Octreotide acetate long-acting release in treatment of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours are uncommon neoplasms of the pancreas, accounting for around 2% of all primary pancreatic tumors. This specific group of tumours includes insulinoma, gastrinoma, glucagonoma, VIPoma, somatostatinoma and others. They may cause a clinical syndrome due to hormone overproduction. These tumours tend to be less aggressive than pancreatic adenocarcinoma, however, more than 50% of them have metastasized to the liver at the time of diagnosis. Under this circumstance, surgery is impossible to resect all metastases. Thus other various medical measures have been explored in the treatment of these tumors.     

Effects of the aqueous extract of Schizandra chinensis fruit on ethanol withdrawal-induced anxiety in rats

Background We previously demonstrated that the aqueous extract of the Schizandra chinensis fruit （AESC） ameliorated Cd-induced depletion of monoamine neurotransmitters in the brain through antioxidant activity.In the present study,we investigated the effect of AESC on anxiety-like behavior and the levels of norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol （a metabolite of norepinephrine） in different brain regions during ethanol withdrawal in rats.Methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with 3 g/kg of ethanol （20％,w/v） or saline by daily intraperitoneal injection for 28 days followed by three days of withdrawal.During withdrawal,rats were given AESC （100 mg.kg 1.d-1 or 300 mg.kg 1·d1,P.O.） once a day for three days.Thirty minutes after the final dose of AESC,the anxiogenic response was evaluated using an elevated plus maze,and the plasma corticosterone levels were examined by radioimmunoassay.Meanwhile,the concentrations of norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus and hippocampus were also measured by high performance liquid chromatography.Results Rats undergoing ethanol withdrawal exhibited substantial anxiety-like behavior,which was characterized by both the decrease in time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze and the increased level of corticosterone secretion,which were greatly attenuated by doses of AESC in a dose-dependent manner.The high performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed that ethanol withdrawal significantly increased norepinephrine and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus,while not significantly altering them in the hippocampus.Similar to the results from the elevated plus maze test,the AESC significantly inhibited the elevation of norepinephrine and its metabolite in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus in a dose-dependent manner.Conclusions These results suggest that AESC attenuates anxiety-like behavior induced by ethanol withdrawal through modulation of the hypothalamic norepinephrine system in the brain.     

Association between intervertebral disc degeneration and disturbances of blood supply to the vertebrae

Low back pain is a common public health problem in western industrialized societies and the world as well.Studies indicate that the prevalence rate ranges to 35%, with around 10% of patients from 12% becoming chronically disabled. It also places an enormous economic burden on society. Although the exact cause of low back pain has yet to be defined, intervertebral disc degeneration is considered a major source of it. Since patients with degenerative discs are often asymptomatic, the mechanisms of it are still unclear.     

WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究:津液辨证(英文)

Intraditional Chinese medicine (TCM),the so-called津液refers to all the fluid and liquid flowingand maintaining inside the human body.In Chineselanguage,津液is a phrase composed of twoChinese characters which describes two differentkinds of fluid or liquid in the human body .According to the theory of TCM,津refers to thepart of fluid that is thin in texture and flowss moothly inside the body while液refers to thepart of fluid that is thick in texture and mainlymaintains in the joints of the body to nourish andlubr...     

Biomechanical effects of bone cement volume on the endplates of augmented vertebral body: a three-dimensional finite element analysis

Background Previous studies have suggested that percutaneous vertebroplasty might alter vertebral stress transfer,leading to adjacent vertebral failure.However,no three-dimensional finite element study so far accounted for the stress distributions on different cement volumes.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stress distributions on the endplate under different loading conditions after augmentation with various volumes of bone cement.Methods L2-L3 motion segment data were obtained from CT scans of the lumbar spine from a cadaver of a young man who had no abnormal findings on roentgenograms.Three-dimensional model of L2-L3 was established using Mimics software,and finite element model of L2-L3 functional spinal unit （FSU） was established using Ansys10.0 software.For simulating percutaneous vertebral augmentation,polymethylmethacrylate （PMMA） was deposited into the bipedicle of the L2 vertebra.The percentage of PMMA volume varied between 15％ and 30％.The stress distributions on the endplate of the augmented vertebral body were calculated under three different loading conditions.Results In general,the stress level monotonically increased with bone cement volume.Under each loading condition,the stress change on the L2 superior and inferior endplates in three kinds of finite element models shows monotonic increase.Compared with the stress-increasing region of the endplate,the central part of the L2 endplate was subject to the greatest stress under three kinds of loading conditions,especially on the superior endplate and under flexion.Conclusions The finite element models of FSU are useful to optimize the planning for vertebroplasty.The bone cement volume might have an influence on the endplate of the augmentation,especially the superior endplate.It should be noted that the optimization of bone cement volume is patient specific; the volume of the bone cement should be based on the size,body mineral density,and stiffness of the vertebrae of individual patients.     

WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究：八纲辨证（一）（英文）

The so-called eight principles include阴,阳,表,里,寒,热,虚,实which are usually transliterated and translated as yin,yang,exterior, interior,cold,heat,deficiency and excess.These eight principles serve as a theoretical basis for treatment based on syndrome differentiation. These eight principles are easy to understand, translate and standardize.     

WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究：各科辨证（二）

外伤瘀滞证pattern/syndrome of stasis and stagnation due to traumatic injury：a pattern/syndrome attributedtotraumaticinjury causinglocal stagnation of qi and blood,manifested by local ecchymosis,pain and tendernessIn Chinese language,瘀and滞are two concepts which are si milar to each other in meaning under certain context,     

Enhancement of the scientific management of earthquake disaster rescue: improving the state level of disaster medical care

A7.0-magnitude earthquake took place in Lushan county,Ya＇an in southwest China＇s Sichuan Province at 8：02 a.m.Beijing time,April 20,2013.The epicenter was located approximately 110 km away from Chengdu,at 30.3 degrees north latitude and 103.0 degrees east longitude.The earthquake caused 196 deaths and left 21 missing and 11 470 injured.     

WHO西太区与世界中医药学会联合会中医名词术语国际标准比较研究：八纲辨证（三）

The Chinese characters 寒 and 热, 虚, and 实 are quite common concepts in Chinese language. However in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）, they are used as four principles in syndrome differentiation. In terms of translation, 寒 and 热 are very easy to understand and can be simply translated as ＂cold＂ and ＂heat＂. But the transla- tion of 虚 and 实 used to be a problem. For a quite long time in translation practice,     

Construction of the Chinese Veteran Clinical Research （CVCR） Platform for the assessment of non-communicable diseases

Background Based on the excellent medical care and management system for Chinese veterans,as well as the detailed medical documentation available,we aim to construct a Chinese Veteran Clinical Research （CVCR） platform on noncommunicable diseases （NCDs） and carry out studies of the primary disabling NCDs.Methods The Geriatric Neurology Department of Chinese People＇s Liberation Army General Hospital and veterans＇ hospitals serve as the leading and participating units in the platform construction.The fundamental constituents of the platform are veteran communities.Stratified typical cluster sampling is adopted to recruit veteran communities.A cross-sectional study of mental,neurological,and substance use （MNS） disorders are performed in two stages using screening scale such as the Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal cognitive assessment,followed by systematic neuropsychological assessments to make clinical diagnoses,evaluated disease awareness and care situation.Results A total of 9 676 among 277 veteran communities from 18 cities are recruited into this platform,yielding a response rate of 83.86％.8 812 subjects complete the MNS subproject screening and total response rate is 91.70％.The average participant age is （82.01±4.61） years,69.47％ of veterans are 80 years or older.Most participants are male （94.01％）,83.36％ of subjects have at least a junior high school degree.The overall health status of veterans is good and stable.The most common NCD are cardiovascular disorders （86.44％）,urinary and genital diseases （73.14％）,eye and ear problems （66.25％）,endocrine （56.56％） and neuro-psychiatric disturbances （50.78％）.Conclusion We first construct a veterans＇ comprehensive clinical research platform for the study of NCDs that is primarily composed of highly educated Chinese males of advanced age and utilize this platform to complete a cross-sectional national investigation of MNS disorders among veterans.The good and stable health condition of the veterans could facilitate the long-term follow-up studies of NCDs and provide prospective data to the prevention and management of NCDs.     

