Nomogram for Predicting Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting for Breast Cancer Patients.

Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common side effect of cancer treatment. The factors influencing CINV in breast cancer patients remain unclear. In this study, we developed a nomogram for predicting the occurrence of CINV in this group using prospective clinical data. We pooled data from multiple studies which focused on the emetogenic chemotherapy. Then, we collected 334 breast cancer patients at Hunan Cancer Hospital (training set) to analyze the demographic and clinical variables. Using multivariate logistic regression, we identified the five significant factors that were associated with CINV: history of CINV, chemotherapy regimen, chemotherapy cycle, metastasis, and symptoms of distress. Then, we construct a prediction nomogram. The external validation set comprised an additional 66 patients. The reliability of the nomogram was assessed by bootstrap resampling. The C-index was 0.78 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.85) for the training set and 0.74 (95% CI, 0.62-0.85) for the validation set. Calibration curves showed good concordance between predicted and actual occurrence of CINV. In conclusions, our nomogram model can reliably predict the occurrence of CINV in breast cancer patients based on five significant variables, which might be useful in clinical decision-making.

Does Routine Anti-Osteoporosis Medication Lower the Risk of Fractures in Male Subjects? An Updated Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.

Background: Several epidemiological articles have reported the correlations between anti-osteoporosis medication and the risks of fractures in male and female subjects, but the specific efficacy of anti-osteoporosis medication for male subjects remains largely unexplored. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between anti-osteoporosis medication and the risk of fracture in relation to low bone mass [including outcomes of osteoporosis, fracture, and bone mineral density (BMD) loss] in male subjects analyzed in studies within the updated literature. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that analyzed the effectiveness of a treating prescription for male subjects with osteoporosis (or low BMD) and that focused on the outcomes of fracture were included. Relevant studies from Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, and Chinese database of CNKI were retrieved from inception to January 30th, 2019. Two staff members carried out the eligibility assessment and data extraction. The discrepancies were settled by consultation with another researcher. We calculated the pooled relative risks (RRs) based on 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Twenty-seven documents (28 studies) with 5,678 subjects were identified. For the category of bisphosphonates, significant results were observed in pooled analyses for decreased risk of the vertebral fracture domain (RR, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.31-0.62]), nonvertebral fracture domain (RR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.46-0.87]), and clinical fracture domain (RR, 0.59 [95% CI, 0.48-0.72]) compared with those of controls. Participants with bisphosphonates had a 56% (95% CI = 38-69%) lower risk of vertebral fractures, 37% (95% CI = 13-54%) lower risk of nonvertebral fractures, and 41% (95% CI = 28-52%) lower risk of clinical fractures. Furthermore, meta-analyses also demonstrated a decreased risk of the vertebral fracture domain via treatment with risedronate (RR, 0.45 [95% CI, 0.28-0.72]) and alendronate (RR, 0.41 [95% CI, 0.23-0.74]), but not with calcitriol, calcitonin, denosumab, ibandronate, monofluorophosphate, strontium ranelate, teriparatide, or zoledronic acid, compared with that of controls. Conclusions: This systematic review confirms that bisphosphonates were connected with a decreased risk of vertebral fractures, nonvertebral fractures, and clinical fractures for male subjects with osteoporosis. Future research is needed to further elucidate the role of nonbisphosphonates in treating fractures of osteoporosis subjects.

Can increasing the prevalence of vegetable-based diets lower the risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal subjects? A systematic review with meta-analysis of the literature.

OBJECTIVES: Several epidemiological investigations have assessed the association between vegetable-based diet intake (VDI) and risk of osteoporosis in postmenopausal subjects (OPS), but the outcomes have been inconsistent. We performed a review of the updated literature to evaluate this correlation. METHODS: We searched for relevant studies published in September 2018 or earlier. Two researchers conducted eligibility assessment and data extraction. Discrepancies were resolved through consultation with a third expert. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: Ten studies, which included 14,247 subjects, were identified. On comparing the highest category of VDI consumption with the lowest category of VDI consumption, the pooled OR for OPS was 0.73 (95% CI = 0.57-0.95), i.e., participants with a higher intake of vegetables had a 27% (95% CI = 5-43%) lower risk of OPS. Significant benefits were found on subgroup analyses of case-control studies (OR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.48-0.78]), but not on subgroup analyses of cross-sectional studies (OR, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.57-1.16]). The synthesized effect estimates were in the direction of decreased risk of OPS on subgroup analyses of the femoral region (OR, 0.57, 95% CI = 0.41-0.80) and the lumbar spine (OR = 0.55, 95% CI = 0.38-0.81), but not on subgroup analyses of the calcaneus (OR = 0.85, 95% CI = 0.33-2.16) and the lumbar and/or femoral region (OR = 1.04, 95%CI = 0.79-1.38). Positive results were observed on pooled analyses of the Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) measurement method (OR, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.54-0.95]), but not on pooled analyses of the Standardized Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) measurement method (OR, 0.85 [95% CI, 0.33-2.16]). This might have resulted from a type II error due to wide confidence intervals and less number of included studies. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis seemingly confirms that higher consumption of VDI was associated with a lower risk of OPS. Taken together, these results highlight the need for future high-quality design-based trials on quantified vegetable intake and OPS.

