[Mild and moderate postpartum depression treated with acupuncture of Tiaoren Tongdu: a real world study].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic effect on mild and moderate postpartum depression treated with acupuncture of Tiaoren Tongdu (regulating the conception vessel and unblocking the governor vessel) on the base of real world. METHODS: A total of 116 patients with mild and moderate postpartum depression were divided into an acupuncture group (103 cases) and a non-acupuncture group (13 cases) according to treatment regimen provided. In the acupuncture group, acupuncture of Tiaoren Tongdu was applied to Baihui (GV 20), Yintang (GV 29), Zhongwan (CV 12), Qihai (CV 6), Guanyuan (CV 4), Neiguan (PC 6), Shenmen (HT 7), Hegu (LI 4), Zusanli (ST 36), Sanyinjiao (SP 6) and Taichong (LR 3). Needles were retained for 30 min each time, the treatment was given once every other day, 3 times a week. In the non-acupuncture group, psychotherapy was provided, once daily. The duration of treatment in the two groups was 8 weeks. According to the treatment times of acupuncture, the acupuncture group was subdivided into an acupuncture A group (60 cases with total treatments ≥ 6 times) and an acupuncture B group (43 cases with total treatments<6 times). Using propensity score matching method, the patients of the acupuncture A and B groups were matched each other. Finally, 31 pairs of cases were matched successfully. Before treatment, at 1st, 2nd, 4th and 8th weeks of treatment, as well as at 3-month follow-up, the scores of Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were compared in patients among the three groups. Using Logistic regression, the impact of acupuncture frequencies on the therapeutic effect was analyzed and the clinical therapeutic effect was assessed. RESULTS: The total effective rate of the acupuncture A group was 100.0% (31/31), better than 76.9% (10/13) in the non-acupuncture group and 58.1% in the acupuncture B group (18/31) (P<0.05). HAMD score at each time point after treatment was lower than that before treatment in the patients of each group (P<0.05). But HAMD score at each time point after treatment in either the acupuncture A group or the acupuncture B group was lower than that in the non-acupuncture group separately (P<0.05), HAMD scores in the acupuncture A group at the 4th and 8th weeks of treatment and at follow-up were lower than those in the acupuncture B group (P<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the total times of acupuncture treatment and the persistent days of treatment had a certain relation to therapeutic effect (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture of Tiaoren Tongdu effectively improves in mild and moderate postpartum depression and its therapeutic effect is closely related to treatment course.

[Changes in Metabolism and Function of Platelets Stored at Different Temperature].

AAbstractObjective:To compare and analyze the metabolic and functional changes in platelets stored at 4 ℃ and ones stored at 22 ℃ with agitation so as to provide an experimental basis for the cryopreservation technology of platelets. METHODS: Samples were collected from platelets stored at 4 ℃ in 2, 4, 6, 11, 15 and 21 days, and from ones stored at 22 ℃ with agitation during the same days, the metabolism indicators and thromboelastogram (TEM) were analysed. RESULTS: In metabolism, there were no significant changes of pH, GLU，PCO2, PCO2 and MPV levels of platelets stored at 4 ℃ for <6 days (P＞0.05), However, the Plt count decreased, the PDW and LDH level incrseased (P＜0.05). At the same time, only MPV had no changes of platelets stored at 22 ℃ during above-mentioned same days (P＞0.05), while the pH, PCO2, GLU, Plt all decreased, and PO2, LDH, PDW incrseased (P＜0.05). There were significant changes about the pH value, PO2, Plt, MPV, LDH, GLU levels between the two kinds of stored platelets during the same storing period (P＜0.05). The pH value and MPV of platelets stored at 4 ℃ were obviously lower than ones stored at 22 ℃, while GLU, PO2, LDH and Plt levels showed reverse changes (P＜0.05). Meanwhile, the PCO2 of platelets stored at 4 ℃ not could be detected and the Plt count reduced rapidly from d15. In function, the MA level of platelets stored at 4 ℃ was slower than that of platelets stored at 22 ℃, that is, the MA level of platelets stored at 4 ℃ were higher than that of platelets stored at 22 ℃ during the same storeing period (P＜0.05). CONCLUSION: Platelets stored at 4 ℃ have much slower metabolism than ones stored at 22 ℃, and the aggregation is stronger of platelets stored at 4 ℃ than that of ones at 22 ℃ during the same conservation period.

