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ObjectiveTo establish a qualitative analysis method for the chemical constituents of the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang, and to establish the fingerprint of 15 batches of Xiao Xumingtang, so as to evaluate the quality consistency among batches. MethodAccording to the key information of Xiao Xumingtang in the Key Information Table of Ancient Famous Classical Formulas(25 Formulas), the reference sample of this formula was prepared, and it was detected by ultra performance liquid chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS). The chemical components were identified by self-constructed database, consulting relevant literature, and comparing with the reference substances, and the components were assigned by comparing with single drug samples and negative samples lacking single drug. The fingerprint of the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang was established using high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC), and the common peaks were assigned and identified through single drug samples and negative samples lacking single drug. ResultBased on the information of MS fragments, relevant literature, and database retrieval, a total of 64 compounds were identified and inferred from the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang, including 31 flavonoids, 8 terpenoids, 12 triterpenoid saponins, 2 phthalides, 3 phenylpropanoids, 2 gingerols, 5 alkaloids, and 1 cyanoside. Among them, 21 were derived from Scutellariae Radix, 10 from stir-fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, 9 from Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma, 8 from Paeoniae Radix Alba, 4 from Saposhnikoviae Radix, 3 from Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix, 3 from Chuanxiong Rhizoma, 2 from Aconiti Lateralis Radix Praeparata, 2 from Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, 1 from Ephedrae Herba, and 1 from Armeniacae Semen Amarum. The established HPLC fingerprint of the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang had 23 common peaks, among which, peaks 1 and 2 were derived from Paeoniae Radix Alba, peaks 3 and 7 from Saposhnikoviae Radix, peaks 4, 8 and 9 from Stephaniae Tetrandrae Radix, peaks 10, 17, 18, 20 and 21 from stir-fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma, peaks 11-16, 19 and 22 from Scutellariae Radix, peak 5 from Chuanxiong Rhizoma, peak 23 from Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens, peak 6 was the common component of stir-fried Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma and Scutellariae Radix. A total of 10 compounds including albiflorin(peak 1), paeoniflorin(peak 2), cimicifugoside(peak 3), 5-O-methylvisammioside(peak 7), baicalin(peak 11), sec-O-glucosylhamaudol(peak 13), oroxylin A-7-O-β-D-glucuronide(peak 15), wogonoside(peak 16), glycyrrhizic acid(peak 21) and 6-gingerol(peak 23) were identified. The similarities of 15 batches of reference samples were>0.999, indicating that the reference samples had good consistency. ConclusionThrough the identification of the chemical constituents in the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang, it is clear that the composition of the samples is mainly composed of flavonoids and triterpenoid saponins. The established fingerprint can basically reflect the overall chemical characteristics of the reference sample of Xiao Xumingtang, which can provide a basis for the quality research of its compound preparations.
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ObjectiveTo identify factors related to the occurrence of choking and coughing while eating in the disabled elderly and conduct importance matrix analysis to provide a reference basis for controlling choking on food in the disabled elderly. MethodsA convenience sampling method was used to select 80 disabled elderly individuals in a hospital between October 2019 and April 2022 as the study population. The occurrence of choking and coughing while eating was recorded, and a questionnaire was administered to collect general information. Additionally, assessments were conducted using the intelligent mental status examination scale (MMSE), oral health checklist (BOHSE), eating assessment tool⁃10 (EAT-10), and chewing function evaluations. Univariate and multifactorial analyses were conducted to analyze the influencing factors of choking and coughing while eating in the elderly with disabilities. ResultsThe incidence of choking and coughing while eating was 52.50% (42/80) among the 80 disabled elderly. The degree of disability (OR=2.895, 95%CI: 1.352‒6.201), age (OR=4.040, 95%CI: 1.121‒14.562), BOHSE score (OR=2.473, 95%CI: 1.002‒6.102), EAT-10 score (OR=5.345, 95%CI: 2.112‒13.527), and chewing function score (OR=3.453, 95%CI: 1.247‒9.562) were identified as risk factors for choking and coughing while eating in the disabled elderly. The MMSE score (OR=0.343, 95%CI: 0.135‒0.869) was identified as a protective factor. The importance matrix analysis indicated that EAT-10 score, MMSE score, and chewing function had high importance with slightly lower difficulty in improvement, and were thus listed as items in the priority improvement area. Age and degree of disability had high importance and high difficulty in improvement, and therefore belonged to the suboptimal improvement area. BOHS score was slightly lower both in importance and difficulty of improvement, entering the alternative improvement area. ConclusionAge, degree of disability, BOHSE score, EAT-10 score, and chewing function score are risk factors for the occurrence of choking and coughing while eating, while the MMSE score is a protective factor. The importance matrix analysis can provide a basis for targeted intervention in clinical practice.
