Effects of lavender essential oil inhalation aromatherapy on depression and sleep quality in stroke patients: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Post-stroke depression (PSD) has major implications for rehabilitation, motor recovery, activities of daily living, social and interpersonal functioning, and mortality. In view of the side effects of antidepressants, aromatherapy, a widely used non-pharmacological therapy, has received growing attention in recent years for its benefits of reduced complications, accessibility, and effectiveness. This study was designed to assess the effects of inhalation aromatherapy with lavender essential oil on depression and sleep quality in patients with PSD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty patients with PSD were enrolled and randomized into experimental and placebo groups. Experimental-group patients inhaled microencapsulated lavender essential oil every night at bedtime over a period of 4 weeks. A nonwoven bag containing 2.3 g of microcapsules with about 1.5 g of lavender essential oil was placed on or under the patient's pillow, depending on the patient's scent sensitivity. Placebo-group patients used the empty nonwoven bags for the same period as the experimental group. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17), the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to measure outcomes. RESULTS: The HAMD-17 score, SDS score, and PSQI score showed statistically significant differences between both groups before and after intervention (P ≤ 0.01). The improvement in the experimental group was more marked than in the placebo group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Lavender essential oil inhalation aromatherapy may help reduce depression and improve sleep quality in patients with PSD.

[Current Status of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy and Its Application].

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a method of breathing pure oxygen or high-concentration oxygen in a highpressure environment to treat hypoxic diseases and related diseases. According to clinical verification, this therapy has an irreplaceable effect on certain diseases and has gradually become a comprehensive clinical treatment. One of the main methods of certain diseases is widely recognized by the medical field at home and abroad. The development history, treatment principles, key technologies, and future development trends of hyperbaric oxygen are discussed in detail, provide a research direction for the development of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the future, and at the same time, it has also improved physicians' awareness of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, so as to improving Industry influence.

Effects of auricular acupressure on depression in stroke patients: A single-blind randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Post-stroke depression (PSD) has an important impact on rehabilitation, motor recovery, daily activities, social and interpersonal life, and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of auricular acupressure (AurPrs) on depression in PSD patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-six PSD patients were recruited and randomly assigned to the AurPrs group (receiving AurPrs treatment) or the sham group (receiving sham AurPrs treatment). The outcome was measured by the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-17), Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF). RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in HAMD-17 score, SDS score and WHOQOL-BREF score between both groups before and after treatment (P < 0.01). The improvement of the AurPrs group was more obvious than that of the sham group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: AurPrs could help to reduce depression levels and improve the quality of life in patients with PSD.

Effect of Shenmai Injection on Long-Term Prognosis of Patients with Chronic Heart Failure: A Multicenter, Large Sample Capacity, Long-Term Follow-Up Retrospective Cohort Study / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of Shenmai Injection (SMI) on the long-term prognosis of patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).@*METHODS@#The Hospital Information System was used to extract data of CHF patients, and the retrospective cohort study was conducted for analysis. In non-exposed group, standardized Western medicine treatment and Chinese patent medicine or decoction were applied without combination of SMI while in the exposed group, SMI were applied for more than 7 days. Evaluation indicators are followed with New York Heart Association functional classification (NYHA classification), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide precursor (NT-ProBNP), cardiogenic death and heart failure (HF) readmission. Statistical analysis includes Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression which are used to explore the relationship between SMI and outcome events.@*RESULTS@#A total of 1,211 eligible CHF patients were involved and finally 1,047 patients were followed up successfully. After treatment, the cases of NYHA classification decline in the exposed and non-exposed groups accounted for 64.30% and 43.45%, respectively; the improvement values of LVEF were 8.89% and 7.91%, respectively; the improvement values of NT-ProBNP were 909 pg/mL and 735 pg/mL, respectively. After exposure on SMI, the rates of cardiogenic death and HF readmission reduced from 15.43% to 10.18% and 38.93% to 32.37%. According to Kaplan-Meier analysis, the log-rank P value of SMI and cardiogenic death was 0.014, while the counterpart of SMI and HF readmission was 0.025. Cox regression analysis indicated that for cardiogenic death, age, cardiomyopathy, diabetes, and NYHA classification were risk factors while β-blockers, aldosterone receptor antagonists, Chinese patent medicine/decoction and SMI were protective factors. Likewise, for HF readmission, age, cardiomyopathy, and NYHA classification were risk factors while SMI was a protective factor.@*CONCLUSION@#Combination with SMI on the standardized Western medicine treatment can effectively reduce cardiogenic mortality and readmission rate in CHF patients, and thereby improve the long-term prognosis.

