a prevalência de pressão arterial elevada em crianças e adolescentes. Métodos: Um total de 3.776 estudantes (com idade entre 6-16 anos) foram examinados utilizando uma amostra em blocos. A pressão arterial elevada anterior e a pressão arterial elevada foram definidas como o 90° e 95° percentil, respectivamente, com base nos critérios do Quarto Relatório sobre Diagnóstico, Avaliação e Tratamento da Pressão Arterial elevada em Crianças e Adolescentes. A pressão arterial sistólica e pressão arterial diastólica foram padronizadas no escore z. Resultados: Os níveis periféricos de bilirrubina total, glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina foram significativamente correlacionados à idade, que também variou de acordo com o sexo. A bilirrubina total periférica apresentou uma correlação negativa com a pressão arterial sistólica em meninos com 6 e 9 anos, ao passo que apresentou uma correlação positiva com a pressão arterial diastólica em meninos de 12 anos e meninas de 13 a 15 anos (p < 0,05). Foram observados níveis mais elevados de glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina em estudantes com pressão arterial elevada anterior e pressão arterial elevada em comparação a indivíduos normotensos (p < 0,01). Os aumentos de glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina tiveram uma associação significativa com a pressão arterial elevada após ajuste dos fatores de confusão. As RC (IC de 95%) de cada um dos aumentos foram 2,44 (1,52-3,92) e 1,04 (1,03-1,06) respectivamente. Não foi observada nenhuma associação estatística entre o nível de bilirrubina total e a pressão arterial elevada (p > 0,05). Conclusão: A bilirrubina total pode ter correlações fracas com a pressão arterial sistólica e a pressão arterial diastólica, variando de acordo com a idade e o sexo em crianças e adolescentes, enquanto isso, propõe-se que o aumento dos níveis de glóbulos vermelhos e hemoglobina está positivamente associado à prevalência de pressão arterial elevada.

Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analyses of Integrative Medicine in Chinese Need Regulation and Monitoring Urgently and Some Suggestions for Its Solutions / 中国结合医学杂志

With the introduction and development of evidence-based medicine in China, it has been spread rapidly in the area of integrative medicine (IM) and has become a new unique discipline. During almost 20 years, as one of the most important parts of evidence-based IM, systematic review (SR)/meta-analysis (MA) of IM have shown a good development momentum in the aspects of quantity, depth, breadth and influence, but also face the harsh situation of the uncontrolled quantity and quality, especially for SRs in Chinese. Therefore, how to supervise and standardize this area effectively becomes a problem to be solved. Based on the experience both at home and abroad, the authors put forward several kinds of solutions for laying the foundation for further development such as promoting the registration system of SR/MA of IM, effectively setting up the regulatory platform of quality and quantity, launching professional training for SR/MA reviewers, forming qualification registration, developing the data transfer and sharing platform to realize the transparency of evidence process.

Toward Evidence-Based Chinese Medicine: Status Quo, Opportunities and Challenges / 中国结合医学杂志

How to test the treatments of Chinese medicine (CM) and make them more widely accepted by practitioners of Western medicine and the international healthcare community is a major concern for practitioners and researchers of CM. For centuries, various approaches have been used to identify and measure the efficacy and safety of CM. However, the high-quality evidence related to CM that produced in China is still rare. Over the recent years, evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been increasingly applied to CM, strengthening its theoretical basis. This paper reviews the past and present state of CM, analyzes the status quo, challenges and opportunities of basic research, clinical trials, systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines and clinical pathways and evidence-based education developed or conducted in China, pointing out how EBM can help to make CM more widely used and recognized worldwide.

Predictive factors for pituitary response to pulsatile GnRH therapy in patients with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism / 亚洲男科学杂志(英文版)

Pulsatile gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) may induce spermatogenesis in most patients with congenital hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (CHH) by stimulating gonadotropin production, while the predictors for a pituitary response to pulsatile GnRH therapy were rarely investigated. Therefore, the aim of our study is to investigate predictors of the pituitary response to pulsatile GnRH therapy. This retrospective cohort study included 82 CHH patients who received subcutaneous pulsatile GnRH therapy for at least 1 month. Patients were categorized into poor or normal luteinizing hormone (LH) response subgroups according to their LH level (LH <2 IU l-1 or LH ≥2 IU l-1) 1 month into pulsatile GnRH therapy. Gonadotropin and testosterone levels, testicular size, and sperm count were compared between the two subgroups before and after GnRH therapy. Among all patients, LH increased from 0.4 ± 0.5 IU l-1 to 7.5 ± 4.4 IU l-1 and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) increased from 1.1 ± 0.9 IU l-1 to 8.8 ± 5.3 IU l-1. A Cox regression analysis showed that basal testosterone level (β = 0.252, P = 0.029) and triptorelin-stimulated FSH60min(β = 0.518, P = 0.01) were two favorable predictors for pituitary response to GnRH therapy. Nine patients (9/82, 11.0%) with low LH response to GnRH therapy were classified into the poor LH response subgroup. After pulsatile GnRH therapy, total serum testosterone level was 39 ± 28 ng dl-1 versus 248 ± 158 ng dl-1 (P = 0.001), and testicular size was 4.0 ± 3.1 ml versus 7.9 ± 4.5 ml (P = 0.005) in the poor and normal LH response subgroups, respectively. It is concluded that higher levels of triptorelin-stimulated FSH60minand basal total serum testosterone are favorable predictors of pituitary LH response to GnRH therapy.