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OBJECTIVE: Depressive symptoms and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are important issues affecting the health of the middle-aged and elderly population in China. This study aimed to investigate the bidirectional association between depressive symptoms and CVD in middle-aged and elderly people in China. DESIGN: A 5-year longitudinal study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: We included 6702 middle-aged and elderly participants from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS), which is a nationwide longitudinal household survey that started in 2011 (T1) and followed up every 2 years in 2013 (T2) and 2015 (T3). OUTCOME MEASURES: Depressive symptoms were measured by the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Binary logistic regression was used to identify the influencing factors of depressive symptoms and CVD at T1. The cross-lagged panel model was used to analyse the association between depressive symptoms and CVD at T1, T2 and T3. RESULTS: The CHARLS is a representative longitudinal survey of people aged ≥45 years. Using data extracted from the CHARLS, overall, at T1, 2621 (39.10%) participants had depressive symptoms and 432 (6.4%) had CVD, and at T3, 2423 (36.2%) had depressive symptoms and 760 (11.3%) had CVD, respectively. Depressive symptoms at T1 had a effect on CVD at T2 (ß=0.015, p=0.009), and depressive symptoms at T2 had an effect on CVD at T3 (ß=0.015, p=0.034). CVD at T1 predicted depressive symptoms at T2 (ß=0.036, p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: There is a bidirectional predictive effect between depressive symptoms and CVD. The effect of depressive symptoms on CVD is stable, and CVD has an effect on depressive symptoms in a short period of time.
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Cardiovascular Diseases , Depression , Aged , Humans , Middle Aged , Cardiovascular Diseases/complications , Cardiovascular Diseases/epidemiology , China/epidemiology , Depression/complications , Depression/epidemiology , East Asian People , Longitudinal StudiesABSTRACT
As a common emotional and psychogenic disorder, anxiety disorder seriously threats the human physical and mental health. Ventral tegmental area (VTA) is the canter of the mesocortical limbic circuit, with extensive bidirectional connections to forebrain areas, and plays important role in regulating reward, motivation, cognition, and disgust. Besides, VTA is involved in anxiety regulation by forming functional connections with multiple brain regions and connecting external stimulus information and feedback output behaviours. This article briefly summarizes the different cell subsets of VTA and its involvement in anxiety-related neural circuits.
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Objective:To identify the clinical and pathological characteristics of adrenocortical carcinoma(ACC) with hypercortisolism and analyze the prognostic factors.Methods:Clinical data of ACC patients between January 2003 and December 2022 from Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital were collected retrospectively. Clinical and pathological characteristics were compared between ACC patients with hypercortisolism and nonfunctional ACCs. Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analyses and Cox regression models were performed to analyze prognostic factors for ACC patients.Results:In 61 cases of ACC patients, the average age was (49.33±16.32) years. After a median follow-up of 77 months(95% CI 47.49-106.51 months), median overall survival and progression-free survival were 50 months(95% CI 20.44-79.56 months) and 29 months(95% CI 22.87-35.13 months), respectively. Among 36 patients with complete endocrinologic evaluations, 19(52.77%) were diagnosed with hypercortisolism. Compared with nonfunctional ACC, patients with hypercortisolism had more hypokalemia(42.11% vs 6.25%, P=0.022), capsular invasion(68.42% vs 25.00%, P=0.018), and distant metastases(73.68% vs 25.00%, P=0.007). Median overall survival and progression-free survival were significantly shorter than nonfunctional ACC(overall survival: 39 months vs 67 months, P=0.009; progression-free survival: 30 months vs 51 months, P=0.040) as well. Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicated that Ki67 index( HR=1.078, P=0.024) was an independent risk factor for overall survival. Hypercortisolism( HR=71.112, P=0.006), Ki67 index( HR=1.345, P=0.003), adjuvant therapy( HR=176.652, P=0.012), and operation( HR=0.020, P=0.003), were associated with disease progression. Conclusion:ACC accompanied by hypercortisolism is more prone to invasion and distant metastasis, resulting in shorter survival. Hypercortisolism is an independent prognostic factor for ACC patients.
