[Short-term outcome of sacral neuromodulation on refractory interstitial cystitis/pelvic pain syndrome].

Objective: To summarize the initial experiences of applying sacral neuromodulation (SNM) for refractory interstitial cystitis/pelvic pain syndrome (IC/PPS). Methods: From January 2013 to August 2016, 26 patients with refractory IC/PPS (including 5 males and 21 females) treated with SNM were recruited in Beijing Chaoyang Hospital and Hebei Yanda Hospital in this retrospective study. The data before operation, after implantation of stage Ⅰ tined lead, and during short-term follow-up after implantation of stage Ⅱ implanted pulse generator (IPG) were compared in order to observe the improvement of relevant symptoms, and to summarize the effectiveness and safety of SNM for IC/PPS. Results: All the 26 patients received stage Ⅰ tined lead implantation under local anesthesia, of whom 7 patients finally had the tined lead removed under local anesthesia because of poor testing effects. And 19 patients chose embedding of IPG at the end of stageⅠ, with the conversion rate from stage Ⅰto stage Ⅱ being 73.1%. The mean follow-up time after stage Ⅱ was 12.1 months. The data at the end of follow-up compared with those before treatment were: voiding frequency in 24 hours 24.3±9.6 vs 13.5±5.7, nocturia 4.6±2.2 vs 2.7±1.5, average voiding amount (109.4 ±45.3)vs(172.6±61.6) ml, O'leary-sant scale score 26.0±3.1 vs 17.0±3.8, quality of life (QOL) score 5.7±0.4 vs 3.3±1.3, sex rating 5.4±1.4 vs 2.9±1.6, and Numeric Pain Intensity Scale 8.4±1.7 vs 3.9±1.2 (all P<0.05). During the follow-up period for the 19 patients, 11 showed symptoms relieve without recurrence, 5 patients had slightly symptoms recurrence and 3 patients had severe recurrence of pelvic pain and frequent urination. About 42.1%(8/19) patients received reprogramming, the average reprogramming rate being 1.73/person. And 84.2% (16/19) patients had symptoms improvement greater than 50% after stage Ⅱ IPG implantation. Conclusions: SNM is an effective, safe and minimally invasive procedure for refractory IC/PPS. IC/PPS is a good indication for SNM with a high conversion rate from stage Ⅰ to stage Ⅱ. Patients should be followed up regularly after operation, and reprogramming should be arranged according to the degree of symptom improvement.

Effects of sodium butyrate on growth performance, haematological and immunological characteristics of weanling piglets.

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of sodium butyrate (SB) on growth, haematological and immunological characteristics in weanling pigs. A total of 100 male piglets (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) with a body weight of 8.0 ± 0.2 kg weaned at the age of 28 days were randomly assigned to two treatments with five replicates and 10 pigs per replicate. Piglets received a basal diet (control group) or diets supplemented with 1000 mg/kg SB. The feeding trial lasted for 21 days. The results showed that dietary SB significantly decreased (p < 0.05) diarrhoea incidence of weaned piglets, but did not affect (p > 0.05) the average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed to gain (F/G). Furthermore, piglets fed dietary SB had higher (p < 0.05) serum concentrations of glucose and triglycerides and lower (p < 0.05) serum concentrations of urea nitrogen, cortisol, D-lactic acid and diamine oxidase when compared with the control group. However, dietary SB did not affect concentrations of serum albumin, total protein, insulin and glucagon (p > 0.05). There were no significant (p > 0.05) treatment effects on serum IgA and IgM, whereas serum IgG concentration and IgA+ cell count in jejunum from pigs fed SB were significantly higher (p < 0.05) than in those given the basal diet. In conclusion, the present study indicated that dietary SB significantly decreased diarrhoea incidence of weaned piglets and increased the efficiency of nitrogen utilization. Also, dietary SB could regulate and enhance the immune function of piglets by increasing the serum IgG concentration and IgA+ cell count in jejunum. Our results suggest that SB may reduce some of the adverse effects of weaning stress and play an important role in maintaining the integrity of intestinal mucosa.

Effects of zinc glycine chelate on growth, hematological, and immunological characteristics in broilers.

Three hundred sixty healthy Ross x Ross 1-day-old broilers were used to study the effects of zinc glycine chelate (Zn-Gly) on growth performance, hematological, and immunological characteristics. All broilers were randomly assigned into six treatments. Diets were as follows: (1) control (containing 29.3 mg Zn kg(-1) basic diet [0-3 weeks] and 27.8 mg Zn kg(-1) [4-6 weeks]); (2) basic diet plus 30 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly; (3) basic diet plus 60 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly; (4) basic diet plus 90 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly; (5) basic diet plus 120 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly; (6) positive control, basic diet plus 120 mg Zn kg(-1) from zinc sulfate (ZnSO(4)). After the 21- and 42-day feeding trials, the results showed that both of Zn-Gly and ZnSO(4) could improve the growth performance of broilers, with the greatest average daily feed intake observed in the broilers fed 90 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly, but the greatest average daily gain observed with 120 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly (0-3 weeks) and 90 mg Zn kg(-1) from Zn-Gly (4-6 weeks). Adding additional Zn-Gly improved the levels of immunoglobulins (IgA, IgM, and IgG) and the contents of total protein and Ca in serum and increased the immune organs index especially with 90 mg Zn kg(-1) as Zn-Gly. However, there were no significant differences in responses to complements (C3 and C4) and albumin in serum among the treatments.

Increase of beta-endorphin secretion by syringin, an active principle of Eleutherococcus senticosus, to produce antihyperglycemic action in type 1-like diabetic rats.