Can Dietary Intake of Vitamin C-Oriented Foods Reduce the Risk of Osteoporosis, Fracture, and BMD Loss? Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses of Recent Studies.

Background: Several epidemiological studies have been performed to evaluate the association of dietary intake of vitamin C-oriented foods (DIVCF) with risk of fracture and bone mineral density (BMD) loss, but the results remain controversial. Therefore, we conducted a systematic meta-analysis to assess this correlation. Methods: We searched EmBase, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Chinese database CNKI for relevant articles published up to August 2019. Pooled relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the random- or fixed-effects model. Discrepancies were resolved by consultation with a third expert. Results: A total of 13 eligible articles (including 17 studies) with 19,484 subjects were identified for the present meta-analysis. The pooled RR of hip fracture for the highest vs. lowest category was 0.66 (95% CI, 0.47-0.94) for DIVCF, i.e., people with a greater frequency of Vitamin C uptake had a 34% (95% CI, 6%-53%) lower prevalence of hip fracture. In subgroup analyses stratified by study design, gender, and age, the negative associations were statistically significant. Furthermore, the statistical analysis of the association between DIVCF and risk of osteoporosis (RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.48-0.92), BMD at the lumbar spine (pooled r, 0.15; 95% CI, 0.09-0.23), and BMD at the femoral neck (pooled r, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.11-0.34) showed beneficial effects of DIVCF. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis indicates that DIVCF is negatively associated with the risk of hip fracture, osteoporosis, and BMD loss, suggesting that DIVCF decreases the risk of hip fracture, osteoporosis, and BMD loss.

[Effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation on CCl4-induced liver injury in rats and intervention effects of Yiguanjian].

The aim of this paper was to observe the function of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) transplantation in process of liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) in vivo and the intervention effect of Yiguanjian (YGJ), a compound of Chinese herbal medicine. Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups: normal group, model group, cell transplantation (CT) group, YGJ group and cell transplantation plus Yiguanjian (CTY) group. Liver injury was induced through subcutaneous injection with CCl4 at a dose of 3 mL·kg⁻¹ body weight for 4 weeks, twice a week. They were injected for a total of 9 times. After the first injection with CCl4, rats in the CT group and CTY group were injected with the third-generation BMSCs at dose 1×106 (suspended in 1 mL saline solution) via tail vein. Rats in the YGJ and CTY groups were also intragastrically administered with Yiguanjian once a day. Rat serum ALT and AST activities were increased significantly on the second day after injection with CCl4, while BMSC transplantation and Yiguanjian decreased their activities. After 4 weeks of injection with CCl4, serum ALT, AST and γ-GT activities, and serum TNF-α and IL-6 expressions were increased, while TBIL were decreased in model rats compared with normal rats. Meanwhile, liver cells edema, plasmatic loose, and numerous lipid droplets were observed in rats of the model group. BMSC transplantation aggravated liver injury compared with model rats, which was manifested by decreasing SOD activity, increased MDA, TG, TNF-α and IL-6 levels, and aggravated necrosis level of hepatocytes, fusion of lipid droplets, and collagen deposition in liver tissue. Yiguanjian decreased liver injury induced by CCl4 alone and CCl4 plus BMSC transplantation. SRY gene in situ hybridization method was used to detect the positive SRY expressions in heart, liver, spleen, lung and kidney, especially in liver, while Yiguangjian decreased liver SRY expression. Wnt and ß-catenin showed high expressions in rats of normal group, which were decreased significantly in rats of models group, while Yiguanjian increased their expressions. In conclusion, BMSC transplantation could exacerbate liver injury, while Yiguanjian could protect liver injury induced by CCl4 and BMSC transplantation, which was related to decreasing the homing of BMSCs to liver and up-regulating Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

Wrist-ankle Acupuncture Increases Pain Thresholds in Healthy Adults.