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Objective:To explore the pathological characteristics of adrenal masses based on various tumor diameter and unenhanced computed tomography(CT) attenuation value, and evaluate the value of the two parameters in the assessment of the benign and malignant nature of adrenal masses.Methods:The data of 1 367 patients who underwent adrenalectomy in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from January 2017 to October 2022 were retrospectively collected. The adrenal masses were divided into four groups according to tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value, and the clinical and histopathological characteristics of the four groups were compared respectively. Logistic regression was used to analyze the correlation between tumor diameter, non-contrast CT attenuation value and malignant adrenal masses, and receiver operating characteristic(ROC) curve was used to assess the diagnostic value of both in benign and malignant adrenal masses.Results:The proportion of adrenocortical carcinoma and other malignant tumors increased with the rise of tumor diameter or unenhanced CT attenuation value. After adjusting for age and gender, tumor diameter( OR=1.624, 95% CI 1.464-1.803, P<0.001) and unenhanced CT attenuation value( OR=1.108, 95% CI 1.079-1.138, P<0.001) were predictors of malignant adrenal masses. The tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses had area under the ROC curve(AUC) of 0.838 and 0.892, respectively. With the optimal cut-off values of >3.4 cm and >30 HU, the sensitivity was 75.5% and 83.7%, and the specificity was 80.5% and 84.4%, respectively. The combination of tumor diameter >3.4 cm and unenhanced CT attenuation value >20 HU had an AUC of 0.927, with a sensitivity of 71.4% and a specificity of 90.1% in diagnosing malignant adrenal masses. Conclusions:Tumor diameter and unenhanced CT attenuation value has important significance in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant adrenal masses. A combination of tumor diameter (>3.4 cm) and unenhanced CT attenuation value (>20 HU) demonstrates best diagnostic efficiency. Clinical application of this combined index can effectively diagnose malignant adrenal masses while avoiding unnecessary investigations or surgery.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the role of selenoprotein M (SelM) in endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis in nickel-exposed mouse hearts and to explore the detoxifying effects of melatonin. At 21 d after intraperitoneal injection of nickel chloride (NiCl2) and/or melatonin into male wild-type (WT) and SelM knockout (KO) C57BL/6J mice, NiCl2 was found to induce changes in the microstructure and ultrastructure of the hearts of both WT and SelM KO mice, which were caused by oxidative stress, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis, as evidenced by decreases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) activity. Changes in the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of genes related to endoplasmic reticulum stress (activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4), inositol-requiring protein 1 (IRE1), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP)) and apoptosis (B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2), Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax), Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Caspase-12) were also observed. Notably, the observed damage was worse in SelM KO mice. Furthermore, melatonin alleviated the heart injury caused by NiCl2 in WT mice but could not exert a good protective effect in the heart of SelM KO mice. Overall, the findings suggested that the antioxidant capacity of SelM, as well as its modulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis, plays important roles in nickel-induced heart injury.
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Animals , Male , Mice , Antioxidants/pharmacology , Apoptosis , Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress , Melatonin/pharmacology , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Nickel/adverse effects , Selenoproteins/genetics , Heart/drug effectsABSTRACT
Objective:To explore the value of adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) stimulation in adrenal vein sampling (AVS) with its effect on the sampling success rate and lateralization determination.Methods:The clinical data of 54 patients with primary aldosteronism (PA) who underwent AVS in Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital from July 2018 to June 2020 were collected retrospectively. Blood samples from bilateral adrenal veins were collected simultaneously at baseline and after ACTH stimulation. The selectivity index (SI), lateralization index (LI), and relative aldosterone secretion index (RASI) were examined.Results:The concentration of serum cortisol level in left and right adrenal vein and peripheral vein increased significantly after ACTH stimulation ( P<0.001). SI of left adrenal vein increased from 18.00 (2.29, 20.29) to 34.76 (12.10, 46.86) , and the SI of right adrenal vein increased from 26.61(5.24, 31.85) to 28.40 (27.65, 56.05, P<0.001). The bilateral vein sampling success rate increased from 80%(43/54) to 93%(50/54). LI decreased from 2.85(1.78, 6.20) at baseline to 2.45(1.40, 6.10) after ACTH stimulation without significant difference( P>0.05). Eleven patients who identified unilateral secretion at baseline demonstrated bilateral after ACTH stimulation, and the RASI of these patients decreased from 0.50 (0.38, 1.25 ) to 0.37 (0.22, 0.84, P=0.019). Conclusion:ACTH stimulation significantly increased SI and the AVS success rate in patients with PA: ACTH stimulation decreased the relative aldosterone secretion in the dominant side of some patients with aldosterone producing adenoma, thus reduced the proportion of identified unilateral PA.