The prospects of DNA damage repair variants guiding platinum compounds in the treatment of triple negative breast cancer / 中华肿瘤杂志

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is prone to recurrence and metastasis, which is the subtype of poorest prognosis. Chemotherapy is the main treatment, although there is lack of effective adjuvant chemotherapy regimens. The unsatisfactory efficacy of chemotherapy has been a bottleneck in improving the outcome of TNBC. Platinum compounds act directly on DNA to kill tumor cells, and they have a stronger killing effect on tumor cells carrying DNA damage repair (DDR) defects, which is an important entry point to improve the efficacy of TNBC. Biomarkers for predicting the efficacy of platinum drugs in TNBC treatment have always been a hot topic. The DDR pathway contains a large number of related genes, and recent studies have shown that deficiencies in the DDR pathway may be associated with the efficacy of platinum drugs, which is expected to be a biomarker for predicting the efficacy of platinum drugs in breast cancer treatment.

Qualitative analysis of Gynostemma longipes for medicinal usage / 中国中药杂志

The Qinling-Daba Mountains area is the main producing areas of Gynostemma longipes for medicinal usage, and samples of wild whole plants in Pingli, Shaanxi Province and Qingchuan, Sichuan Province were collected. The ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry(UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS~E) was used to profile the chemical compositions and analyze the similarities and differences of G. longipes samples in these areas. Based on the accurate molecular weight and fragment information obtained from Q-TOF-MS~E, the structures of the main components were identified by combining with the mass spectra, chromatographic behaviors of reference standards and related literatures. The results showed that the components of wild G. longipes from different places among Qinling-Daba Mountains area were similar. Forty-five chemical components were identified in the whole plant of G. longipes from Pingli, Shaanxi Province, including 43 triterpenoid saponins and 2 flavonoids which contain all main peaks in its fingerprint. The main components are dammarane-type triterpenoid saponins, such asgypenoside ⅩLⅨ, gypenoside A and its malonylated product of glycosyl.

Clinical efficacy of fractional CO 2 laser treatment for vaginal relaxation syndrome / 中华医学美学美容杂志

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of fractional CO 2 laser for the treatment of vaginal relaxation syndrome. Methods:Twenty-one females with vaginal relaxation syndrome receiced between December 2016 and January 2017 in our department were treated for 3 times at 1 month interval with femilift fractional CO 2 laser. Vaginal palpation, vaginal squeeze pressure test, vaginal ultrasound, pelvic floor MRI, and Incontinence Questionnaire Short-Form (ICIQ-SF) assessments were performed at baseline and at post-treatment. Results:Significant improvement in female sexual dysfunction and stress urinary incontinence was especially seen based on patient＇s feelings after treatments. A noted progressive differences were observed in FSFI and vaginal pressure test, which were much higher after treatment than before treatment ( P<0.01). Moreover, in 13 cases suffering from mild to moderate stress urinary incontinence (SUI), fractional CO 2 laser treatment was associated with a significant improvement of ICIQ-SF scores ( P<0.01). All subjects successfully completed the study with no adverse events such as infections, bleeding and pain, etc. Conclusions:Fractional CO 2 laser treatment is an effective treatment for female sexual dysfunction and stress urinary incontinence caused by vaginal relaxation syndrome.