Therapeutic effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng on atherosclerosis in mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the therapeutic effects of total saponins of Panax notoginseng( PNS) on ather-osclerosis( AS) in ApoE knockout mice. Methods According to TC level, ApoE knockout mice were ran-domly assigned into six groups. Control group was fed with normal diet, and the other groups were fed with high-fat diet. After 16 weeks, mouse serum and aortas were harvested. The formation of atherosclerotic plaque was analyzed by oil red staining, the proportion of pathological lesion and the apoptosis of endothelial cells in left ventricular outflow tract were analyzed by HE staining and TUNEL. The serum level of lipids profiles, oxLDL-C were detected, and the mRNA ex-pressions of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, eNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α were detected by qPCR. Results In model group, the serum content of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C significantly increased(P<0.01); the area of atherosclerotic plaque significantly increased ( P <0.01) ; and the apoptosis of endothelial cells and the proportion of pathological lesion of left ventricular out- flow tract significantly increased(P<0.01). Also, the mRNA expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in model group increased. Compared with model group, the serum content of TC, LDL-C and HDL-C decreased after administration of PNS. The serum content of oxLDL-C was significantly reduced in PNS groups( P <0.01, P <0.05 ) . The apoptosis of endothelial cells significantly declined as well ( P <0.01, P <0.05 ) . The area of atherosclerotic plaque decreased after administration of PNS. The mRNA ex-pression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1, iNOS, IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-α in PNS groups were down-regulated. Conclu-sions In ApoE-KO mouse model, PNS plays a role in the therapy of AS, which may be due to its modulating lipid metabolism, protecting vascular endothelium, de-creasing inflammation and inhibiting adhesion of im-mune cells.

Vasodilation effect and mechanism of extraction of Tongmai Yangxin Pills (TMYX) on isolated rat mesenteric artery / 中国中药杂志

The aim of the present study is to evaluate the vasodilation effects of Tongmai Yangxin Pills (TMYX) on rat mesenteric artery as well as its mechanism of action. The relaxation effects of TMYX extracts with different concentrations were determined on isolated rat mesenteric artery in normal condition as well as pretreating by phenylephrine and KCl. Vascular relaxation effects of TMTX were also determined in mesenteric artery preincubated with L-ANME and indomethacin or in endothelium denuded mesenteric artery. Moreover, effects of TMYX by 50 mg·L⁻¹ on NO secretion and the phosphorylation of eNOS in a cellular model of human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) pretreated with or without L-NAME were also observed. The experimental results showed that TMYX has no obvious effect on vasodilation of arteries in normal or KCl pretreated condition, while it can dose-dependently relax the rat mesenteric artery with intact endothelium stimulated with phenylephrine at a maximal diastolic rate of (64.71±10.03)%. After preincubating with L-NAME for 15 min or removal of mesenteric artery endothelium, the maximal diastolic rate was decreased to (35.77±8.93)% and (25.85±10.84)% respectively. However, preincubating with indomethacin had no inhibitory effect on TMYX induced vascular relaxation. Meanwhile, TMYX at 50 mg·L⁻¹ could increase the expression of P-eNOS and the secretion of NO in HUVEC. L-NAME significantly inhibited NO release and phosphorylation of eNOS induced by TMYX. The results suggested TMYX exerted endothelium-dependent relaxation effects against PE-induced contractions of isolated rat mesenteric artery through NO-cGMP signaling pathway.

Evidence-based Chinese medicine clinical practice guideline for stomach pain in Hong Kong / 中国结合医学杂志

Stomach pain in Chinese medicine (CM) is a very common disorder in clinical practice and it has been listed as one of the pilot three conditions in Hong Kong to develop evidence-based CM clinical practice guidelines (CM CPGs). The aim of this stomach Pain CPG is to summarize the treatment methods of stomach pain with CM and evaluate reasonably, then to guide local licensed CM practitioners and provide beneficial reference for social medical decision makers and patients. In this manuscript, we defined stomach pain in CM and the category of chronic gastritis in Western medicine. The clinical manifestation, CM pattern classification, and CM intervention including herbal medicine treatment based on pattern differentiation, symptomatic treatment, acupuncture treatment, regulation and nursing were illustrated.