Randomized trial estimating effects of hypnosis versus progressive muscle relaxation on medical students' test anxiety and attentional bias.

BACKGROUND: Test anxiety is prevalent among medical students and leads to impaired academic performance. Test-related attentional bias has been identified as an important maintaining factor in test-anxious individuals. AIM: To evaluate whether hypnosis and progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) could modify medical college students' test anxiety and attentional bias. METHODS: A total of 598 medical students were screened. The participants were divided into higher and lower test anxiety groups according to their scores on the test anxiety scale (TAS). Ninety medical college students with high TAS score were randomly assigned to a hypnosis or PMR group. Another 45 students with low TAS score were included, forming a baseline control group. The intervention was conducted weekly for 6 wk, and each session lasted approximately 30 min. The total intervention time and the number of intervention sessions for the hypnosis and PMR groups were equal. Data were collected at the pretest, posttest, and 2-mo follow-up. RESULTS: Hypnosis group participants had a significantly lower TAS score at posttest (t = -21.827, P < 0.001) and at follow-up (t = -14.824, P < 0.001), compared to that at pretest. PMR group participants also had a significantly lower TAS score at posttest (t = -10.777, P < 0.001) and at follow-up (t = -7.444, P < 0.001), compared to that at pretest. At the posttest level, the hypnosis group had a significantly lower TAS score than the PMR group (t = -3.664, P < 0.001). At the follow-up level, the hypnosis group also had a significantly lower TAS score than the PMR group (t = -2.943, P = 0.004). Clinically significant improvement was found in both the hypnosis and PMR groups (hypnosis = 64.0%; PMR = 62.22%). Hypnosis was more effective than PMR in reducing test anxiety among medical college students. Hypnosis could modify attentional bias toward threatening stimuli, but PMR could not. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that attentional bias plays an important role in test anxiety treatment.

The Role of Qi-Stagnation Constitution and Emotion Regulation in the Association Between Childhood Maltreatment and Depression in Chinese College Students.

Background: Childhood maltreatment is known as a significant risk factor for later depression. However, there remains a lack of understanding about the mechanisms through which childhood maltreatment confers risk for depression. This study explores how Qi-stagnation constitution (QSC) and emotion regulation affect the link between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms in Chinese college students. Methods: We recruited 2,108 college students aged 18-25 years between November 2020 and December 2021. Participants were required to complete four self-report questionnaires, including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), Qi-Stagnation Constitution (QSC) subscale of the simplified Chinese Medicine Constitution Questionnaire, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Moderated mediation analyses were conducted. Results: There was a positive correlation between childhood maltreatment and QSC, while the QSC partially mediated the effect of childhood maltreatment on depressive scores in college students. In addition, emotion dysregulation moderated the association between QSC and depressive scores. Conclusion: These results enhance understanding of key factors influencing the link between childhood maltreatment and depressive symptoms among college students by combining the theory of TCM constitution with psychological processes. The development of strategies to prevent biased Qi-stagnation constitution and emotion dysregulation may help to improve college students' mental health and strengthen the resilience of individuals to depression.

Mindfulness-based interventions for social anxiety disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Various psychiatric disorders are treated with mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs), although the efficacy of MBIs in patients with social anxiety disorder (SAD) is unclear. In this meta-analysis, we investigated the efficacy of MBIs on SAD symptoms. Systematic searches were performed in various databases, and 11 eligible randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and 5 single-arm trials were identified. The between-groups analysis of the 11 RCTs showed that Hedges' g = 0.00, while the within-group analysis showed a large pre-post effect size (g = 1.20).MBIs were superior to the no-treatment comparator (g = 0.89), equivalent to specific active treatment (g = -0.19), and less effective than evidence-based treatment (i.e., cognitive behavioral therapies) (g = -0.29).MBIs significantly alleviated depressive symptoms and improved mindfulness, quality of life, and self-compassion. Meta-regression analysis showed a dose-response relationship between the alleviation of SAD symptoms and the duration of the MBIs (ß = 0.659). Follow-up analysis showed that the effects of MBIs on SAD persisted for 12 months (g = 0.231). An analysis of the 5 single-arm trials found that MBIs had a medium effect in alleviating SAD symptoms (g = 0.48). Future research is needed regarding the design of large RCTs of MBIs on SAD patients.

