DNA测序建立甘肃当归、大黄种子rRNA基因图谱的研究

目的：对甘肃地道性中药材当归、大黄种子中rRNA基因内转录间隔区进行碱基序列测定，以期建立从分子水平对中草药种子进行鉴定的一种新方法。方法：提取当归、大黄种子中核DNA，利用特异性引物对其rRNA基因内转录间隔区进行套式PCR扩增，并将扩增产物进行碱基序列测定。结果：经琼脂糖凝胶电泳证实：以上述方法可获得当归、大黄种子DNA中rRNA基因内转录间隔区PCR扩增产物；并经测序后得到了当归、大黄种子rRNA基因内转录间隔区的碱基序列，且具有明显的差异和可对比性。结论：不同植物性中药材种子rRNA基因内转录间隔区碱基序列可做为从分子水平进行鉴定的标记。     

田维柱教授关于透穴应用的见解

田维柱教授从事针灸的医疗、教学和科研工作30余载,经验颇丰,临证治疗尤以透穴针法应用得心应手.针对目前针灸发展的现状,田师结合自己的教学经验及治疗心得,提出了有关腧穴的应用操作应与透穴相结合并形成规范的设想.     

New views on ultrasonography in high-flow priapism,with typical cases

Dear Editor, Priapism is an uncommon pathological erection that mainly occurs in adult males between the ages of 20 years and 50 years.1 It is defined as an inv...     

GOS Ameliorates Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Induced by High Fat and High Sugar Diet through Lipid Metabolism and Intestinal Microbes

The treatment of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remains very challenging. This study investigated the therapeutic effect of galactose oligosaccharide (GOS), an important prebiotic, on NAFLD through in vivo and in vitro experiments and preliminarily explored the mechanism by which GOS improves liver lipid metabolism and inflammation through liver and intestinal microbiological analysis. The results of mouse liver lipidomics showed that GOS could promote body thermogenesis in mice with high-fat and high-sugar diet (HFHSD)-induced NAFLD, regulate lipolysis in liver fat cells, and accelerate glycine and cholesterol metabolism. GOS dose-dependently reduced the contents of total cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) in cells and reduced the accumulation of lipid droplets in cells. GOS also reduced the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio and altered the composition of the intestinal microbiota in mice fed a HFHSD. GOS can improve liver lipid metabolism and intestinal structure of NAFLD. These results provide a theoretical and experimental basis supporting the use of GOS as a health food with anti-NAFLD functions.     

Self-reported yeast symptoms compared with clinical wet mount analysis and vaginal yeast culture in a specialty clinic setting

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity of patients' self-reported symptoms of vulvovaginal candidiasis and the accuracy of clinical wet mount examinations compared with vulvovaginal yeast culture results in a specialty clinic. STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective chart review of new patients seen at the Saint Louis University Vulvar and Vaginal Disease Clinic from January 2005 to March 2006 was performed. Patients' age, medication use, symptom scores on a rating scale for vaginal/vulvar pain, burning, itching, dyspareunia and wet mount analyses were compared with yeast culture results. RESULTS: Of 153 patients, 40 had positive yeast cultures (prevalence rate 26.1%). Compared with yeast cultures, self-reported symptom scores >4 resulted in high sensitivity (90%) and low specificity (7%). Positive wet mount result showed low sensitivity (18%) and high specificity (99%). Patient symptom scores were a poor predictor of yeast infections based on yeast culture results. No correlation was found among wet mount, self-reported symptoms and yeast culture results. No significant difference between age or symptom scores to culture result was found. CONCLUSION: Wet mount analysis for recurrent or persistent patient symptoms should be reevaluated. Self-reported symptoms are not reliable for diagnosis. Wet mount analysis resulted in low sensitivity. Yeast cultures should be considered the gold standard for identification of vulvovaginal candidiasis in persistent or recurrent cases.     

Differential flow cytometric detection of intracellular cytokines in peripheral and peritoneal mononuclear cells of women with endometriosis

OBJECTIVE: The pathogenesis of endometriosis is related to functional changes in CD3+ and CD14+ cells observed both at the local and systemic level. Here we investigated whether, and if so, how the body compartment influences cytokine expression in stimulated peritoneal and peripheral CD3+ and CD14+ cells of women with endometriosis. STUDY DESIGN: Isolated peripheral blood (PB) and peritoneal fluid (PF) mononuclear cells from women with endometriosis were cultured under non-adherent conditions and stimulated with PMA and ionomycin for 6h to induce intracellular cytokine synthesis of TNF-alpha, IFN-gamma, and IL-8 by CD3+ cells or with LPS for 9h to produce TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, and IL-8 by CD14+ cells. RESULTS: The percentages of positive CD3+ cells stained for TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma were significantly higher and those stained for IL-8 were significantly lower in PF compared with PB, this being independent of the stage of endometriosis. In contrast, the percentages of CD14+ cells producing TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-10, MCP-1, and IL-8 were significantly higher in PB than PF of women with endometriosis. CONCLUSIONS: Monocytes/macrophages and lymphocytes derived from the peripheral and peritoneal compartments of women with endometriosis differentially respond to stimulated cytokine synthesis induction. However, it is difficult to state whether the observed phenomenon is more related to body compartment influence per se or to the presence of endometriosis.     

Effects of Chronic Exposure to Diets Containing Moldy Corn or Moldy Wheat Bran on Growth Performance,Ovarian Follicular Pool,and Oxidative Status of Gilts

Background: We investigated the effect of replacing normal corn (NC) or normal wheat bran (NW) with moldy corn (MC) or moldy wheat bran (MW) on growth, ovarian follicular reserves, and oxidative status. Methods: Sixty-three Landrace × Yorkshire gilts were assigned to seven diets formulated by using MC to replace 0% (control), 25% (25% MC), 50% (50% MC), 75% (75% MC), and 100% NC (100% MC), MW to replace 100% NW (100% MW), and MC and MW to replace 100% NC and 100% NW (100% MC + MW), from postnatal day 110 to day 19 of the second estrous cycle. Results: Feeding the gilts with MC or MW induced a lower average daily gain at days 29–56 of the experiment. Age at puberty remained unchanged, but MC inclusion resulted in a linear decrease in antral follicles with diameter >3.0 mm, and control gilts had a 12.7 more large antral follicles than gilts in the 100% MC + MW treatment. MC inclusion linearly decreased the numbers of primordial follicles, growing follicles, and corpora lutea, associated with a lower anti-Müllerian hormone level in serum and 17β-estradiol level in follicular fluid. MC inclusion decreased the serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 and its mRNA levels in the liver, combined with higher malondialdehyde concentration and lower total superoxide dismutase activities in serum and liver. Conclusion: Chronic exposure to MC-containing diets caused the loss of follicles, even if levels of deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, and aflatoxin B1 were below the levels allowed by China and Europe standards.     

Optimization of photo-biomodulation therapy for wound healing of diabetic foot ulcers in vitro and in vivo

Unclear optical parameters make photo-biomodulation (PBM) difficult to implement in diabetic foot ulcer (DFU) clinically. Here, 12 wavelengths (400–900 nm) were used to conduct PBM to heal DFU wounds in vitro and in vivo. PBM at 10 mW/cm² and 0.5–4 J/cm² with all 12 wavelengths promoted proliferation of diabetic wound cells. In a mimic DFU (mDFU) rat model, PBM (425, 630, 730, and 850 nm, and a combination light strategy) promoted mDFU healing. The positive cell proliferation, re-epithelialization, angiogenesis, collagen synthesis, and inflammation were possible mechanisms. The combination strategy had the best effect, which can be applied clinically.