We employed streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (STZ-diabetic rats) as type 1 diabetes-like animal models to investigate the mechanism(s) of antihyperglycemic action produced by syringin, an active principle purified from the rhizome and root part S of ELEUTHEROCOCCUS SENTICOSUS (Araliaceae). Bolus intravenous (i. v.) injection of syringin dose-dependently decreased the plasma glucose of STZ-diabetic rats in 30 minutes in a way parallel to the increase of plasma beta-endorphin-like immunoreactivity (BER). Syringin enhanced BER release from the isolated adrenal medulla of STZ-diabetic rats in a concentration-dependent manner from 0.001 to 10 micromol/l. Bilateral adrenalectomy in STZ-diabetic rats eliminated the activities of syringin (1 mg/kg, i. v.) including the plasma glucose-lowering effect and the plasma BER-elevating effect. Also, syringin failed to lower plasma glucose in the presence of micro-opioid receptor antagonists and/or in the micro-opioid receptor knockout diabetic mice. In conclusion, the obtained results suggest that syringin can enhance the secretion of beta-endorphin from adrenal medulla to stimulate peripheral micro-opioid receptors resulting in a decrease of plasma glucose in diabetic rats lacking insulin.

[Observation on effect of supplementary treatment by Astragalus injection in treating senile pulmonary tuberculosis patients].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the clinical therapeutic supplementary effect of Astragalus injection (ASI) as anti-tuberculosis agents in treating senile tuberculosis (ST). METHODS: Seventy-six ST patients were divided according to their hospitalization order into two groups randomly, 39 in the ASI group and 37 in the control group. The anti-tuberculosis regimen applied on all patients were HRE (S)Z for first treated patients and KHZ1321 TH for retreated patients. In the ASI group, ASI was given additionally by adding ASI 20 ml into 500 ml 5% glucose solution for intravenous dripping, once a day. The therapeutic course was 2 months. The changes of focal size, bacteria in sputum, and erythrocyte immune function (EIF) were observed before and after treatment, and the EIF obtained from 30 healthy subjects was taken for control. RESULTS: EIF in patients of both groups was lower than that in healthy subjects (P < 0.01). Rosette rate of RBC-C3b receptor in both groups was all increased after treatment, the increment was higher in the ASI group than that in the control group significantly (P < 0.01). After 2 months ASI treatment, the effective rate of focal absorption examined by X-ray was 84.6% and the negative conversion rate of bacteria in sputum was 79.4%. CONCLUSION: ASI has the effect of elevating erythrocyte immunity in senile pulmonary tuberculosis patients, it is able to enhance the therapeutic effect of treatment.

[Clinical significance of plasma alpha-granule membrane protein-140 in blood stasis of primary glomerular disease].

Plasma alpha-granule membrane protein 140(GMP-140) was determined in 53 patients of primary glomerular disease (PGD) with or without blood stasis. At the same time, the relationships between plasma GMP-140 and hyperlipoidemia and hypertension were investigated. Results showed that plasma GMP-140 in PGD patients was higher than that of normal control subjects, P < 0.01, platelet of patients was in a high activated status. The elevation was more significant in patient with blood stasis than in those without blood stasis, P < 0.01. Among the patients with blood stasis, plasma GMP-140 level in those with Qi-Deficiency was higher than that without Qi-Deficiency (P < 0.05). The above-mentioned results suggested that GMP-140 was an objective indicator for blood stasis of PGD patients. Deficiency of Qi could enhance platelet activation so as to aggravate the tendency of blood stasis. It was in accordance with the traditional Chinese medicine theory of "Qi-Deficiency induces blood stasis". Hyperlipoidemia and hypertension showed close relationship with abnormal increase of GMP-140, suggesting they play important roles in induction of hypercoagulability and blood stasis in PGD patients.

Chromosomal translocations cause deregulated BCL6 expression by promoter substitution in B cell lymphoma.

The BCL6 gene codes for a zinc-finger transcription factor and is involved in chromosomal rearrangements in 30-40% of diffuse large-cell lymphoma (DLCL). These rearrangements cluster within the 5' regulatory region of BCL6 spanning its first non-coding exon. To determine the functional consequences of these alterations, we have analyzed the structure of the rearranged BCL6 alleles and their corresponding RNA and protein species in two DLCL biopsies and one tumor cell line which carried the t(3;14)(q27;q32) translocation involving the BCL6 and immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) loci. In all three cases, the breakpoints were mapped within the IgH switch region and the BCL6 first intron, leading to the juxtaposition of part of the IgH locus upstream and in the same transcriptional orientation to the BCL6 coding exons. An analysis of cDNA clones showed that these recombinations generate chimeric IgH-BCL6 transcripts which initiated from IgH germline transcript promoters (I mu or I gamma 3), but retain a normal BCL6 coding domain. In the tumor cell line, the chimeric I gamma 3-BCL6 allele, but not the germline BCL6 gene, was transcriptionally active and produced a normal BCL6 protein. These findings indicate that t(3;14) translocations alter BCL6 expression by promoter substitution and imply that the consequence of these alterations is the deregulated expression of a normal BCL6 protein.

Laser photobiostimulation-induced hypoalgesia in rats is not naloxone reversible.

Laser photobiostimulation (LPBS) at the pulsing frequency of 4 Hz applied to the low resistance point located at the base of the tail of the rat, (Governing Vessel Meridian 1), produced a hypoalgesic effect, measured by tail-flick and hot-plate techniques. Pre-treatment with low dose naloxone (2 mg/kg) did not reverse the hypoalgesic effect of LPBS. High dose naloxone (20 mg/kg) reversed only partially, but significantly, the hypoalgesic effect of LPBS measured by hot-plate, but not that measured by the tail-flick technique. These data suggest that mechanisms other than endogenous opioids may be involved in LPBS-induced hypoalgesia.