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Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a widely spreading environmental endocrine disruptor, has been confirmed to adversely affect the development of animals and humans. The formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) termed NETosis, is a recently identified antimicrobial mechanism for neutrophils. Though previous researches have investigated inescapable role of the immunotoxicity in DEHP-exposed model, relatively little is known about the effect of DEHP on NETs. In this study, carp peripheral blood neutrophils were treated with 40 and 200 µmol/L DEHP to investigate the underlying mechanisms of DEHP-induced NETs formation. Through the morphological observation of NETs and quantitative analysis of extracellular DNA, we found that DEHP exposure induced NETs formation. Moreover, our results proved that DEHP could increase reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, decrease the expression of the anti-autophagy factor (mTOR) and the anti-apoptosis gene Bcl-2, and increase the expression of pro-autophagy genes (Dynein, Beclin-1 and LC3B) and the pro-apoptosis factors (BAX, Fas, FasL, Caspase3, Caspase8, and Caspase9), thus promoting autophagy and apoptosis. These results indicate that DEHP-induced ROS burst stimulates NETs formation mediated by autophagy and increases apoptosis in carp neutrophils.
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Autophagy , Carps , Diethylhexyl Phthalate , Extracellular Traps , Animals , Apoptosis , Humans , Neutrophils , Reactive Oxygen SpeciesABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the frequencies of the impaired glucose tolerance and diabetes mellitus in a large cohort of active acromegaly and to identify risk factors associated with the presence of diabetes at diagnosis in these patients.Methods This study included 88 patients with newly diagnosed acromegaly.Patients were further divided into normal glucose tolerance (NGT),impaired glucose regulation (IGR),and diabetes (DM) groups according to oral glucose tolerance test or previous history.Insulin sensitivity and β cell function were also evaluated by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA).Logistic regression analysis was used to explore the independent risk factors for diabetes in patients with acromegaly.Results Impaired glucose regulation was found in 25 (28.4%),and DM in 37(42.0%) acromegaly patients.Compared to NGT and IGR patients,higher proportion of DM patients had family history of diabetes (P<0.05).Compared to NGT group,higher post-OGTT growth hormone (GH) levels were detected in IGR and DM groups.Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels were higher in IGR group while lower in DM group (P<0.01).Homeostasis model assessment for β cell function (HOMA-β) was slightly higher in IGR group,but significantly lower in DM group (P < 0.01).Homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was slightly higher in IGR and DM groups but without significant difference among 3 groups.In multivariate analyses,family history of diabetes(OR=12.710,95% CI 1.176-137.30,P=0.036),age(OR=1.106,95% CI 1.018-1.202,P=0.017),and GH levels(OR=1.075,95% CI 1.007-1.147,P=0.030) were independent risk factors of diabetes in acromegaly patients.Conclusion Impaired glucose metabolism is present in nearly 70% of patients at diagnosis of acromegaly,and is associated with age,family history of diabetes,and higher GH levels,but not with IGF-1 levels.
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OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the application of ultrasonography in prenatal diagnosis of left inferior vena cava and double inferior vena cava in fetus.@*METHODS@#The clinical data and ultrasonographic findings of the fetuses with left inferior vena cava (18 cases) or double inferior vena cava (16 cases) were retrospectively analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The ultrasonographic images of left inferior vena cava showed that in the transverse view of the fetal upper abdomen the inferior vena cava and abdominal aorta were in the normal position; below the level of the hilum, the inferior vena cava was located behind the left side of the abdominal aorta; at the level of the hilum, it crossed the front of the abdominal aorta and run diagonally to the upper right, forming the right inferior vena cava and finally entered into the right atrium. The ultrasonographic images of double inferior vena cava showed that in the transverse view of the fetal lower abdomen, in front of spine there were three transections of blood vessels; in coronal plane of abdomen, the veins run on both sides of the abdominal aorta and entered to the iliac vein of the same side. In 34 cases of abnormal inferior vena cava, there were 17 cases complicated with other system abnormalities, including 13 cases of cardiac anomalies.@*CONCLUSIONS@#The left inferior vena cava and double inferior vena cava have characteristic imaging findings, and prenatal diagnosis can be made with ultrasonography. This type of congenital deformity is frequently complicated with other system abnormalities, which should be excluded in fetus, especially for heart system.
