Treatment of Alopecia Areata with Plum-blossom Needles plus Moxibustion： A Report of 53 Cases

用梅花针叩刺斑秃区,后用艾条在患处温灸,治疗斑秃患者53例,并以口服薄芝片为对照治疗54例.3个疗程后前者总有效率为96.2%,后者为70.4%,两组疗效差异有统计意义.     

Observation on clinical effect of tuina plus Western medication for functional dyspepsia due to liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency

Objective

To observe the clinical effects of tuina plus Western medication for functional dyspepsia (FD) due to liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency.

Methods

total of 72 patients in conformity with the inclusion criteria of FD were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group based upon the random number table, 36 cases in each group. The control group was treated with mosapride citrate dispersible tablets, and the observation group was treated with the same tablets plus tuina. Before the treatment and 4 weeks after the treatment, the clinical symptoms, quality of life (QOL) and depression severity were observed by the scale, and were followed up two months later after the treatment for assessment of the clinical effects.

Results

After the treatment and at the follow-up, the symptom scores of FD and the sores of Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) in both groups decreased, and the scores in Chinese version of quality of life questionnaire for functional digestive disorders (Chin-FDDQL) increased, with statistically significant differences in comparison with the same group before the treatment (all P<0.05). In comparison between the two groups at the same time point after the treatment, the scores of FD symptoms, HAMD and Chin-FDDQL were improved better in the observation group than those in the control group, with statistically significant differences (all P<0.05). The total effective rates at the follow-up were 91.7% in the observation group and 75.0% in the control group, without statistical difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The rate of clinical cure and remarkable effect was 66.7% in the observation group, higher than 41.7% in the control group, it is higher in the observation group than that in the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Tuina plus Western medication is precise in the therapeutic effects for FD due to liver qi stagnation and spleen deficiency and can effectively relieve clinical symptoms, elevate the QOL and alleviate depression severity of the patients. Moreover, it’s better than the treatment by Western medication alone in the long-term therapeutic effects.

     

The role of radiotherapy for prevention of heterotopic ossification after major hip surgery

Heterotopic ossification or ectopic bone formation represents a widely known complication after surgery involving joint spaces. Posttraumatic heterotopic ossification can be found at any site. The most common postsurgical site is the hip following total hip arthroplasty. This review explores the treatment options to prevent ectopic bone formation after major surgery of hip, especially, the role of radiotherapy.     

Possible alternative carcinogenesis pathway featuring microsatellite instability in colorectal cancer stroma

Differential microsatellite instability (MSI) in tumour epithelial and stromal compartments has not been well examined for colorectal cancers. Using laser-captured microdissection, separate specimens of these compartments of 40 sporadic colorectal cancers were sampled and MSI was tested with four markers. To examine the relation between the MSI phenotype in the stroma and other genetic events and histopathological features, p53 and K-ras gene mutations were analysed, and the expression of p53, hMLH1, and hMSH2 protein was determined by immunohistochemistry. Microsatellite instability positive results were obtained for both epithelium (34%) and stromal tissue (41%). While MSI in epithelium correlated with differentiation and Dukes' stage, that in stroma demonstrated an inverse relation, being particularly frequent in well-differentiated adenocarcinomas (54%) and Dukes' A lesions (55%). Further, a significant inverse correlation between p53 protein overexpression in the epithelium and MSI in the stroma was found (P=0.02475). The results suggest an alternative pathway of carcinogenesis involving stromal genetic instability in the development of colorectal cancers.     

TSLC1基因真核表达载体的构建及在HepG2细胞中的表达

Objective： To construct the eukaryotic expression vector for human TSLC1 gene, and to express TSLC1 in HepG2 cells for investigating its effect on HepG2 cell growth. Methods： Full length of TSLC1 cDNA was amplified from RNA of normal human liver by RT-PCR, and cloned into pCI-neo expression vector. The recombinant plasmid pCI-TSLC1 was identified with restriction enzyme and sequenced, and then was stably transfected into HepG2 cells with lipofectamine 2000. The positive clones were examined by western-blotting and immunofluorescence, cell growth was analyzed with MTT assay. Results： The eukaryotic expression vector pCI-TSLC1 was successfully constructed and the stable cell line highly expressing TSLC1 protein was obtained. The growth of TSLCl-transfected cells was significantly suppressed in vitro. Conclusion： The HepG2 stable cell line could highly express TSLC1 protein, which provided a basis for further exploring the roles of TSLC1 in hepatocellular carcinoma.