[Medical treatment in the Chu Palace of the Western Han Dynasty:the medicinal pestle and mortar].

The copper pestle and mortar from "Eunuch Pharmacy" (Huan Zhe Yao Fu), unearthed in the pit for bathing in the tomb of the King Chu in the Shi Zi Mountain, Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, was a medical device used for "Eunuch Pharmacy" (Huan Zhe Yao Fu) in the Palace of the King Chu in the Western Han Dynasty. The appearance of copper pestle and mortar with the amount of copper, and the bath apparatus indicates that there was a practice of medical bathing at that time. According to archaeological findings and relevant literature, "Eunuch Pharmacy" (Huan Zhe Yao Fu) was a medical institution which was in charge of eunuchs in the Palace of the King Chu. These findings show that two medical systems existed in the Palace of the King Chu in the Western Han Dynasty. One was the medical system headed by medical officials, another was a medical administrative service organization and mainly implemented by eunuchs, managing the palace medicine and related instruments, processing and using medicine, and testing medicine.

MiR-1231 correlates tumor prognosis and inhibits cell growth in ovarian cancer.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression characteristics of miR-1231 in ovarian cancer (OC), and to further explore its effects on cell proliferation capacity of OC cells. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Quantitative Real Time-Polymerase Chain Reaction (QRT-PCR) was performed to detect miR-1231 expression in 116 paired of OC and matched adjacent normal tissues. The association of miR-1231 expression and clinicopathological features and prognosis was analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of miR-1231 on cell proliferation and cell cycle of OC cells were evaluated by functional assays. RESULTS: In the study, the results exhibited that miR-1231 expression was lower in ovarian cancer tissues compared with adjacent normal tissues. Lower miR-1231 expression was associated with tumor clinical stage and lymph node invasion in patients. Survival plots by K-M survival analysis showed that lower miR-1231 expression predicted a poor outcome in ovarian cancer patients. Moreover, multivariate analysis implied that miR-1231 expression was an independent maker of overall survival (OS). Functional assays showed that upregulation of miR-1231 expression inhibited cell proliferation and cell cycle progression. CONCLUSIONS: We revealed that miR-1231 expression was lower in ovarian cancer tissues cell lines. Lower miR-1231 expression predicted a poor outcome in ovarian cancer patients and upregulation of miR-1231 expression inhibited cell growth.

[Safety of resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 in hemorrhagic shock rats].

Objective: To evaluate the safety of resuscitation with hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 during the early stage of hemorrhagic shock. Methods: Total of 120 healthy male SD rats of 2 to 3 months of age were selected as the study sample (weighed from 250 to 290 g), all the rats were numbered by staining.After that, the rats were divided into 12 groups by using random number table method: sham group (S group), no liquid resuscitation group (NF group), lactated Ringer's resuscitation group (LR group), HES resuscitation group (HES group). At the same time, the LR and HES resuscitation groups were divided into five subgroups with a concentration of 7.5, 15, 30, 60 and 90 ml·kg(-1)·h(-1,) respectively.The model of uncontrollable hemorrhagic shock was created by the method of exsanguination plus tail-cuffing.Fluid resuscitation was started 30 minutes after the exsanguination and continued for 60 min after transfusion for 15 min.The observation was continued for 330 min.At the end of observation, all rats were sacrificed and blood was collected from the rats to determine the thromboelastograms and the maximum amplitude and related parameters, as well as platelet counts, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, urinary and renal injury molecules, and neutrophil gelatinase-associated apolipoprotein levels.Rat lung tissue specimens were collected and wet weights of the right lung and dry weights after drying were measured.The data were compared by using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), LSD-t test or Dunnett-t test. Results: ANOVA analysis showed that there was no significant difference in mean artery pressure (MAP) values between groups at the beginning of fluid resuscitation (F=0.934, P=0.245). At the end of fluid resuscitation, the MAP of HES90 group was (40±9) mmHg, which was lower than that in other groups.Compared with other groups, the HES90 group had higher blood loss and blood transfusion rate.There was no significant differences in platelet counts between the HES group and the LR group at 330 min (t=0.987, P>0.05), but the maximal amplitude (MA) of the thrombelastogram (TEG) was lower in the HES90 group than that in the S group (t=2.354, P<0.05). No significant difference was detected in blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine levels between the HES, LR group and the S group (t=1.098, 0.895, both P>0.05). The total amount of urinary kidney injury molecule 1 (Kim-1) in the HES90 and NF groups increased, neutrophil gelatinase-associated apolipoprotein (NGAL) concentration and urinary NGAL levels were significantly higher than those in other groups, and the difference were statistically significant (t=3.532-11.209, all P<0.05). Conclusion: Small to moderate doses of HES130/0.4 during hemorrhagic shock is more effective and safer than the same dose of LR.