Targeted theranostics of lung cancer: PD-L1-guided delivery of gold nanoprisms with chlorin e6 for enhanced imaging and photothermal/photodynamic therapy.

Peptide modified nanoparticles have emerged as powerful tools for enhanced cancer diagnosis and novel treatment strategies. Here, human programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) peptides were used for the first time for the modification of gold nanoprisms (GNPs) to enhance targeting efficiency. A multifunctional nanoprobe was developed that the GNPs@PEG/Ce6-PD-L1 peptide (GNPs@PEG/Ce6-P) was used for imaging-guided photothermal/photodynamic therapy by using the targeting effect of PD-L1. Both confocal imaging and flow cytometry experiments demonstrated a remarkable affinity of the as-prepared nanoprobes GNPs@PEG/Ce6-P to lung cancer cells (HCC827), which have a high PD-L1 expression. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments further demonstrated that the nanoprobes GNPs@PEG/Ce6-P not only allowed for real-time visualization via fluorescence (FL) imaging and photoacoustic (PA) imaging, but also served as phototherapy agents for synergistic photothermal therapy (PTT) and photodynamic therapy (PDT). Furthermore, treatments on human lung cancer cells-derived tumors demonstrated that the nanoprobes GNPs@PEG/Ce6-P could significantly suppress tumor growth through PTT and PDT from GNPs and Ce6, respectively. In conclusion, the as-prepared new nanoprobes show promising potential for nanomedicine with remarkable targeting ability for dual-mode imaging and enhanced PDT and PTT effects on lung cancer.

Passion fruit-like exosome-PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanovehicles for real-time fluorescence imaging and enhanced targeted photodynamic therapy with deep penetration and superior retention behavior in tumor.

Exosomes (Exos) of approximately 30-150 nm in diameters are the promising vehicles for therapeutic drugs. However, several challenges still exist in clinical applications, such as unsatisfied yield of exosomes, complicated labeling procedure and low drug loading efficiency. In this work, the gram-scale amount of high-purity urinary exosomes can be obtained from gastric cancer patients by non-invasive method. Passion fruit-like Exo-PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanovehicles were fabricated by considerable freshly-urinary Exos loaded efficiently with multi-functionalized PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanoparticles via instant electroporation strategy. In this system, prepared Exo-PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanovehicles could be internalized into cancer cells effectively, and could delay the endocytosis of macrophages and prolong blood circulation time owing to its membrane structure and antigens. Under 633 nm laser irradiation and acidic condition, the structures of nanovehicles would be collapsed and tremendous PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanoparticles could be released inside cancer cells, produced considerable singlet oxygen, inhibiting growth of tumor cells. In vivo experiment of MGC-803 tumor-bearing nude mice showed that prepared Exo-PMA/Au-BSA@Ce6 nanovehicles could target tumor cells with deep penetration and superior retention performance in tumors. This work reports a reliable conjugation-free labeling strategy for tracking exosomes harvested from human urine. Moreover, the integration of multifunctional nanoparticles with urinary Exos paves a versatile road for the development of cancer-targeted photodynamic therapy.

Effects of gold nanoprism-assisted human PD-L1 siRNA on both gene down-regulation and photothermal therapy on lung cancer.

