Efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for idiopathic Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines (HMs), as a monotherapy or adjunct therapy, compared to placebo or conventional approaches in the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from both conventional and alternative medicine sources. Outcome measures were overall improvement, quality of life, reduction of levodopa dose, and adverse events. Nine studies were included, each testing a different HM. Six of the trials had limited internal validity due to major flaws in design, including the lack of proper randomization; insufficient blinding; unclear inclusive criteria in terms of diagnostic criteria, baseline staging, and duration of disease; lack of proper sample size calculation; and insufficient data analysis. Imbalances in gender and ethnicity among the patients in the included trials were observed. No major adverse events emerged, and no specific pattern was detected from the trials describing such data. In addition to major methodological defects, heterogeneity in (1) HM tested, (2) control treatment, and (3) outcome measure hindered in-depth data analysis and synthesis. Current evidence is insufficient to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various HMs. Further studies with improved trial design and reporting, with assessment on cost-effectiveness, quality of life, and qualitative data are warranted.     

多囊卵巢综合征患者卵巢间质胰岛素样生长因子受体的表达

目的：探讨肥胖及非肥胖多囊卵巢综合征（ＰＣＯＳ）患者卵巢间质胰岛素样生长因子（ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ）受体基因的定量表达。方法：用逆转录基因扩增技术（ＲＴ－ＰＣＲ），检测３５例ＰＣＯＳ患者（肥胖组１５例，非肥胖组２０例）及２０例正常妇女（对照组）卵巢间质细胞ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ受体ｍＲＮＡ的表达量（灰度比值）。并对ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ受体基因ｍＲＮＡ逆转录的ｃＤＮＡ产物进行限制性内切酶酶切分析。结果：ＰＣＯＳ两组ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ受体基因的表达量显著高于对照组，ＰＣＯＳ两组灰度比值为１．１８４±０．２４０，对照组灰度比值为０．９９９±０．０８６（Ｐ＜０．００１）。非肥胖组（１．２３８±０．３８７）明显大于肥胖组（１．０５８±０．１０９，Ｐ＜０．１）。酶切分析证实，３组ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ受体基因扩增片段相同，ＰＣＯＳ两组未发现明显的碱基突变存在。结论：ＰＣＯＳ患者卵巢间质ＩＧＦ－Ⅰ受体基因呈过度表达。且ＰＣＯＳ非肥胖患者局部ＩＧＦ－Ｉ受体表达高于ＰＣＯＳ肥胖患者。     

Role of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor as adjunct therapy for septicemia in children with acute leukemia

The granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been shown to accelerate recovery from severe neutropenia and to decrease the incidence of documented infections after intensive chemotherapy in cancer patients. However, the routine prophylactic use of G-CSF is expensive. This study was conducted to determine the role of G-CSF as adjunct therapy for septicemia following neutropenia caused by chemotherapy in children with acute leukemia. Fifty consecutive episodes of septicemia were studied involving 34 episodes of Gram-negative, 7 episodes of Gram-positive, 5 episodes of polymicrobial bacterial septicemia, one episode of fungemia, and 3 episodes of disseminated fungal infection. In the first 25 episodes, G-CSF was not used (group A). For the next 16 episodes, G-CSF 200 μg per square meter per day subcutaneously was given immediately after the septicemia was documented until the absolute neutrophil count was maintained at more than 1,500 per cubic millimeter (group B). Thereafter, G-CSF at the same dose as that of group B was prophylactically used in all the children who received high-dose cytosine arablnc-side-containing regimens. Nine episodes of septicemia occurred (group C). The incidences of mortality per episode of septicemia in groups A, B, and C were 12.0% (3/25), 12.5% (2/16) and 0% (0/9), respectively. Statistically, there was no difference between the three groups overall and in pair-wise comparisons (all P > 0.5). The durations of G-CSF administration in group B ranged from 6 to 26 days with a median of 12 days and the durations of G-CSF administration in group C ranged from 10 to 23 days with a median of 19 days. With or without G-CSF, there may be no significant difference in the mortality of septicemia following neutropenia caused by chemotherapy in children with acute leukemia.     

培养环境的温度变化与人MⅡ期卵母细胞纺锤体形态学变化的关系

目的:观察环境温度的改变对MⅡ期人卵纺锤体结构的影响.方法:40例非男性因素的不孕妇女,将常规体外授精后未受精的MⅡ期卵子置于室温(23～25℃)直至纺锤体消失.于纺锤体消失后,将卵子分成3个实验组:1组纺锤体消失后立即复温(n=8);2组纺锤体消失后室温下静置5 min再复温(n=6);3组纺锤体消失后室温下静置10 min再复温(n=6).卵子复温后5 min,10 min,2 h分别观察纺锤体的复现情况.结果:20个未受精的MⅡ期卵子置于室温下5 min内纺锤体均消失.1组中的8个卵子,2组中的6个卵子复温后再次观测到了MⅡ期纺锤体.3组中的6个卵子只有3个卵子再次出现了MⅡ期纺锤体.对照组的18个卵子放置于37℃恒温板上观察30 min,纺锤体均未见消失.结论:MⅡ期卵子纺锤体对环境温度的改变非常敏感.温度降低将导致纺锤体消失,随着时间的延长,纺锤体复现几率明显减少.     

