[Longbishu Capsule combined with mesylate doxazosin: an efficacious therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical effect and safety of the Chinese medicine Longbishu Capsule combined with mesylate doxazosin in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) of the kidney deficiency and blood stagnation type. METHODS: This was a randomized, double-blind, double-simulation control study. We equally assigned 60 men diagnosed with BPH of the kidney deficiency and blood stagnation type to an experimental and a control group, the former treated with mesylate doxazosin plus Longbishu Capsule and the latter with mesylate doxazosin plus placebo. We compared the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), quality of life (QOL), Chinese symptom score (CSS), maximal urinary flow rate (Qmax), and prostate volume between the two groups of patients before and after 6 months of medication. RESULTS: After treatment, there were 5 cured cases, 13 markedly effective cases, 9 effective cases, 1 ineffective case, and 2 eliminated cases in the experimental group, as compared with 2 cured cases, 8 markedly effective cases, 10 effective cases, 7 ineffective cases, and 3 eliminated cases in the control group. The total effectiveness rate was obviously higher in the former (96.4%) than in the latter (74.1%). IPSS, Qmax, and CSS were improved in both of the groups after medication, even more significantly in the experimental than in the control group (IPSS: 15.22 ± 2.98 vs 18.15 ± 5.88, P <0.05; Qmax: [13.56 ± 2.26] ml/s vs [11.78 ± 2.97] ml/s, P <0.05; CSS: 6.18 ± 2.13 vs 9.52 ± 3.15, P <0.05). Because of the difference in the QOL score between the two groups at the baseline (P = 0.038 <0.05), no more comparison was made in this aspect after treatment. CONCLUSION: The combination of Longbishu Capsule with mesylate doxazosin is safe and effective for the treatment of BPH.

Predictors of first-year GPA of medical students: a longitudinal study of 1285 matriculates in China.

BACKGROUND: Although medical education has developed rapidly in the last decade, and the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) is used as the "gold standard" for admission to medical college in mainland China, there is a lack of literature regarding the influence of NCEE score and other factors on the academic performance of medical students. This study aimed to examine potential predictors of first-year grade point average (GPA) for medical students. METHODS: This study included 1,285 students who matriculated at a first-tier medical university in mainland China in 2011. The precollege motivational attitudes for each matriculate were investigated via questionnaire. A hierarchical linear model was fitted to regress first-year GPA on a 100-point scale on NCEE score and other student-level and major-level characteristics. RESULTS: NCEE score was a significant predictor of both within-major and between-major variation of first-year GPA for medical students. Majors with higher mean NCEE scores had higher mean GPAs, and higher GPAs were observed among those individuals with higher NCEE scores after controlling for major-level characteristics. First-year GPA differed by certain individual socio-demographic variables. Female students had a 2.44-higher GPA on average than did male students. NCEE repeaters had a 1.55-lower GPA than non-repeaters. First-year GPA was associated negatively with parental income but positively with academic self-concept. CONCLUSIONS: NCEE score is an important predictor of the first-year GPA of medical students, but it is not the sole determinant. Individual socio-demographic characteristics and major-level characteristics should be taken into account to understand better and improve the first-year GPA of medical students.

Induction of thymic stromal lymphopoietin expression in 16-HBE human bronchial epithelial cells by 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Vitamin D exerts profound effects on airway epithelial cells. Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) derived from airway epithelial cells plays a role in the innate and antigen­specific adaptive immune responses. However, the effect of vitamin D on TSLP expression in airway epithelial cells is unclear. In this study, 16-HBE human bronchial epithelial (HBE) cells were cultured with various concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D(3) (25 D(3)) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D(3) (1,25 D(3)). The expression of TSLP in the 16-HBE human bronchial epithelial cell line was analyzed by PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We found that the 16-HBE cells converted inactive 25 D(3) to active 1,25 D(3) and that TSLP mRNA and protein expression levels were significantly increased, peaking at 2 or 12 h in the cells exposed to 500 nM 25 D(3) and 50 nM 1,25 D(3) respectively. Since vitamin D(3) upregulated protein 1 (VDUP1) plays a multifunctional role in a variety of cellular responses, we hypothesized that VDUP1 is involved in the induction of TSLP production by 25 D(3). The results showed that the mRNA and protein levels of VDUP1 were significantly upregulated by vitamin D. Furthermore, the silencing of VDUP1 by small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly inhibited the 25 D(3)- and 1,25 D(3)-mediated induction of TSLP expression. To characterize the metabolic properties of vitamin D in airway epithelial biology, we used the chemical inhibitor of 1α-hydroxylase, itraconazole. The results revealed that itraconazole (10-6 M) reduced the 25 D(3)- but not the 1,25 D(3)-induced TSLP expression in 16-HBE cells. Based on these data, it can be concluded that vitamin D increases TSLP expression in 16-HBE cells through the VDUP1 pathway, which suggests a novel mechanism by which vitamin D alters immune function in the lungs.