Context • Wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) has been used to relieve both chronic and acute pain in China. Some research has shown that WAA can increase the pain thresholds in pain patients, but the ability of WAA to affect the pain thresholds in healthy adults is unknown. Objective • The study intended to assess the influence of WAA on the pain thresholds of healthy adults. Design • This is an observational study. Setting • This study was conducted in the School of Traditional Chinese Medicine at the Second Military Medical University (Shanghai, China). Participants • Participants were 50 healthy university students aged 19-23 y. Intervention • In the theory of WAA, each side of the body and each limb are longitudinally divided into 6 regions, with 1 needling point defined for each region at the wrist or ankle. The theory indicates that needling a point should relieve pain in a point's corresponding region. For the study, a needle was inserted and retained for 30 min in the Upper 2 point of the left wrist of each participant. Outcome Measures • The pressure pain threshold was measured by a handheld algometer at a position in the left Upper 2 region corresponding to the site of the needling and at positions in the right Upper 2 region as well as the left and right Upper 3 regions not corresponding to the site of the needling. The measurements were taken at 40 min before needling, 5 min after needling, 30 min after needling when the needles were removed, and 70 min after needling. Results • The immediate influence of the WAA on the pain threshold was not significant at 5 min after needling (P > .05). However, at 30 min after needling when the needles were removed, the increases in the pain thresholds were statistically significant when compared to those at 40 min before needling, which were the measurements at baseline (P ≤ .01). At 70 min after needling, the pain thresholds remained higher than those at 40 min before needling (P < .05). From 40 min before needling to 70 min after needling, the pain thresholds in the different positions showed a continuous increase. Conclusions • The WAA had an analgesic effect on pressure-induced pain not only in the corresponding but also in the noncorresponding regions of the needling point in healthy adults. The immediate analgesic effect of the WAA at 5 min after needling was not obvious, but the effects at 30 min and 70 min after needling were statistically significant.

China's growing contribution to military Chinese medicine (2005-2014): a ten-year literature survey.

OBJECTIVE: In China, people have relied on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for thousands of years to keep healthy and treat diseases. TCM also plays an important role in military health services and now forms a new discipline called military Chinese medicine (MCM). However, the type, quality and focus of research articles about MCM have not been reported. The present study was performed to analyze the growing trends of MCM and investigate China's contribution to military health services. METHODS: China's MCM publications were retrieved from the PubMed database, as well as China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data and Chongqing VIP database from 2005 to 2014. RESULTS: The study found that the number of published articles increased markedly from 2005 to 2014. Basic research studies comprised a small percentage of the literature. Among these studies, military training injury and special military environmental medicine were the most common research subjects in MCM. Military hospitals were the main institutions generating MCM literature. CONCLUSION: The quality of MCM research is generally low, as indicated by the proportion of publications in core journals. Studies on MCM still lack high-quality publications and international cooperation.

[Study on inhibitory effect of calycosin on hepatic stellate cell activation in rats by up-regulating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ].

To observe the effect of calycosin on the proliferation and activation of primary hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in rats, and prove calycosin shows the effects through peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ(PPARγ) and farnesoid X receptor (FXR). The results indicated that calycosin could inhibit HSC proliferation and expressions of activation marker smooth muscle actin-α and type I collagen. With the increase in HSC activation time, FXR expression reduced, but with no notable impact from calycosin. Calycosin could up-regulate PPARγ expression and its nuclear transition in a concentration-dependent manner. Its prohibitory effect on HSC activation could be blocked by PPARγ antagonist. In conclusion, calycosin could inhibit HSC activation and proliferation, which may be related with the up-regulation of PPARγ signal pathway.

Wrist-ankle acupuncture for pain after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in patients with liver cancer: a randomized controlled trial.