Differential network analysis reveals dysfunctional regulatory networks in gastric carcinogenesis.

Gastric Carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the world. A large number of differentially expressed genes have been identified as being associated with gastric cancer progression, however, little is known about the underlying regulatory mechanisms. To address this problem, we developed a differential networking approach that is characterized by including a nascent methodology, differential coexpression analysis (DCEA), and two novel quantitative methods for differential regulation analysis. We first applied DCEA to a gene expression dataset of gastric normal mucosa, adenoma and carcinoma samples to identify gene interconnection changes during cancer progression, based on which we inferred normal, adenoma, and carcinoma-specific gene regulation networks by using linear regression model. It was observed that cancer genes and drug targets were enriched in each network. To investigate the dynamic changes of gene regulation during carcinogenesis, we then designed two quantitative methods to prioritize differentially regulated genes (DRGs) and gene pairs or links (DRLs) between adjacent stages. It was found that known cancer genes and drug targets are significantly higher ranked. The top 4% normal vs. adenoma DRGs (36 genes) and top 6% adenoma vs. carcinoma DRGs (56 genes) proved to be worthy of further investigation to explore their association with gastric cancer. Out of the 16 DRGs involved in two top-10 DRG lists of normal vs. adenoma and adenoma vs. carcinoma comparisons, 15 have been reported to be gastric cancer or cancer related. Based on our inferred differential networking information and known signaling pathways, we generated testable hypotheses on the roles of GATA6, ESRRG and their signaling pathways in gastric carcinogenesis. Compared with established approaches which build genome-scale GRNs, or sub-networks around differentially expressed genes, the present one proved to be better at enriching cancer genes and drug targets, and prioritizing disease-related genes on the dataset we considered. We propose this extendable differential networking framework as a promising way to gain insights into gene regulatory mechanisms underlying cancer progression and other phenotypic changes.

[Diagnostic value of echocardiography for cardiac tumors in infancy and childhood].

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations, surgical findings, pathologic types and treatment of cardiac tumor and to analyze the echocardiographic characteristics of the cases. METHODS: Records of 19 patients with cardiac tumors confirmed by operations and pathology at Fuwai Cardiovascular Hospital in Beijing, China between Jan, 1983 and Dec, 2003 were reviewed. Clinical and echocardiographic data of all patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 7 +/- 5 years, ranging from 5 months to 14 years. There were 8 male and 11 female cases. The surgical findings revealed that 57.9% (11 cases) of cardiac tumors were found in left heart, 36.8% (7 cases) in right heart, 5.3% (1 case) in two ventricles. The pathological study revealed that 17 cases (89.5%) were diagnosed as primary cardiac benign tumors including myxoma in 10 cases (52.6%), rhabdomyoma in 4 cases (21.1%), fibroma in 2 cases (10.5%) and lipoma in 1 case (5.3%). Two cases were diagnosed (10.5%) as cardiac malignant tumors including a primary cardiac rhabdomyosarcoma and a metastatic epithelioid sarcoma. By using echocardiography 11 cases were diagnosed as myxomas and rhabdomyoma (11/19, 57.9%), 8 cases were diagnosed as space occupying lesions of the heart or myxoma (8/19, 42.1%). CONCLUSIONS: Myxomas are the most common heart tumors seen in infancy and childhood, followed in frequency by rhabdomyomas, fibromas and lipomas. Surgery is recommended for patients with refractory and severe clinical symptoms.