Gold nanoprisms (GNPs) have been broadly studied for the potential applications in both imaging and treatment on tumors due to their special characteristics. Herein we reported that a new nanoplatform GNPs@PSS/PDADMAC-siRNA (GNPs-siRNA) was designed and fabricated by sequentially coating the GNPs with poly (sodium 4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) and poly (-diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDADMAC) to carry small interfering RNA (siRNA). Human program death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) was recently known to be crucial for cancer cell survival through the intrinsic signaling activities, besides serving as an important checkpoint gene in immune system. We successfully attached the human PD-L1 siRNA to the surface of GNPs@PSS/PDADMAC to obtain the GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA nanoplatform. Real Time Cellular Analysis (RTCA) assay demonstrated that GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA exhibited remarkable capacity to inhibit the proliferation of human lung cancer cells. Subsequent in vitro and in vivo experiments verified that the GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA not only functioned as a carrier for siRNA delivery to down-regulate the hPD-L1 expression, but also served for photoacoustic (PA) imaging and photothermal agents for photothermal therapy (PTT) in both human lung cancer cells and human lung cancer cells-derived tumors. Our findings could be expected to provide an innovative direction for future clinical transformation application. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: To our knowledge, this is the first paper related to the hPD-L1 siRNA delivery combined with the gold nanoparticles, especially the gold nanoprisms. The as-prepared GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA nanoplatform not only functioned as a carrier for siRNA delivery to down-regulate the PD-L1 expression, but also acted as photothermal agents for theranostic effects in both human lung cancer cells and human lung cancer cells-derived tumors. The as-prepared GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA nanoplatform could knock down human PD-L1 gene expression, which caused the inhibition on proliferation of human lung cancer cell in vitro or in vivo. The as-prepared GNPs-hPD-L1 siRNA nanoplatform possessed excellent photoacoustic imaging ability and photothermal therapy effects.

Oral pH sensitive GNS@ab nanoprobes for targeted therapy of Helicobacter pylori without disturbance gut microbiome.

How to eradicate Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) in vivo with antibiotic resistance owns tremendous clinical requirement. Herein, gold nanostars were conjugated with acid-sensitive cis-aconitic anhydride modified anti-H. pylori polyclonal antibodies, resultant pH sensitive gold nanostars@H. pylori-antibodies nanoprobes (GNS@Ab) were employed for the theranostics of H. pylori in vivo. Photoacoustic imaging confirmed that prepared GNS@Ab could target actively H. pylori in the stomach. GNS@Ab nanoprobes could kill H. pylori in vivo in model animals under NIR laser irradiation, all GNS@Ab nanoprobes could be excreted out of gut within 7 days after oral administration. Gastric local lesion caused by H. pylori restored to normal status within one month. GNS@Ab nanoprobes within therapeutic doses did not damage intestinal bacteria imbalance. Forty clinical specimens of H. pylori with antibiotic resistance were verified validity of GNS@Ab nanoprobes. Prepared oral pH-sensitive GNS@Ab nanoprobes own clinical translational potential in the theranostics of H. pylori in near future.

Gastric Parietal Cell and Intestinal Goblet Cell Secretion: a Novel Cell-Mediated In Vivo Metal Nanoparticle Metabolic Pathway Enhanced with Diarrhea Via Chinese Herbs.

Up to date, the way in which metal nanoparticles are cleared in vivo has yet to be elucidated well. Herein, we report a novel intestinal goblet cell-mediated in vivo clearance pathway to remove metal nanoparticles. Typical metal nanoparticles such as triangular silver nanoplates, magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and gold nanoclusters were selected as representative examples. These metal nanoparticles were prepared, characterized, and injected via tail vein into a mice model with common bile duct (CBD) ligation. The feces and urines were collected for 7 days to be followed by the sacrifice of the mice and collection of the intestinal and gastric tissues for further analysis. The results showed that all four selected metal nanoparticles were located inside the goblet cells (GCs) of the whole intestinal tissue and were excreted into the gut lumen through the secretion of intestinal GC. Moreover, triangular silver nanoplates and gold nanorods were located inside the gastric parietal cells (PCs). Importantly, nanoparticles did not cause obvious pathological changes in intestinal tissues. In this study, we confirmed that the blood corpuscles are involved in the GCs secretion pathway. Furthermore, we found that the secretion of nanoparticles from intestinal GCs and PCs is accelerated by diarrhea induced via Chinese herbs. In conclusion, metal nanoparticles such as triangular silver nanoplates, magnetic nanoparticles, gold nanorods, and gold nanoclusters can be cleaned away by intestinal GCs and PCs. This novel pathway of in vivo clearance of metal nanoparticles has a great potential for future applications such as new drug design and development, nanoparticle-based labeling and in vivo tracking, and biosafety evaluation of in vivo nanoparticles.