GHRP-6 Induces CREB Phosphorylation and Growth Hormone Secretion via a Protein Kinase Cσ-dependent Pathway in GH3 Cells

This study examined the effect of GHRP-6, a known GHSs receptor agonist, on the phosphorylation of cAMP-responsive element-binding protein （CREB） and the tmderly mechanism. GH3 cells were cultured and subjected to different treatments as follows： GHRP-6, GHRP-6 plus GHRH, phorbol ester （PMA）, an activator of PKC, alone or in combination with GHRP-6, G66983, a general inhibitor of PKCs, in the presence or absence of GHRP-6, rottlerin, an inhibitor of PKCs, alone or plus GHRP-6. The cells were transiently transfected with PKCσ-specific siRNA and then treated with GHRP-6. GH level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expression of phosphor-CREB, PKCσ, PKC0 and phosphor-PKCo was determined by Western blotting. The results showed that GHRP-6 stimulated GH secretion in both time- and dose-dependent manners and enhanced the effect of GHRH on GH secretion. GHRP-6 was also found to induce CREB phosphorylation. Moreover, GH secretion was enhanced by the PKC activator PMA and reduced by the PKC inhibitors （G66983, rottlerin） and knockdown of PKCσ. PKCσ could be activated by GHRP-6. It is concluded that PKC, especialiy PKCσ, mediates CREB phosphorylation and GHRP-6-induced GH secretion.     

痘苗病毒天坛株的减毒与其作为疫苗载体研究进展

1痘苗病毒天坛株的历史天花是人类历史上最可怕的传染病之一。天花由天花病毒（variola virus）引起,人是该病毒的惟一宿主。人感染天花病毒后的死亡率达到30%~40%[1]。世界上公认的对天花最早的准确记录来自中国,晋代药学家葛洪于公元430年左右,在《肘后备急方》中对天花有清楚的描述[1]。     

Chinese herbal medicine Xinfeng Capsule in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis： study protocol of a multicenter randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND： Rheumatoid arthritis （RA）, as a common systemic inflammatory autoimmune disease, affects approximately 1 in 100 individuals. Effective treatment for RA is not yet available because current research does not have a clear understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of RA. Xinfeng Capsule, a patent Chinese herbal medicine, has been used in the treatment of RA in recent years. Despite its reported clinical efficacy, there are no large-sample, multicenter, randomized trials that support the use of Xinfeng Capsule for RA. Therefore, we designed a randomized, double-blind, multicenter, placebo-controlled trial to assess the efficacy and safety of Xinfeng Capsule in the treatment of RA. METHODS AND DESIGN： This is a 12-week, randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, multicenter trial on the treatment of RA. The participants will be randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group at a ratio of 1：1. Participants in the experimental group will receive Xinfeng Capsule and a pharmaceutical placebo （imitation leflunomide）. The control group will receive leflunomide and an herbal placebo （imitation Xinfeng Capsule）. The American College of Rheumatology （ACR） Criteria for RA will be used to measure the efficacy of the Xinfeng Capsule. The primary outcome measure will be the percentage of study participants who achieve an ACR 20% response rate （ACR20）, which will be measured every 4 weeks after randomization. Secondary outcomes will include the ACR50 and ACR70 responses, the side effects of the medications, the Disease Activity Score 28, RA biomarkers, quality of life, and X-rays of the hands and wrists. The first four of the secondary outcomes will be measured every 4 weeks and the others will be measured at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment. DISCUSSION： The result of this trial will help to evaluate whether Xinfeng Capsule is effective and safe in the treatment of RA. TRIAL REGISTRATION： This trial has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. The identifier is N CT01774877.     

关于WHO/ICTM术语问题的几点建议

2008年,世界卫生组织（World Health Organization,WHO）启动了＂疾病名称国际分类第11版＂（International Classification of Diseases-11,ICD-11）的修订工作[1]。与ICD前10版不同的是,在第11版的修订工作中,专门设置了第23章,拟将传统医学纳入其中。但就目前的发展来看,能纳入其中的,只有源自中国的传统医学,即中医药学。     

Potential biomarkers predicting risk of pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease: the role of homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide

Background Pulmonary hypertension （PH） is a common complication of congenital heart disease （CHD）.Although risk stratification is vital for prognosis and therapeutic guidance,the need for understanding the role of novel biomarkers cannot be overlooked.The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes of homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide levels and find potential biomarkers for early detection and treatment.Methods Between September 2012 and April 2013,we prospectively collected data on 158 pediatric patients with left to right shunt CHD at our institution.Standard right heart catheterizations were performed in all cases.Seventy-seven cases were associated with PH.The levels of homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide were detected with fluorescence polarization immunoassay and a sensitive silver-sulphur electrode,respectively.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the expression of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase （MTHFR）,cystathionine β-synthase （CBS）,and cystathionine gamma-lyase （CSE）.Radioimmunoassays were used to obtain folic acid and vitamin B12 levels.Results The difference in the levels of homocysteine,folic acid,vitamin B12,hydrogen sulfide,as well as the MTHFR and CSE expression between patients with PH and without PH were statistically significant （all P ＜0.05）.Homocysteine had the best sensitivity and specificity to predict PH （P ＜0.001）.Subgroup analysis showed that the levels of homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide,and the expression of CSE and MTHFR between patients with dynamic and obstructive PH were significantly different （all P ＜0.05）.Based on the ROC curve,homocysteine had the best sensitivity and specificity to predict obstructive PH （P=0.032）,while CSE had the most significant sensitivity and specificity to predict the dynamic PH （P=0.008）.Conclusions Increased levels of homocysteine and decreased levels of hydrogen sulfide were significantly negatively correlated in PH associated with CHD.The underlying mechanism involved the decreased expression of MTHFR and CSE along with vitamin B12 deficiency.Homocysteine and hydrogen sulfide are potential biomarkers to predict PH.     

Influences of IL-6R antibody on PMMA bone cement-mediated expression of OPG and RANKL in synovial fibroblasts

Effect of interleukin-6 receptor （IL-6R） antibody on polymethyl methacrylate （PMMA） bone cement-mediated expression of osteoprotegerin （OPG） and ：receptor activator of nuclear fac- tor-kappaB ligand （RANKL） in synovial fibroblasts was investigated. Synovial tissue obtained from to- tal knee arthroplasty was digested and cultured. Inverted microscope was employed to observe the synovial cells and immunocytochemistry （SABC method） staining was used to identify synovial fibro- blasts. This experiment was divided into three groups according to different culture media： PMMA group （75μg/mL PMMA bone cement particles）, IL-6R antibody group （10 ng/mL IL-6R antibody＋75 μg/mL PMMA bone cement particles）, and control group （no IL-6R antibody or PMMA bone cement particles）. Influence of IL-6R antibody and PMMA on proliferation of synovial fibroblasts was meas- ured by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8）. ELISA method was used to measure OPG and RANKL levels in culture solution. Fluorescence quantitative real-time PCR （FQ-PCR） was used to detect the expression of OPG and RANKL mRNA. After three consecutive passages, more than 95% of the primary synovial cells became long spindle fibroblast-like cells. SABC staining results showed that the fibroblast-like cells were negative for anti-CD68 antibody and positive for anti-vimentin antibody, with brown madder stained. CCK-8 test demonstrated that the absorbance （A） value at 450 nm was significantly lower in IL-6R antibody group than in PMMA group and control group （P〈0.01）, but there was no statistically significant difference in A value at 450 nm between the control group and PMMA group （P〉0.05）. Re- suits of ELISA indicated that the expression of OPG was significantly higher in IL-6R antibody group than in PMMA group and control group （P〈0.01）. The expression of RANKL was inhibited （P〈0.05）, and the ratio of OPG/RANKL was significantly increased in IL-6R antibody group as compared with PMMA group and control group. There was no significant difference in the expression of OPG between control group and PMMA group （P〉0.05）, but the expression of RANKL was higher in PMMA group than in control group （P〈0.05）, and there was a significant difference in the ratio of OPG/RANKL be- tween them （P〈0.05）. Results of FQ-PCR revealed the expression of RANKL mRNA was significantly inhibited （P〈0.01） and the expression of OPG mRNA was significantly increased （P〈0.01） in IL-6R an- tibody group as compared with PMMA group and control group. The expression of RANKL mRNA was higher in PMMA group than in control group （P〈0.05）, but the expression of OPG mRNA had no sig- nificant difference between them （P〉0.05）. IL-6R antibody could significantly increase the expression of OPC~ but inhibit the expression of RANKL, which might provide a theoretical basis of molecular bi- ology for the prevention and treatment of aseptic loosening of prosthesis.