Bone metabolism characteristics and gender differences in patients with COPD: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Gender differences in bone metabolism of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain unclear. We aim to explore the characteristics of bone metabolism and its clinical significance for patients with COPD. METHODS: A total of 564 cases (282 COPD cases and 282 controls) were preselected. Clinical and analytical characteristics of these cases were assessed. After excluding patients with other conditions known to disturb calcium metabolism, 333 patients (152 COPD cases and 181 controls) were identified. The medical records, indexes of bone turnover markers, serum calcium and phosphorus of the 333 patients were collected and their correlation was analyzed. RESULTS: The 152 cases with COPD were 82.61 ± 7.745 years, 78.3% males, and the 181 age- and sex-matched control cases were 79.73 ± 11.742 years, 72.4% males. Levels of total procollagen type I amino-terminal propeptide (tPINP), osteocalcin (OC), serum calcium and phosphate were significantly lower (P < 0.001) while the level of parathormone (PTH) was significantly higher (P = 0.004) in COPD than in controls. The 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) was below the lower limit of normal value (LLN) in both groups, which was significantly lower in COPD males than in control males (P = 0.026). In COPD group, PTH level was significantly higher in females (P = 0.006), and serum P was lower in males (P = 0.006). The adjusted linear regression analysis showed that the levels of tPINP, OC and serum Ca were decreasing greatly in COPD group [ß (95%CI) - 8.958 (- 15.255 to - 2.662), P = 0.005; - 4.584 (- 6.627 to - 2.542), P < 0.001; - 0.065 (- 0.100 to - 0.031), P < 0.001]. Besides, smoke exposure, gender (male) were also related to hypocalcemia [ß (95%CI) - 0.025 (- 0.045 to - 0.005), P = 0.017; - 0.041 (- 0.083 to - 0.001), P = 0.047], and 25(OH)D3 was correlated with serum calcium, phosphorus, and PTH [ß (95%CI) 15.392(7.032-23.753), P < 0.001; - 7.287 (- 13.450 to - 1.124), P = 0.021; - 0.103(- 0.145 to - 0.061), P < 0.001], and female was more likely to have secondary hyperparathyroidism [ß (95%CI) 12.141 (4.047-20.235), P = 0.002]. CONCLUSION: COPD patients have remarkably low bone turnover (indicated by OC) and impaired bone formation (low tPINP), and they are also more prone to low calcium. Smoking and male may play roles in the formation of hypocalcemia, and the secondary hyperparathyroidism is more significant in COPD women. There may be gender differences in bone metabolism abnormalities and their mechanisms of COPD. The conclusion above still need further research and demonstration.

Comparative Evaluation in Intense Pulsed Light Therapy Combined with or without Meibomian Gland Expression for the Treatment of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the combination of meibomian gland expression (MGX) with intense-pulsed light (IPL) has a better efficacy to treat meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) than IPL alone. METHODS: One hundred patients with MGD were randomly divided into three groups: MGX, IPL, and IPL+ MGX. Clinical parameters included the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI), tear meniscus height (TMH), noninvasive keratograph tear breakup time (NIBUT), redness, meibomian gland dropout, tear breakup time (TBUT), corneal fluorescent staining (CFS), eyelid margin score, meibomian gland secretion function, and Schirmer I tests were collected before treatment and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Compare the indexes of each group before and after treatment and also compare the differences of each group on follow-up. RESULTS: Compared to the baseline, OSDI, TBUT, and meibomian gland secretion function in IPL group improved throughout the follow-up period (all P < .05) and part of the meibomian gland secretion function increased continuously. OSDI, TBUT, lower eyelid margin scores, and meibomian gland secretion function in IPL + MGX group improved at the both follow-up visits (all P < .05), and continued improvement in meibomian gland secretion function can be observed. Lower meibomian gland dropout and CFS reduced at 1 month and 3 months respectively in IPL ± MGX group (P = .001,P = .001).Compared to IPL group, only CFS has reduction in IPL + MGX group at 1-month (P < .001), CFS, upper and lower MGYCS were improved at the 3 months (P = .037,P = .014, P = .049). CONCLUSIONS: MGX may have synergistic effect when combined with IPL therapy, and the effect can last at least 3 months.

Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation on ovarian reserve of patients with diminished ovarian reserve in in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles.

AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) on ovarian reserve in patients with diminished ovarian reserve undergoing in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 240 patients were randomly divided into the Han's acupoint nerve stimulator TEAS treatment (TES), comforting false Han's placebo (FHP), artificial endometrial cycle treatment (AEC), and control (CON) groups. RESULTS: Fifty-six patients in TES, 56 in FHP, 54 in AEC, and 60 in CON fulfilled the study, respectively. Antral follicle count and anti-Müllerian hormone levels were increased, whereas the estradiol level, follicle-stimulating hormone level, and follicle-stimulating hormone/luteinizing hormone ratio were significantly decreased after treatment in the TES and AEC groups. After treatment, the number of oocytes retrieved and average number of embryos transferred were higher in the TES and AEC than in the CON and FHP groups. Clinical pregnancy rate in the TES group was markedly higher than values obtained for the other three groups. CONCLUSION: TEAS and AEC treatments could improve basal endocrine levels in patients, and increase the number of oocytes retrieved and high-quality embryos. TEAS treatment could improve the clinical pregnancy rate in patients with decreased ovarian reserve during in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer cycles.

Effect of tea polyphenols on the adhesion of highly metastatic human lung carcinoma cell lines to endothelial cells in vitro.

AIM: Tea polyphenols are known to play roles in critical steps of human lung carcinoma cell metastasis. For understanding the mechanisms whereby they inhibit tumor metastasis, the present study was conducted to investigate their effects on the adhesion of highly metastatic lung carcinoma cell lines (PG cells) to endothelial cells (EC cells) and adhesion molecule expression in vitro. METHODS: The expression of CD44 or CD54 in the PG cells was detected by flow cytometry and adhesion of PG cells to EC cells was assessed by confocal microscopy double fluorescence staining. RESULTS: The results showed that tea polyphenols: (1) inhibited the expression of CD44 and CD54, two important adhesion molecules in the PG cells in a dose-dependent manner; (2) significantly blocked the adhesion of PG cells to EC cells not only in a state of rest but also when active; and (3) influenced CD44 and CD54 expression during the adhesion process of PG cells to EC cells. CONCLUSION: The data indicated that the blocking role of tea polyphenols in the adhesion of PG cells to EC cells is related to CD44 and CD54. The mechanism of tea polyphenol prevention of human lung carcinoma metastasis might be through inhibiting adhesion molecule expression to block cancer cell adhesion.

[Simulation study of antithrombotic active fraction of Naodesheng by support vector machine].

OBJECTIVE: To screen the antithrombotic active fraction of Naodesheng. METHODS: The collagen and adrenaline-induced thrombosis by tail intravenous injection in mice was used. Based on orthogonal design, the support vector machine model was established for pharmacodynamics prediction of TCM prescriptions. RESULTS: The model established in this study could predict the drug actions of different combinations. CONCLUSION: The pharmacodynamic actions of several formulas are superior to that of the original formula and CD has the best effect.

A new alkaloid from the stem of Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham.

A new alkaloid (1), together with five known compounds (2-6), has been isolated from the stem of Sparganium stoloniferum Buch.-Ham. The structure of the new compound was elucidated as 3-isobutyl-tetrahydro-imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine-2,5-dione on the basis of physical and chemical evidence and spectral analysis. Compound 6 was obtained for the first time from the Sparganium genus.

[Survey of studies on the electromagnetic characteristics of acupoints and meridians].

The present paper reviewes the literatures on the electromagnetic characteristic of meridians at home and abroad in the last twenty years. It generally summarize the studies on the electromagnetic characteristic of meridians from the aspects of the imaging of meridians, the electromagnetic model of meridians, and the physiological and pathological observations on the electro changes at acupoints. The results indicate that acupoints apparently have electro characteristics which are associated with the change of the health condition, time, environment, etc. By means of electromagnetic characteristic, the image of meridians can be made and the phenomena of meridians can be clarified, the essence of meridians can be explained in a certain degree. It still demands further research on this characteristic of meridians.

[Development of measurement and control technologies for hyperthermia treatments of tumors with AC magnetic field].

Hyperthermia therapy with AC magnetic field heating magnetic nanoparticles is a new kind of treatment method. The paper reviews the research progresses about AC magnetic heating setups for hyperthermia therapy measurements of magnetic field temperature control, and so on.