[Trend and characteristics of fall in elderly adults based on data from national injury surveillance sentinel hospitals in Anhui province, 2006-2014].

OBJECTIVE: To understand the incidence pattern of fall among older adults in Anhui province during 2006-2014, and provide scientific basis for intervention strategies and decision-making. METHODS: The incidence data of fall in elderly adults from 6 sentinel hospitals in 2 national injury surveillance areas in Anhui province between 2006 and 2014 were collected for this descriptive epidemiological analysis of the overall incidence trend, demographic characteristics, case distribution and clinical characteristics of fall cases in the elderly. RESULTS: The fall case number, the proportions of fall cases to injury cases and to overall fall cases in the elderly all increased from 2006 to 2014. The fall was the first cause of the elderly injury during the past 9 years. The sex ratio was 0.74 and the cases in males decreased with age. In both males and females, the cases in retirees and the jobless accounted for the highest proportions. The annual incidence peak was during August to October, and two daily incidence peaks were during 9 am-11 am and 16 pm-18 pm. The elderly falls mainly occurred at home(62.07%), and more females were affected than males(70.27% vs. 50.97%). Leisure activity and homework related falls accounted for 49.18% and 28.67% respectively, and more housework related falls occurred in females than in males. Contusion/abrasion was the first injury caused by fall in males(42.63%)and fracture was the first injury caused by fall in females(47.27%). Head was the first injury site in males(38.04%)and leg was the first injury site in females(29.29%). Most injuries caused by fall were mild(55.12%)and moderate(41.84%)in severity, but the proportions of moderate and severe cases increased gradually with age. CONCLUSION: Fall in the elderly has become a public health problem. It is necessary to take targeted prevention and control measures according to the gender and age distributions of the fall in the elderly.

Cardioprotective effects of cyclosporine A in an in vivo model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidence indicates that reperfusion of the heart after a period of ischemia leads to the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). The aim of this study was to investigate cardioprotective effects of cyclosporine A (CsA), an inhibitor of the MPTP, in an in vivo model of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min followed by 180 min of reperfusion. CsA (10 mg/kg) or vehicle was given 10 min prior to ischemia via the femoral vein. Sham myocardial ischemia-reperfusion rats (sham-operation group) were used as controls. Infarct size was measured using the staining agent TTC (2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride) and myocardial apoptosis by caspase-3 activity was determined by fluorescent assay. The myocardium mitochondria ultrastructure was observed through a transmission electron microscope. RESULTS: CsA significantly reduced infarct size (48.8 +/- 5.8% of left ventricle in vehicle + I/R group and 30.3 +/- 2.7% of left ventricle in CsA + I/R, respectively) and decreased caspase-3 activity in the myocardium [(0.62 +/- 0.17)/microg of protein and (0.42 +/- 0.15)/microg of protein, respectively] and relieved the injury of mitochondria. CONCLUSION: CsA reduced the cardiac damage associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury of the heart. The cardioprotective effects of CsA might be associated with the protection of mitochondria and the inhibition of caspase-3 activity. It also suggests that the MPTP might play an important role in cardiomyocytes death after ischemia-reperfusion injury.

[Regional distribution of liver cancer and its relation to selenium levels in Qidong County, China].

The selenium (Se) level in barley and maize from 43 communes of Qidong county, a high risk area of liver cancer in China, were assayed. An inverse correlation between the Se level and the liver cancer incidence was observed. An inverse correlation was also observed between the blood Se level and liver cancer incidence of the local residents. When selenite solution was sprayed on the crops during their preflowering, the content of Se in barley and maize was increased by 6 fold over the control. It is suggested that the increase of blood Se level of the residents who live in the low-Se areas by this method be useful in the prevention of liver cancer.

Regional variation of cancer mortality incidence and its relation to selenium levels in China.

The epidemiological relationship between selenium level and age-adjusted human cancer mortality (incidence) was studied in 24 regions located in eight provinces of China. Statistically significant inverse correlation was found between age-adjusted total cancer death rates and selenium levels in whole blood from local residents. In the areas with high selenium levels, there was significantly lower mortality in both males and females from cancer of the stomach and esophagus. In addition, an inverse correlation between regional distribution of liver cancer incidence and selenium contents in blood and grains in Qidong county, an area with high risk of hepatoma, was observed. With the intention of providing selenium supplements to residents living in low selenium regions, the selenium content in grains was raised by means of foliar spraying of crops with Na2SeO3 solution.