Effect of Comprehensive Therapy based on Chinese Medicine Patterns on Self-Efficacy and Effectiveness Satisfaction in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of comprehensive therapy based on Chinese medicine (CM) patterns on self-efficacy and satisfaction with its effectiveness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). METHODS: A total of 216 patients were randomly divided into the trial group (n =108) and the control group (n=108) based on the stratified and block randomization design. Patients in the trial group were treated with conventional Western medicine combined with Bufei Jianpi Granules (), Bufei Yishen Granules (), and Yiqi Zishen Granules () according to the CM patterns respectively, and patients in the control group were treated with conventional Western medicine. The COPD Self-Efficacy Scale (CSES) and the Effectiveness Satisfaction Questionnaire for COPD (ESQ-COPD) were employed in a 6-month treatment and in further 6 month follow-up visit. RESULTS: Among the 216 patients, 191 patients (97 in the trial group and 94 in the control group) fully completed the study. After 12-month treatment and follow-up, the mean scores of the trial group all continued to increase over time, which were significantly higher than those of the control group (P <0.05), and the improvement in the following trial group domain: negative affect domain (12.13%), intense emotional arousal domain (12.21%), physical exertion domain (11.72%), weather/environmental domain (13.77%), behavioral risk domain (7.67%) and total score (10.65%). The trial group also exhibited significantly higher mean scores in the ESQ-COPD (P <0.05) and the improvement in the following domain: capacity for life and work domain (30.59%), clinical symptoms domain (53.52%), effect of therapy domain (35.95%), convenience of therapy domain (35.54%), and whole effect domain (52.47%). CONCLUSIONS: Bufei Jianpi Granules, Bufei Yishen Granules and Yiqi Zishen Granules can improve the self-efficacy and satisfaction of COPD patients.

Oral Drug Delivery Systems for Ulcerative Colitis Therapy: A Comparative Study with Microparticles and Nanoparticles.

BACKGROUND: Oral administrations of microparticles (MPs) and nanoparticles (NPs) have been widely employed as therapeutic approaches for the treatment of ulcerative colitis (UC). However, no previous study has comparatively investigated the therapeutic efficacies of MPs and NPs. METHODS: In this study, curcumin (CUR)-loaded MPs (CUR-MPs) and CUR-loaded NPs (CUR-NPs) were prepared using a single water-in-oil emulsion solvent evaporation technique. Their therapeutic outcomes against UC were further comparatively studied. RESULTS: The resultant spherical MPs and NPs exhibited slightly negative zeta-potential with average particle diameters of approximately 1.7 µm and 270 nm, respectively. It was found that NPs exhibited a much higher CUR release rate than MPs within the same period of investigation. In vivo experiments demonstrated that oral administration of CUR-MPs and CUR-NPs reduced the symptoms of inflammation in a UC mouse model induced by dextran sulfate sodium. Importantly, CUR-NPs showed much better therapeutic outcomes in alleviating UC compared with CUR-MPs. CONCLUSION: NPs can improve the anti-inflammatory activity of CUR by enhancing the drug release and cellular uptake efficiency, in comparison with MPs. Thus, they could be exploited as a promising oral drug delivery system for effective UC treatment.