[Spatial variability of nutrients and heavy metals in paddy field soils based on GIS and Geostatistics.] / 基于GISå’Œåœ°ç»Ÿè®¡å­¦çš„ç¨»ç”°åœŸå£¤å »åˆ†ä¸Žé‡é‡‘å±žç©ºé—´å˜å¼‚.

Based on a grid (25 m X 25 m) equidistant sampling, the spatial variability of pH, organic matter, total nitrogen, available phosphorus, CEC and three typical heavy metal elements Cd, As and Pb in soil tillage layer (0-20 cm) were analyzed by using GIS and Geostatistics in the paddy field of 3.56 hm2 in Beishan Town, Changsha County, Hunan Province. The results showed that soil pH value and Pb content showed weak variation, and other indexes showed moderate variation. The order of variation was following available phosphorus ＞ Cd ＞ total nitrogen ＞ organic matter ＞ CEC ＞ As ＞ Pb ＞ pH. Results of the semi-variance test showed that the best fitting model of the semi-variance function of organic matter, available phosphorus and As was exponential, and the best semi-variance function of pH, total nitrogen, CEC, Cd, Pb was spherical. All the indicators had a strong spatial correlation except for CEC, which showed moderate spatial correlation. Kriging interpolation analysis showed that pH, total nitrogen, CEC, Pb were plaque distribution, while organic matter, available phosphorus, Cd and As were block and banded distribution. Vegetation, topography and human activities were the main factors driving the variation of soil nutrients and heavy metals in the study area. The correlation between soil nutrients and heavy metals content was significant, among which pH and organic matter, Cd and Pb reached a very significant correlation level.

Lipid-lowering effect of seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers in zebrafish system / 生理学报

The present study aimed to study lipid-lowering effect of seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers in zebrafish system. Zebrafish were fed with high fat diet to establish a hyperlipemia model, then fasted and bathed with seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers stigmasterol, triacontanol, chrysophanol, vanillic acid, shikimic acid, polydatin and oleanolic acid respectively. The oil red O staining was used to detect the blood lipids of zebrafish. Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels were detected to validate the lipid-lowering effect. The result showed that a zebrafish model of hyperlipemia could be established by feeding larvae zebrafish with high fat diet. Among the seven traditional Chinese medicine monomers, chrysophanol had lipid-lowering effect. Chrysophanol significantly reduced serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels in adult zebrafish fed with high fat diet. Chrysophanol accelerated peristalsis frequency of zebrafish intestine and the excretion of high fat food. It is concluded that chrysophanol has lipid- lowering effect in zebrafish, and the mechanism of the effect may be due to the roles of chrysophanol in reducing lipid absorption from gastrointestinal tract and accelerating the excretion of food.

Analysis on medication rules of modern traditional Chinese medicines in treating palpitations based on traditional Chinese medicine inheritance support system / 中国中药杂志

To analyze the prescription and medication rules of Chinese medicines in the treatment of palpitations in the Chinese journal full text database(CNKI) by using traditional Chinese medicine inheritance system, and provide a reference for further research and development of modern traditional Chinese medicines(TCMs) in treatment of palpitations. In order to give better guidance for clinical mediation, prescriptions used for treatment of palpitations in CNKI were collected, and then were input to the TCM inheritance support system for establishing a Chinese medicine prescription database for palpitations. The software's revised mutual information, complex system entropy clustering and other data mining methods were adopted to analyze the prescriptions according to the frequencies of herbs, "four natures", "five flavors" and "meridians" of the high-frequency medicines in the database, identify the core herbs and application characteristics, and analyze the prescription rules and medication experience. Totally, 545 prescriptions used for palpitation were included in this study and involved 247 Chinese herbs. The analysis results showed that the herbs in prescriptions for palpitation mostly had the warm property, and the herbs in heart and spleen meridian accounted for a larger proportion, indicating that the treatment was mainly to nourish heart and strengthen spleen. The top 11 herbs in usage frequency were consistent with the high-frequency medicines in medication patterns of common herbal pairs; therefore, we considered that these 11 herbs were the core herbs; the core herbal combination included Cassia Twig, Licorice, fossil fragments, Ostreae decoction, and evolved into 9 new prescriptions for treating palpitation. Our results objectively presented the prescription and medication rules for treating palpitation and provided extremely effective guidance for the clinical therapy.

Effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine Shensong Yangxin Capsules on Heart Rhythm and Function in Congestive Heart Failure Patients with Frequent Ventricular Premature Complexes: A Randomized, Double-blind, Multicenter Clinical Trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Pharmacological therapy for congestive heart failure (CHF) with ventricular arrhythmia is limited. In the study, our aim was to evaluate the effects of Chinese traditional medicine Shensong Yangxin capsules (SSYX) on heart rhythm and function in CHF patients with frequent ventricular premature complexes (VPCs).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study randomized 465 CHF patients with frequent VPCs to the SSYX (n = 232) and placebo groups (n = 233) for 12 weeks of treatment. The primary endpoint was the VPCs monitored by a 24-h ambulatory electrocardiogram. The secondary endpoints included the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular end-diastolic diameter, N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification, 6-min walking distance (6MWD), Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire (MLHFQ) scores, and composite cardiac events (CCEs).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The clinical characteristics were similar at baseline. SSYX caused a significantly greater decline in the total number of VPCs than the placebo did (-2145 ± 2848 vs. -841 ± 3411, P < 0.05). The secondary endpoints of the LVEF, NYHA classification, NT-proBNP, 6MWD, and MLHFQ scores showed a greater improvements in the SSYX group than in the placebo group (ΔLVEF at 12th week: 4.75 ± 7.13 vs. 3.30 ± 6.53; NYHA improvement rate at the 8th and 12th week: 32.6% vs. 21.8%, 40.5% vs. 25.7%; mean level of NT-proBNP in patients with NT-proBNP ≥125 pg/ml at 12th week: -122 [Q1, Q3: -524, 0] vs. -75 [Q1, Q3: -245, 0]; Δ6MWD at 12th week: 35.1 ± 38.6 vs. 17.2 ± 45.6; ΔMLHFQ at the 4th, 8th, and 12th week: -4.24 ± 6.15 vs. -2.31 ± 6.96, -8.19 ± 8.41 vs. -3.25 ± 9.40, -10.60 ± 9.41 vs. -4.83 ± 11.23, all P < 0.05). CCEs were not different between the groups during the study period.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>In this 12-week pilot study, SSYX was demonstrated to have the benefits of VPCs suppression and cardiac function improvement with good compliance on a background of standard treatment for CHF.</p><p><b>TRIAL REGISTRATION</b>www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR-TRC-12002061 (http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=7487) and Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01612260 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01612260).</p>

Bromelain and cardiovascular risk factors in diabetes: An exploratory randomized, placebo controlled, double blind clinical trial / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To assess whether the dietary supplement (bromelain) has the potential to reduce plasma fibrinogen and other cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in patients with diabetes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This randomized placebo controlled, double blind, parallel design, efficacy study was carried out in China and investigated the effect of 12 weeks of bromelain (1,050 mg/day) on plasma fibrinogen. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) recruited 68 Chinese diabetic patients [32 males and 36 females; Han origin, mean age of 61.26 years (standard deviation (SD), 12.62 years)] with at least one CVD risk factor. Patients were randomized into either bromelain or placebo group. While bromelain group received bromelain capsule, the placebo group received placebo capsule which consisted inert ingredient and has no treatment effect. Subjects were required to take 1,050 mg (3×350 mg) of either bromelain or starch-filled placebo capsules, two to be taken (2×350 mg) after breakfast and another (350 mg) after dinner, daily for 12 weeks. Plasma fibrinogen, CVD risk factors and anthropometric indicators were determined at baseline and at 12 weeks.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The change in the fibrinogen level in the bromelain group at the end of the study showed a mean reduction of 0.13 g/L (standard deviation (SD) 0.86g/L) compared with the mean reduction of 0.36 g/L (SD 0.96 g/L) for the placebo group. However, there was no significant difference in the mean change in fibrinogen between the placebo and bromelain groups (mean difference=0.23g/L (SD 0.22 g/L), =0.291). Similarly, the difference in mean change in other CVD risk factors (blood lipids, blood pressure), blood glucose, C-reactive protein and anthropometric measures between the bromelain and placebo groups was also not statistically significant. Statistical differences in fibrinogen between bromelain and placebo groups before the trial despite randomization may have influenced the results of this study.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This RCT failed to show a beneficial effect in reducing fibrinogen or influencing other selected CVD risk factors but suggests other avenues for subsequent research on bromelain.</p>