浅谈基因治疗的现状及其面临的困境

基因治疗将在未来的疾病治疗中扮演重要的角色，然而这一新颖的技术却面临着诸多问题，本文论述了基因治疗的发展现状及其所面临的技术难题。     

左双腔支气管导管管端位置与吸气峰压变化的关系

目的 观测无隆突钩双腔支气管导管(DLT)管端位置与吸气峰压(Ppeak)以及肺顺应性环形状改变的关系，探讨用Ppeak和顺应性环的变化评估DLT管端位置的可行性。方法 拟行右侧剖胸手术的成年患者32例，静脉诱导后插入左Mallinckrodt DLT，吸入氧化亚氮和地氟醚维持麻醉。按纤维支气管镜(FOB)确认DLT管端位置和通气方式将观测过程分为四个阶段：第一阶段(S1)，管端位置正确的双肺通气；第二阶段(S2)，管端位置正确的左侧单肺通气；第三阶段(S3)，管端插入左下支气管(置管过深)的左侧单肺通气；第四阶段(S。)，管端处在左支气管开口(置管偏浅)的左侧单肺通气。每阶段均机械通气15min。结果 回归方程预计插管深度与FOB检查符合者占71．9％。S2时Ppeak值比S1时增加50．8％，肺顺应性(Cdyn)值减少36．2％；S3时Ppeak值比S1时增加87．4％，Cdyn值减少56．8％。PV环曲线斜率向右明显移位，环体显著延长。结论 用无隆突钩DLT行肺隔离，在无FOB定位的条件时，联合应用听诊法、回归方程预计插管深度、动态监测气道峰压和P-V环的变化综合评估，可提高DLT管端的正确到位率。单肺通气的气道峰压超过双肺通气时的1．65倍，且气道峰压超过25cm H2O．应高度怀疑DLT管端发生过深移位。     

Reduced expression of CD69 and adhesion molecules of T lymphocytes in asthmatic children receiving immunotherapy

T lymphocytes play a fundamental role in the initiation and regulation of chronic inflammatory responses in patients with asthma. CD69 is an early marker of T‐cell activation. The levels of intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1, CD54) and L ‐selectin have been reported to increase in patients with allergic diseases and asthma. The present study was therefore undertaken to investigate the expression of CD69, CD54, and L ‐selectin by T lymphocytes of children with asthma, before and after immunotherapy. Eighteen children newly diagnosed with asthma, 11 good and nine poor responders to immunotherapy, and 16 normal subjects, were enrolled in this study. The percentages of CD69⁺, CD54⁺, and CD62L⁺ cells in T lymphocytes were measured by using flow cytometry. The levels of CD69, CD54, and CD62L in serum and culture supernatants were determined by using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of CD69 and CD54 on CD3⁺ T lymphocytes was significantly higher in children with asthma than in control patients. All the patient groups expressed (spontaneously and following stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin together with mite‐extract proteins) greater amounts of CD69 and CD54 than did control subjects. With long‐term immunotherapy, the percentages of CD69⁺ and CD54⁺ T lymphocytes were significantly lower in patients with a good response to immunotherapy. Our results also showed significantly lower serum L ‐selectin levels following immunotherapy. In conclusion, successful immunotherapy resulted in decreased expression and production of CD69 and CD54. These results may explain, in part, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy.     

Destabilization of lens protein conformation by glutathione mixed disulfide

Mixed disulfide between lens crystallin and glutathione has been observed in human cataracts and could be formed in vitro by thiol-disulfide exchange reaction. The glutathionyl crystallins have been reported to become partially unfolded. The present paper reports the conformational destabilization by the mixed disulfide formation in calf alpha- and gamma-II crystallin. The conformational stability was studied by the denaturants urea and guanidine hydrochloride (Gdn-HCl), and by proteolytic degradation. The denaturation curves of both urea and Gdn-HCl shift to lower denaturant concentration for crystallins of glutathione mixed disulfide. The decrease in conformational stability is estimated to be 0.22- and 0.92 kcal mol-1 for modified alpha- and gamma-II crystallin, respectively. Proteolytic digestion also shows a faster rate of degradation for the modified crystallins. These results indicate that mixed disulfide destabilizes the crystallin conformation. The destabilization may make crystallins more susceptible to changes as observed in aging lenses.