Oral delivery of curcumin via porous polymeric nanoparticles for effective ulcerative colitis therapy.

Oral drug delivery has been considered as a promising strategy for ulcerative colitis (UC) therapy. Here, an emulsion solvent evaporation technique was employed to prepare non-porous curcumin (CUR)-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) and porous CUR-loaded polymeric NPs in the absence or presence of ammonium bicarbonate. The resultant CUR-loaded NPs (non-porous NPs and porous NPs) had a desirable mean particle size of around 260 nm with a narrow size distribution, a uniform pore size distribution, slightly negative-charged surface, high encapsulation efficiency and controlled drug release capacity. In vitro experiments indicated that Raw 264.7 macrophages exhibited time-dependent accumulation profiles of NPs during the initial 2 h of co-incubation. Furthermore, we found that porous NPs inhibited the secretion of the main pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-12) and the production of reactive oxygen species much more efficiently than non-porous NPs. Most importantly, in vivo studies demonstrated that oral administered porous NPs had a superior therapeutic efficiency in alleviating UC compared with non-porous NPs. The results collectively suggest that porous polymeric NPs can be exploited as efficient oral drug carriers for UC treatment.

The effective evaluation on symptoms and quality of life of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients treated by comprehensive therapy based on traditional Chinese medicine patterns.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of comprehensive interventions based on the three TCM patterns on symptoms and quality of life of COPD patients. DESIGN: An open-label, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Four hospitals in China. INTERVENTION: 352 patients were randomly divided into two groups. Patients in the trial group were given conventional Western medicine and Bu-Fei Jian-Pi granules, Bu-Fei Yi-Shen granules and Yi-Qi Zi-Shen granules respectively; patients in the control group were given conventional Western medicine. Data collection was performed at baseline, in the 3rd and 6th month during the treatment period, and the 12th month during the follow-up period. OUTCOMES: Symptoms, including cough, sputum, pant, chest tightness, short of breath, lassitude, cyanosis and symptom total score; quality of life, measured by the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire and adult COPD quality of life questionnaire (COPD-QOL). RESULTS: Of the 352 patients, 306 fully completed the study. After treatment and follow-up, there were significant differences between two groups in the following: cough, sputum, pant, chest tightness, shortness of breath, lassitude score and symptom total score (P<.05); physical, psychological, social and environment domain (P<.05) of the WHOQOL-BREF; daily living ability, social activity, depression symptoms and anxiety symptoms domain (P<.05) of the COPD-QOL. There were no differences between two groups in cyanosis and adverse events. CONCLUSION: Based on the TCM patterns, Bu-Fei Jian-Pi granules, Bu-Fei Yi-Shen granules and Yi-Qi Zi-Shen granules have beneficial effects on symptoms and quality of life of COPD patients.

The effect of Shenmai injection on the proliferation of Rat airway smooth muscle cells in asthma and underlying mechanism.

BACKGROUND: Over-proliferation of airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) is one of the important contributors to airway remodeling in asthma. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of Shenmai injection (SMI) on the proliferation of the rat ASMC in asthma. METHODS: Rats were randomly divided into three groups: the control group, the asthma group, and the SMI treatment group. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunocytochemistry staining were used to detect the mRNA and protein expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in rat ASMC respectively. Intracellular Ca²âº concentration ( [Ca²âº](i)) in rat ASMC were measured with Fluo-3/AM by confocal microscopy. The proliferation was detected by MTT assay. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the asthma group showed an increased expression of TRPV1 and [Ca²âº](i) in rat ASMC. The expression of PCNA and absorbance of MTT assay in asthma rat ASMC was also significantly increased. SMI could significantly decrease the expression of TRPV1 channel and [Ca²âº](i) in the asthmatic rat ASMC. Furthermore, the expression of PCNA and absorbance of MTT assay in asthmatic rat ASMC was significantly reduced after SMI treatment. CONCLUSIONS: SMI may prevent asthma-induced ASMC over-proliferation probably by inhibiting the expression of TRPV1 channel, which regulates the intracellular calcium concentration.