The Efficacy and Safety of Wenxin Keli in Patients with Frequent Premature Ventricular Contractions: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel-group, Multicenter Trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) are common in the general population, and frequent PVCs may result in the poor quality of life or even the damage of cardiac function. We examined the efficacy and safety of a traditional Chinese medicine Wenxin Keli for the treatment of frequent PVCs among a relatively large Chinese cohort.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter trial. A total of 1200 eligible participants were randomly assigned in a ratio of 1:1 to receive Wenxin Keli or the placebo for 4 weeks. The primary and secondary endpoint was the change of PVC numbers and PVC-related symptoms after a 4-week treatment compared with baseline, respectively. In addition, vital signs, laboratory values, and electrocardiographic parameters were assessed in a safety analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>At the initial evaluation, no significant differences in the baseline characteristics were observed between the Wenxin Keli group and the placebo group. A smaller number of PVCs was observed after the 4-week treatment than at baseline, in both the Wenxin Keli group (5686 ± 5940 vs. 15,138 ± 7597 beats/d, P < 0.001) and the placebo group (10,592 ± 8009 vs. 14,529 ± 5929 beats/d, P < 0.001); moreover, the Wenxin Keli group demonstrated a significantli greater reduction in the frequency of PVCs than the placebo group (P < 0.001). In a full analysis set, patients in the Wenxin Keli group exhibited significantly higher total effective responses in the reduction of PVCs compared to those in the placebo group (83.8% vs. 43.5%,P < 0.001). The per-protocol analysis yielded similar results (83.0% vs. 39.3%,P < 0.001). Treatment with Wenxin Keli also demonstrated superior performance compared to the placebo with respect to PVC-related symptoms. No severe adverse effects attributable to Wenxin Keli were reported.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Wenxin Keli treatment effectively reduced the overall number of PVCs and alleviated PVC-related symptoms in patients without structural heart diseases and had no severe side effects.</p>

Post-marketing clinical study of traditional Chinese medicine--lessons learned from comprehensive evaluation of Fufang Zaoren capsule / 中国中药杂志

By comprehensive review and analysis of post-marketing clinical research on the efficacy and safety,we concluded that Fufang Zaoren capsule has certain therapeutic effects for insomnia, although current clinical research design needs improving. The post-marketing clinical studies also showed that it causes several adverse reactions at the recommended doses, such as chills, fever, dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, chest tightness and palpitations, whereas high doses of Fufang Zaoren capsule can cause delayed extrapyramidal symptoms. Health Canada government website also prompted the L-tetrahydropalmatine in Fufang Zaoren capsule caused liver damage in pregnant women. The authors summarized the risk points, factors and risk control in the clinical use of Fufang Zaoren capsule and also present their perspective on the research status, existing problems and corresponding countermeasures in the post-marketing clinical re-evaluation of traditional Chinese medicine.