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Female , Humans , Pregnancy , Fetus , Congenital Abnormalities , Heart Atria , Congenital Abnormalities , Retrospective Studies , Ultrasonography , Vena Cava, Inferior , Congenital Abnormalities , Diagnostic ImagingABSTRACT
This article summarizes LI Shimao's academic view of tracing the origin and differentiating the pulse and syndrome in six aspects.1) Emphasizing pulse in diagnosis:he put forward the new theories of pulse diagnosis such as differentiating syndrome by pulse diagnosis outline theory,deficiency and excess pulse diagnosis outline theory and interpreting pulse mechanism with Qi and blood outline theory.2) Emphasizing sweat promotion method in the three methods (including sweat promotion,emetic method and purgative method):he promoted sweat with acrid-warm drugs not only in the treatment of excess cold syndrome,but also in the treatment of deficiency cold syndrome.3) Emphasizing Yang deficiency in cold damage syndrome:he regarded Yang deficiency as an important reason for the attack of externally-contracted wind-cold.4) Emphasizing fire constraint in warm disease:he was the first to pinpointed that the nature of warm disease is stagnated heat,he was good at treating warm disease with clearing,venting and enriching methods of which venting is the core and he invented Xinjia Shengjiang San (新加升降散) to treat stagnated heat;5) Emphasizing treating phlegm and stasis in the complicated diseases:he thought the difficult and complicated diseases in modem medicine were similar to the phlegm syndrome and stasis syndrome in Chinese medicine,so he liked modifying Daotan Tang (导痰汤),ZHANG Zhongjing's formulae,WANG Qingren's formulae for removing blood stasis and Taohong Siwu Tang (桃红四物汤) to treat phlegm and stasis syndromes;6) Emphasizing emergencies in rescue period:he thought Chinese medicine did a great work in treating emergencies,and modern scientific and technological methods should be used in studying emergencies in Chinese medicine.
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The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of phosphorus (P) deficiency on the morphological and functional characteristics of erythrocytes in cows. Forty Holstein-Friesian dairy cows in mid-lactation were randomly divided into two groups of 20 each and were fed either a low-P diet (0.03% P/kg dry matter [DM]) or a control diet (0.36% P/kg DM). Red blood cell (RBC) indices results showed RBC and mean corpuscular hemoglobin decreased while mean corpuscular volume increased significantly (p < 0.05) in P-deficient cows. Erythrocyte morphology showed erythrocyte destruction in P-deficient cows. Erythrocytes' functional characteristics results showed total bilirubin and indirect bilirubin concentrations and aspartate transaminase and alanine transaminase activity levels in the serum of P-deficient cows were significantly higher than those in control diet-fed cows. Activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocytes were lower, while the malondialdehyde content was greater, in P-deficient cows than in control diet-fed cows. Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase and Mg²⁺-ATPase activities were lower in P-deficient cows than in control diet-fed cows; however, Ca²⁺-ATPase activity was not significantly different. The phospholipid composition of the erythrocyte membrane changed and membrane fluidity rigidified in P-deficient cows. The results indicate that P deficiency might impair erythrocyte integrity and functional characteristics in cows.
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Alanine Transaminase , Aspartate Aminotransferases , Bilirubin , Diet , Erythrocyte Indices , Erythrocyte Membrane , Erythrocytes , Glutathione Peroxidase , Malondialdehyde , Membrane Fluidity , Phosphorus , Superoxide DismutaseABSTRACT
Artemisinin is an anti-malarial drug with poor water solubility and oral absorption; so a variety of derivatives based on the parent nucleus have been developed. Compared with artemisinin, dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has a stronger anti-malaria activity, and has the advantages of high metabolic rate and better water solubility. Recent studies have discovered that DHA has a good inhibitory effect on tumor cells, which is closely related to the peroxide bridge in its molecular structure. Since tumor cells need more Fethan normal cells, there are a large number of transferrin receptors on the tumor cell membrane. DHA can break the peroxide bridge in the presence of Fe, and the free radicals generated can play its lethal effect on tumor cells. In addition, DHA can promote endocytosis of transferrin receptor, and thus prevent cancer cells from taking Fefrom microenvironment. This article reviews the anti-tumor molecular mechanism of DHA, including accelerating oxidative damage, inducing apoptosis, inhibiting the growth, proliferation and invasion of tumor cells, reversing tumor multidrug resistance.