High-dose N-acetylcysteine in the prevention of COPD exacerbations: rationale and design of the PANTHEON Study.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation; from a pathophysiological point of view it involves many components, including mucus hypersecretion, oxidative stress and inflammation. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) is a mucolytic agent with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Long-term efficacy of NAC 600mg/d in COPD is controversial; a dose-effect relationship has been demonstrated, but at present it is not known whether a higher dose provides clinical benefits. The PANTHEON Study is a prospective, ICS stratified, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multi-center trial designed to assess the efficacy and safety of high-dose (1200 mg/daily) NAC treatment for one year in moderate-to-severe COPD patients. The primary endpoint is the annual exacerbation rate. Secondary endpoints include recurrent exacerbations hazard ratio, time to first exacerbation, as well as quality of life and pulmonary function. The hypothesis, design and methodology are described and baseline characteristics of recruited patients are presented. 1006 COPD patients (444 treated with maintenance ICS, 562 ICS naive, aged 66.27±8.76 yrs, average post-bronchodilator FEV1 48.95±11.80 of predicted) have been randomized at 34 hospitals in China. Final results of this study will provide objective data on the effects of high-dose (1200 mg/daily) long-term NAC treatment in the prevention of COPD exacerbations and other outcome variables.

Effects of comprehensive therapy based on traditional Chinese medicine patterns in stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a four-center, open-label, randomized, controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) for many years. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the comprehensive therapy based on the three common TCM patterns in stable COPD patients. METHODS: A four-center, open-label randomized controlled method was conducted. A total of 352 patients were divided into the trial group (n = 176, treated with conventional Western medicine and Bu-Fei Jian-Pi granules, Bu-Fei Yi-Shen granules, and Yi-Qi Zi-Shen granules based on the TCM patterns respectively) and the control group (n = 176, treated with conventional Western medicine). The frequency and duration of acute exacerbation, lung function, clinical symptoms, 6-minute walking distance (6MWD), dyspnea scale and quality of life were observed during a 6-month treatment period and at a further 12-month follow-up. RESULTS: A total of 306 patients completed the study fully. The full analysis set (FAS) population was 350 and the per-protocol analysis set (PPS) population was 306. After the 6-month treatment and 12-month follow-up, there were significant differences between the trial and control group in the following: frequency of acute exacerbation (FAS: P = 0.000; PPS: P = 0.000); duration of acute exacerbation (FAS: P = 0.000; PPS: P = 0.001); FEV1 (FAS: P = 0.007; PPS: P = 0.008); symptoms (FAS: P = 0.001; PPS: P = 0.001); 6MWD (FAS: P = 0.045; PPS: P = 0.042); dyspnea scale (FAS: P = 0.002; PPS: P = 0.004); and physical domain (FAS: P = 0.000; PPS: P = 0.000), psychological domain (FAS: P = 0.008; PPS: P = 0.011), social domain (FAS: P = 0.001; PPS: P = 0.000) and environment domain (FAS: P = 0.015; PPS: P = 0.009) of the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. There were no differences between the trial and control group in FVC, FEV1% and adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the TCM patterns, Bu-Fei Jian-Pi granules, Bu-Fei Yi-Shen granules and Yi-Qi Zi-Shen granules have beneficial effects on measured outcomes in stable COPD patients over the 6-month treatment and 12-month follow-up, with no relevant between-group differences in adverse events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered at Chinese Clinical Trial Register Center, ChiCTR-TRC-11001406.