Studies on adventitious root induction in vitro and suspension culture of Polygonum multiflorum / 中国中药杂志

To achieve sustainable resources use of Polygonum multiflorum, adventitious roots were efficiently induced and cultured by suspension culture. In order to obtain optimal medium for induction adventitious roots from the young stems of P. multiflorum, MS medium was optimized by supplementing with different concentrations of sucrose and plant growth substances. The optimal medium for suspension culture of adventitious roots was determined by orthogonal design. The adventitious roots with suspension culture were subcultured, and the growth curve was also determined. Furthermore, the effective compound in adventitious roots was detected. The result indicated that the optimal medium for efficient induction of adventitious roots was MS medium containing 4% w/v sucrose, supplemented with 2.0 mg x L(-1) NAA, and 0.2 mg x L(-1) 6-BA. The optimal medium for suspension culture of adventitious roots was MS medium containing 3% sucrose, supplemented with 2.0 mg x L(-1) NAA, and 0.2 mg x L(-1) ABT-7.2,3,5,4'-tetrahydroxyl-diphenyl-ethylene-2-O-beta-D-glucoside was detected in adventitious roots, which was effective compound in medicinal material of P. multiflorum. In conclusion, the experiment achieved efficient induction and suspension culture of adventitious roots of P. multiflorum, and laid a foundation for the research on the sustainable use of traditional Chinese medicine resources.

Patterns of herbal combination for the treatment of insomnia commonly employed by highly experienced Chinese medicine physicians / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the most effective herbal combinations commonly used by highly experienced Chinese medicine (CM) physicians for the treatment of insomnia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We collected and analyzed data related to insomnia treatment from the clinics of 7 highly experienced CM physicians in Beijing. The sample included 162 patients and 460 consultations in total. Patient outcomes, such as sleep quality and sleep time per day, were manually collected from the medical records by trained CM clinicians. Three data mining methods, support vector machine (SVM), logistic regression and decision tree, and multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR), were used to determine and confirm the herbal combinations that resulted in positive outcomes in patients suffering from insomnia.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Results show that MDR is the most efficient method to predict the effective herbal combinations. Using the MDR model, we identified several combinations of herbs with 100% positive outcomes, such as stir-fried spine date seed, Szechwan lovage rhizome, and prepared thinleaf milkwort root; white peony root, golden thread, and stir-fried spine date seed; and Asiatic cornelian cherry fruit with fresh rehmannia.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Results indicate that herbal combinations are effective treatments for patients with insomnia compared with individual herbs. It is also shown that MDR is a potent data mining method to identify the herbal combination with high rates of positive outcome.</p>

Tissue culture and generation of autotetraploid plants of Sophora flavescens Aiton.

BACKGROUND: Sophora flavescens Aiton is an important medicinal plant in China. Early in vitro researches of S. flavescens were focused on callus induction and cell suspension culture, only a few were concerned with in vitro multiplication. OBJECTIVE: To establish and optimize the rapid propagation technology of S. flavescens and to generate and characterize polyploid plants of S. flavescens. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The different concentrations of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and kinetin (KT) were used to establish and screen the optimal rapid propagation technology of S. flavescens by orthogonal test; 0.2% colchicine solution was used to induce polyploid plants and the induced buds were identified by root-tip chromosome determination and stomatal apparatus observation. RESULTS: A large number of buds could be induced directly from epicotyl and hypocotyl explants on the Murashige and Skoog medium (MS; 1962) supplemented with 1.4-1.6 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.3 mg/l indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). More than 50 lines of autotetraploid plants were obtained. The chromosome number of the autotetraploid plantlet was 2n = 4× = 36. All tetraploid plants showed typical polyploid characteristics. CONCLUSION: Obtained autotetraploid lines will be of important genetic and breeding value and can be used for further selection and plant breeding.