This study was designed to evaluate the analgesic effect of wrist-ankle acupuncture (WAA) for patients with primary liver cancer (PLC) after transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Sixty PLC patients with post-TACE visual analog pain intensity scores greater than 3 were divided equally into two groups receiving either WAA or oral morphine sulphate (MOR) for post-TACE pain. Pain intensity scores were reassessed at 1, 2, 4, and 6 h after analgesic intervention. Patients were also monitored for adverse reactions to analgesic treatment. Pain scores recorded when the patients first felt pain after TACE showed no statistical difference between the two groups (p > 0.05). WAA and MOR had indistinguishable degrees of pain relief 1, 2, and 4 h after analgesic intervention (p > 0.05). At 6 h after intervention, the WAA group experienced significantly greater pain relief than the MOR group (p < 0.05). Incidence of abdominal distension was lower in the WAA group than in the MOR group (p < 0.05). The results suggest that WAA not only had an analgesic effect equal to or greater than MOR in PLC patients with moderate to severe post-TACE pain, but also reduced the incidence of post-operative abdominal distention.

[Effect of Yiguan Decoction on differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells into hepatocyte-like cells: an experimental research].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effect of Yiguan Decoction (YGD) on differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. METHODS: Rat BMSCs were isolated using whole bone marrow adherent method. The properties of BMSCs were identified by analyzing the expression of surface cytokines by flow cytometry. The third passage cells were differentiated into fat cells to identify their features. BMSCs were incubated with hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) plus fibroblast growth factor 4 (FGF4) or YGD containing serum YGD for 21 days. The mRNA expression of alpha-fetoprotein (alphaAFP), albumin (Alb), and hepatocyte nuclear factor 4alpha (HNF4alpha) were detected by real time PCR. Expression of AFP and cytokeratin 18 (CK18) protein was detected by cell immunofluorescence. Glycogen synthesis was observed using periodic acid-Schiff stain (PAS). CK18, Wnt 3alpha, and alphacatenin protein expressions were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: High expression of CD90, CD29, and CD44, and low expression of CD34 and CD11b were observed in BMSCs isolated by whole bone mar- row adherent method, and numerous lipid droplets were observed in BMSCs using oil red O staining. Both YGD containing serum and growth factor stimulated the expression levels of Alb, AFP, HNF4alpha mRNA and CK18 protein. The down-regulated expression of Wnt 3alpha and beta-catenin could be detected at 21 days after induction. The synthesized glycogen granule could be seen. Down-regulated Wnt 3alpha and beta-catenin expression could also be observed. CONCLUSION: YGD could induce the differentiation of rat BMSCs into hepatocyte-like cells, which was related to down-regulating Wnt/beta-catenin signal pathway.

[Application and research of acupuncture in military].

Acupuncture has remarkable effects of pain relieving and functional restoration on injuries of soft tissue and joint due to military training. As more and more attention has been attached to the impact of psychological states and biorhythm disorder on the fighting ability of military staff, acupuncture has found its place in treating chronic fatigue, combat stress reaction, traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder as well as regulating circadian rhythms. The therapeutic effect of acupuncture in military training-related physical damage and psychological trauma has already been proved by numerous clinical practices and researches. It is held that using acupuncture as an alternative could not only save medical resources, but also enhance the fighting ability of the army. However, the current clinical studies is facing the problem of limited sample size. Therefore, randomized controlled trials in large scale and multiple centers should be further carried out toward military staff, so as to provide more speaking evidences to the prevention and treatment of physical and psychological diseases.

Effects of Sisheng Decoction on the immunity and anti-stress function in mice with spleen deficiency syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To study the possible mechanism of Sisheng Decoction on spleen deficiency syndrome via the observation of general conditions, immunity and anti-stress function in Dahuang (Radix et Rhizoma Rhei Palmati)-induced mice model. METHODS: Mice were randomized and grouped based on the body weight. The establishment of model and the treatment were done simultaneously. Except the mice in normal group, the decoction and the Dahuang powder were separately given in the morning and the afternoon for 14 d. The general condition of the mice, the rectal temperature, the time of burden swimming, the indexes of thymus and spleen and the interleukin-2 (IL-2) concentration in the serum were observed. RESULTS: The group treated with Sisheng Decoction showed better performance than that of the model group, including less stool, strong appetite and fast growth; the medium- and high-dose Sisheng Decoction increased the rectal temperature of mice. There was no statistical difference in the thymus and spleen indexes between the groups treated by Sisheng Decoction and the normal group (P>0.05). The thymus index in groups treated by sisheng Decoction was significantly elevated as compared with the model group (P<0.05). The medium- and high-dose Sisheng Decoction significantly improved the concentration of IL-2 and prolonged the time of burden swimming, as compared to the model group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The medium- and high-dose Sisheng Decoction is good at invigorating spleen and replenishing qi. One of the possible mechanisms may be related with the improvement of the immunity and anti-stress function of the body.