Shenmai injection inhibiting the extracellular signal regulated kinase-induced human airway smooth muscle proliferation in asthma.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between the proliferation of sensitized human airway smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) and the expression of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and the effect of Shenmai Injection (SMI) on HASMCs. METHODS: The HASMCs cultured in vitro were divided into three groups: (1) control group; (2) sensitized group: containing 10% asthmatic serum; (3) SMI group: further divided into three different concentration subgroups interferred with 10 microL/mL, 50 microL/mL, and 100 microL/mL SMI, respectively. The proliferation of HASMCs was detected using MTT method, the expression of proliferating cell nucleus antigen (PCNA) in HASMCs was detected using immunocytochemical staining, and the expression of phosphoration-ERK1/2 (p-ERK1/2) protein was detected using Western-blot. RESULTS: After passive sensitization,: the optical density value (A A(490) value) of HASMCs was significantly increased from 0.366+/-0.086 to 0.839+/- 0.168 (P<0.05). In addition, the expression of PCNA was significantly increased from 28.7%+/-5.9% in the control group to 69.8%+/-7.5% in the sensitized group (P<0.05). At the same time, the expression of p-ERK1/2 in passively sensitized HASMCs was significantly increased compared with the control group (all P<0.05). After application of 10 microL/mL, 50 microL/mL, and 100 microL/mL SMI to the cultured media of passively sensitized group, the A(570) value was significantly decreased from 0.839+/-0.168 to 0.612+/-0.100, 0.412+/-0.092, and 0.339+/-0.077, respectively (P<0.05). Moreover, the expression of PCNA was significantly decreased from 69.8%+/-7.5% to 57.8%+/-6.2%, 40.7%+/-5.4%, and 26.1%+/-5.2%, respectively. At the same time, the expression of p-ERK1/2 in each SMI group was significantly decreased compared with the sensitized group (all P<0.05). CONCLUSION: ERK signal transduction pathway may be involved in the airway remodeling in asthma. The expression of ERK can be inhibited by SMI in a dose-dependent manner, thus preventing the proliferation of HASMCs.

Dosimetric properties of magnetically collimated electron beams for radiation therapy.

A method of generating magnetically collimated electron beams is developed and the dosimetric properties of magnetically collimated electrons are investigated. An in-air magnetic collimator device was designed and constructed for the study. The magnetic collimator was placed above the exit port of a 14 x 14 cm2 electron cone. Axial magnetic field of approximately 0.6 Tesla is generated inside the collimator via an array of permanent magnets. Fixed and rotational magnetically collimated electron beams were delivered and measured in phantoms. We found that magnetically collimated electron beams significantly lower the surface dose as compared with conventional electron beams. A magnetically collimated arc beam further reduces the surface dose to less than 20% of the maximum dose inside the target. The dose per monitor unit at d(max) for the magnetically collimated electron beams was significantly (approximately 40%) higher than that of the conventional electron beams. The use of magnetic collimation may lead to improved delivery techniques for breast and head and neck cancer treatments.

[Clinical observation on dusuqing in treating senile bacterial pneumonia].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical effect of Dusuqing (DSQ) in treating senile bacterial pneumonia and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS: Patients were randomly divided into two groups, the treated group treated with conventional western therapy (CWT) and the combined treated group treated with CWT plus DSQ respectively. The changes of serum cytokines, interleukin-2 (IL-2) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), before and after treatment were observed. RESULTS: In the 33 patients of the combined treated group, the total effective rate being 93.9%. While in the 31 patients of treated group, the total effective rate being 83.9%. The difference of the total effective rate between the two groups was significant (P < 0.05). The scores of principal symptoms, secondary symptoms and total scores were all obviously lowered in both groups, particularly in the combined treated group. The peripheral blood IL-2 level was lower and TNF-alpha higher in senile patients than those in healthy aged subjects respectively. All the two parameters approached normal level in the combined treated group but with insignificant change in the CWT treated group. CONCLUSION: DSQ showed obvious effect in treating senile bacterial pneumonia. The mechanism might be related with the lowering of inflammatory cytokines such as oversecreted TNF-alpha, as well as the improvement of immune function (elevation of IL-2) of organism.