[Observation on the effect of acupuncture for preventing and treating the complication after Morphine anesthesia and analgesia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of acupuncture for preventing and treating the complication after Morphine anesthesia and analgesia and to explore the mechanism of acupuncture treatment. METHODS: Patients scheduled to undergo transurethral resection of prostate (TURP) were randomly divided into 3 groups, 20 cases in each group. After lumbar anesthesia, group II and III were treated with acupuncture, and group I with no acupuncture, retaining needle for 30 minutes. Hegu (LI 4), Quchi (LI 11), Neiguan (PC 6), Zhigou (TE 6) were selected in group II, and Zusanli (ST 36), Shangjuxu (ST 37), Xiajuxu (ST 39) and Sanyinjiao (SP 6) selected in group III. The indices of bowel sounds, nausea and vomiting, itching were observed before, during and one day after operation. RESULTS: After lumbar anesthesia with Morphine, the bowel sounds were significant decrease in all the 3 groups. After acupuncture and before TURP the number of times of bowel sound were increased in group II with significant differences as compared with those in group I and group III at the same time point (all P < 0.05). The incidence rates of vomiting and itching were 5.0% (1/20) and 30.0 (6/20) respectively in group II, which were less than 35.0% (7/20) and 80.0% (16/20) in group I. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture has a therapeutic effect on the complication induced by Morphine without nerve block. However, the therapeutic effect of acupuncture is attenuated after nerve block. Its mechanism may be related to nervous pathway.

Clinical efficacy of acupuncture on the morphine-related side effects in patients undergoing spinal-epidural anesthesia and analgesia.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of acupuncture on the morphine-related side effects (nausea, vomiting, itchiness and gastrointestinal disorders) in patients undergoing anesthesia and analgesia and try to find the clinical mechanism of acupuncture. METHODS: Patients scheduled to have transurethral prostatic resection: enrolled in the study (69 patients), characterized as Grade II or III by the American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status classification, were randomly assigned to three groups, 23 patients in each group: the placebo group (control group), non-anesthesia area (NAA) group, and the anesthesia area (AA) group. After spinal anesthesia, all patients received Patients Controlled Epidural Analgesia. The vital signs, bowel sounds, visual analogue scales, itchiness, nausea and vomiting, and time for first exhaust post operation were observed. RESULTS: Altogether, nine cases were eliminated, three in each group. Finally, sixty cases completed this study,: twenty in each group. There was a significant decrease of bowel sounds after morphine spinal anesthesia in the three groups. Compared with the control or AA group, the bowel sound recovered after acupuncture, the incidences of nausea and vomiting, itchiness, and time for first exhaust after operation decreased in the NAA group (P<0.05). There was a significant decrease of the incidence for itchiness in the NAA group compared with

Comfortable lifestyle-induced imbalance of neuro-endocrine-immunity network: a possible mechanism of vascular endothelial dysfunction / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the changes of vascular endothelial functions and general neuro-endocrine-immunity (NEI) network under the state of qi-deficiency syndrome induced by excessive idleness and to approach their internal relevance and illuminate initially the pathophysiological mechanism of vascular lesion induced by excessive idleness.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 100 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the control group and the qi-deficiency syndrome model group, 50 rats in each group. The qi-deficiency syndrome model was established by feeding the animals with hyper-alimentation diet in combination with restricting movement for 10 weeks. Changes of common chemical signal molecules related to NEI and vascular endothelial functions were measured by the end of the experiment. Furthermore, their internal relevance was analyzed by the method of canonical correlation analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The vascular endothelial structure and function were obviously injured in the model group. Compared with the control group, the chemical signal molecules, such as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), corticosterone (CORT), triiodothyronine (T3), tetraiodothyronine (T4), angiotensin II (Ang II), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in peripheral blood of the model group (n=43) were changed significantly (P<0.05 or P<0.01). Canonical correlation analysis showed that vascular endothelial dysfunction was correlated to the changes of these signal molecules in the NEI network.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Comfort-based lifestyle induced not only vascular endothelial dysfunction but also an imbalance of the NEI network. Vascular endothelial dysfunction and the imbalanced NEI network interacted with each other, and an imbalance of the NEI network may be the pathophysiologic basis for the genesis and development of vascular endothelial dysfunction, even diseases of the blood vessel.</p>