Preventive effects of jiedu granules combined with cinobufacini injection versus transcatheter arterial chemoembolization in post-surgical patients with hepatocellular carcinoma: a case-control trial.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Jiedu granules, a Chinese medicine (CM) compound, plus cinobufacini injection, which was extracted from skin of Bufo bufo gargarizans Cantor, to prevent the recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) after surgical resection. METHODS: In this case-control trial, a total of 120 patients who stayed in Changhai Hospital were enrolled from December 2001 to December 2006. Sixty patients were treated with Jiedu granules plus cinobufacini injection to prevent tumor recurrence after operation (CM group) and 60 patients were treated with transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) after operation (TACE group). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates were determined to evaluate the therapeutic effects of post-operative management of patients with HCC. RESULTS: PFS in the CM group was 18.07 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 12.49-23.65] and the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year PFS rates were 61%, 39%, 26%, 22% and 12%, respectively. PFS in the TACE group was 8.03 months (95% CI: 6.63-9.44) and the 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year PFS rates were 34%, 11%, 7%, 2% and 0%, respectively. There was significant difference in survival rate between the two groups (P<0.01). The mean survival time (MST) of patients in the CM group was 49.53 months versus 39.90 months of the TACE group. The 1-, 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year survival rates were 90%, 82%, 80%, 70% and 63%, respectively, in the CM group, and 79%, 70%, 60%, 60% and 36%, respectively, in the TACE group. There was significant difference in survival time between the two groups (P=0.045). CONCLUSIONS: Jiedu granules plus cinobufacini injection, a combination that is commonly used for post-operation management of HCC, can postpone tumor recurrence and metastasis, prolong the survival time and increase the survival rate of post-surgical patients with HCC. However, these findings need to be confirmed in a prospective, randomized controlled trial.

Endorsement of the CONSORT statement by high-impact medical journals in China: a survey of instructions for authors and published papers.

BACKGROUND: The CONSORT Statement is a reporting guideline for authors when reporting randomized controlled trials (RCTs). It offers a standard way for authors to prepare RCT reports. It has been endorsed by many high-impact medical journals and by international editorial groups. This study was conducted to assess the endorsement of the CONSORT Statement by high-impact medical journals in China by reviewing their instructions for authors. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: A total of 200 medical journals were selected according to the Chinese Science and Technology Journal Citation Reports, 195 of which publish clinical research papers. Their instructions for authors were reviewed and all texts mentioning the CONSORT Statement or CONSORT extension papers were extracted. Any mention of the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals (URM) developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) or 'clinical trial registration' was also extracted. For journals endorsing the CONSORT Statement, their most recently published RCT reports were retrieved and evaluated to assess whether the journals have followed what the CONSORT Statement required. Out of the 195 medical journals publishing clinical research papers, only six (6/195, 3.08%) mentioned 'CONSORT' in their instructions for authors; out of the 200 medical journals surveyed, only 14 (14/200, 7.00%) mentioned 'ICMJE' or 'URM' in their instructions for authors, and another five journals stated in their instructions for authors that clinical trials should have trial registration numbers and that priority would be given to clinical trials which had been registered. Among the 62 RCT reports published in the six journals endorsing the CONSORT Statement, 20 (20/62, 32.26%) contained flow diagrams and only three (3/62, 4.84%) provided trial registration information. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Medical journals in China endorsing either the CONSORT Statement or the ICMJE's URM constituted a small percentage of the total; all of these journals used ambiguous language regarding what was expected of authors.

1-[3-(4-Methoxy-phen-yl)-6-methyl-1,6-dihydro-1,2,4,5-tetra-zin-1-yl]propanone.

In the title compound, C(13)H(16)N(4)O(2), the central tetra-zine ring adopts an unsymmetrical boat conformation with the two C atoms as flagpoles. This compound can be considered as having homoaromaticity.

[Complete genomic sequence of a watermelon isolate of cucumber green mottle mosaic virus in northern China].