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Humans , Antigens, CD , Metabolism , Antineoplastic Agents , Pharmacokinetics , Pharmacology , Apoptosis , Artemisinins , Metabolism , Pharmacokinetics , Pharmacology , Endocytosis , Free Radicals , Pharmacology , Iron , Metabolism , Neoplasms , Drug Therapy , Oxidative Stress , Receptors, Transferrin , MetabolismABSTRACT
@#Objective To systematically summarize the effects of mirror therapy on upper extremity motor function and activities of dai-ly living after stroke. Methods The literatures about mirror therapy published between January, 2006 and May, 2016 were recalled from Medline, PubMed, CINAHL, OT seeker, PEDro, Wanfang and CNKI databases. The randomized control trials were included, and those didn't concern upper extremity motor function and activities of daily living were excluded. The data were extracted and analysed with Rev-Man 5.3. Results Fourteen trials were included. Mirror therapy could significantly improve Fugl-Meyer Assessment score (SMD=0.81, 95%CI=0.43-1.20, P<0.001, I2=64%). Subgroups analysis indicated movement based mirror therapy was more effective on mild to moderate hemiplegia (SMD=0.96, 95%CI=0.59~1.34, P<0.001, I2=51%) and the subgroup differences were also significant (P=0.004). Mirror therapy could improve score of Action Research Arm Test (SMD=0.33, 95%CI=0.01-0.64, P=0.040, I2=0), Box and Block Test (SMD=0.70, 95%CI=0.03-1.37, P=0.040, I2=62%) and Brunstrom stages (SMD=1.56, 95%CI=1.07-2.06, P<0.001, I2=41%) of affected upper extremities. It could also improve activities of daily living (SMD=0.93, 95%CI=0.62-1.24, P<0.001, I2=0). No evidence revealed mirror therapy could change muscle tone of flexors of affected upper limbs (SMD=-0.22, 95%CI=-0.73-0.28, P=0.890, I2=0). Conclusion Mirror therapy can signifi-cantly improve upper extremity motor function and activity of daily living.
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Objective To investigate whether specific cellular uptake of 99Tcm-survivin-ASODN in nude mice bearing human HCC is influenced by its cytosine content.Methods Three kinds(A1,A2,A3) of synthesized survivin ASODN with three cytosine contents(10%,20%,30%),20 bases per single-strand were prepared.They were labeled with 99Tcm by conjugating with a bifunctional chelator HYNIC,purified through Cellufine GH-25 and then encapsulated with liposome.Antisense gene imaging and the biodistribution of 99Tcm-HYNIC-survivin ASODN in nude mice bearing HCC were performed.The data were analysed by Kruskal-Wallis H test.Results At 4 h post injection,all the 3 labelled compounds showed increased uptake by tumor,liver and kidney.With increase in cytosine content,the uptake increased in kidney (%ID/g:1.50±0.06,2.80±0.09 and 3.96±0.03),and decreased in tumor (%ID/g:2.08±0.08,1.69±0.01 and 1.20±0.09).T/NT in imaging (4.49-4.93,4.12-4.21,3.35-3.85;H=12.50,P<0.05) and in biodistribution (4.08-4.94,4.02-4.18,3.66-3.85;H=10.82,P<0.05) were all significantly different.Conclusion ASODN with lower cytosine content shows higher uptake by HCC tumor cells and less stasis in kidneys,thus providing better quality in antisense gene imaging.
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Aim To confirm the inhibitory effect of chronic intermittent hypobaric hypoxia ( CIHH) on my-ocardial apoptosis induced by metabolism syndrome ( MS) , and to investigate its mechanism. Methods A rat model of MS induced by fructose was used. The blood pressure and the plasma content of glucose, tri-glyceride, cholesterol, and insulin after 12 h fasting were detected. HE stain were used to detect the cardi-ac structure. The TUNEL staining and activity of caspase-3 were used to detect the apoptosis of myocar-dium. The protein expression of Bcl-2 and Bax was detected by Western blot . Results Compared with the control rats, the blood pressure and the plasma content of glucose, triglyceride, cholesterol, and insu-lin were all increased in rats with MS. In rats with MS, the impairment of cardiac structure and the increase of apoptosis were also observed. The protein expression of Bcl-2 was significantly down-regulated, and that of Bax was significantly up-regulated in MS rats. The ratio of Bcl-2/Bax was also significantly decreased. Interest-ingly, CIHH could ameliorate all of the above issues. There was no significant difference between control group and CIHH group. Conclusion CIHH may im-prove the increased apoptosis in rats with MS via inhib-iting the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis. This stud-y might provide new targets for therapy and the preven-tion of MS patients.