The complete genomic sequence of a watermelon isolate of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV-LN) in Liaoning province was determined and compared with other cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses. The genomic RNA of CGMMV-LN comprised 6422 nt, and 5'- and 3'- noncoding regions consisted of 59 nt and 175 nt, respectively. The encoded four proteins were two replicase proteins of 186 kD and 129 kD, move protein of 29 kD and coat protein of 17.4 kD. The alignment results of complete nucleotide sequence showed that CGMMV-LN shared identities of 97.6%-99.3% with four other CGMMV isolates, but only shared identities of 61.7%-62.8% with three other tobamoviruses. Homology trees generated from replicase proteins of 186 kD and coat proteins suggested that cucurbit-infecting tobamoviruses could be separated into two subgroups: subgroup I comprising all the isolates of CGMMV and subgroup II comprising Cucumber fruit mottle mosaic virus, Kyuri green mottle mosaic virus and Zucchini green mottle mosaic virus.

[Effects of Sisheng Decoction on spontaneous activity and serum concentration of malondialdehyde in mice with yin deficiency syndrome].

OBJECTIVE: To assess the therapeutic effects of Sisheng Decoction, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on a mouse model of yin deficiency syndrome induced by thyroid hormone, and to make the preliminary study on its mechanisms. METHODS: Simultaneous modeling and treatment were carried out. Sixty mice were randomly divided into six groups: normal group, yin deficiency model group, low-, medium- and high-dose Sisheng Decoction group and Shengmai oral liquid group. Normal group and yin deficiency model group were administered with double distilled water. Spontaneous activity and serum concentration of malondialdehyde in different groups were detected. RESULTS: The symptoms of yin deficiency syndrome such as xerostomia, dysphoria and fervescence were improved in the Sisheng Decoction groups. Compared with the yin deficiency model group, the spontaneous activity was increased and the serum concentration of malondialdehyde was decreased in the Sisheng Decoction groups (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the Sisheng Decoction groups and the Shengmai oral liquid group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Medium- or high-dose Sisheng Decoction is effective for nourishing yin, clearing heat, engendering liquid and allaying thirst. The above effects of Sisheng Decoction may be realised by improving the spontaneous activity and resisting oxidative damage.

Detection of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in seeds using a specific TaqMan probe.

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae is the pathogen that causes bacterial leaf blight in rice. Bacterial leaf blight is the main cause for severe rice underproduction in many countries. However, with conventional methods it is difficult to quickly and reliably distinguish this pathogen from other closely related pathogenic bacteria, especially X. oryzae pv. oryzicola, the causal organism of bacterial leaf streak in rice. We have developed a novel and highly sensitive real-time method for the identification of this specific bacteria based on a TaqMan probe. This probe is designed to recognize the sequence of a putative siderophore receptor gene cds specific to X. oryzae pv. oryzae, and can be identified from either a bacterial culture or naturally infected rice seeds and leaves in only 2 h. The sensitivity of the method is 100 times higher than that of the current polymerase chain reaction (PCR) gel electrophoresis method for diagnosis.

[Emergence and clinical significance of YMDD and HBeAg-related mutations during lamivudine treatment].

OBJECTIVE: To explore YMDD and HBeAg related mutations of hepatitis B virus and its clinical significance during lamivudine therapy. METHODS: From sera of chronic hepatitis B patients with 9 - 30 months lamivudine therapy, signal-base mutations of YMDD motif, G1896A, A1814C, A1762T and G1764A were analyzed by gene chips technique. RESULTS: In the 102 patients with 18 months in average of lamivudine treatment, 22 were found to have YMDD mutations, including 8 with YMDD and HBeAg related mutants. 3 of the 8 patients had G1896A mutant, 2 had A1814C and the remaining had G1896A + A1814C, A1762T and G1764A, A1762T and G1764A + G1896A. The former 5 patients and signal YMDD mutant patients were HBeAg positive, while the latter 3 with YMDD and HBeAg related multiple mutants were HBeAg negative. One of the three patients with multiple mutants who continued lamivudine treatment 3 months more reversed to YMDD wide-type HBV with accompanying positive HBeAg. CONCLUSIONS: Mutant of YMDD associated with HBeAg related multiple mutations during lamivudine treatment may arise in patients with HBV DNA breakthrough and negative HBeAg. HBV DNA should be detected in the patients with HBeAg seroconversion to exclude the HBeAg related multiple mutations.