[Establishment and validation of nomogram prediction model for complicated acute appendicitis].

Objective: To establish and internally validate a nomogram model for predicting complicated acute appendicitis (CA). Methods: The clinical data from 663 acute appendicitis patients from the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Traditional Chinese Medicine from October 2015 to October 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 411 males and 252 females, aged (M (IQR)) 41 (22) years (range: 18 to 84 years). There were 516 cases of CA and 147 cases of uncomplicated acute appendicitis. The minimum absolute contraction and selection operator regression model was used to screen the potential relative factors of CA, and the screened factors were included in the Logistic regression model for multivariate analysis. Software R was used to establish a preoperative CA nomogram prediction model, the receiver operating characteristic curve of the model was drawn, and the value of area under the curve (AUC) was compared to evaluate its identification ability, and the Bootstrap method was used for internal verification. Results: The elderly (age≥60 years) (OR=2.428, 95%CI: 1.295 to 4.549), abdominal pain time (every rise of 1 hour) (OR=1.089, 95%CI: 1.072 to 1.107), high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃) (OR=1.122, 95%CI: 1.078 to 1.168), total bilirubin (every rise of 1 µmol/L) (OR=2.629, 95%CI: 1.227 to 5.635) were independent relative factors of CA (all P<0.05). The AUC of this model was 0.935 (95%CI: 0.915 to 0.956). After internal verification using the Bootstrap method, the model still had a high discrimination ability (AUC=0.933), and the predicted CA curve was still in good agreement with the actual clinical CA curve. Conclusion: The clinical prediction model based on the elderly (age≥60 years), prolonged abdominal pain time, high fever (body temperature≥39 ℃), and increased total bilirubin can help clinicians effectively identify CA.

Ultralight type I transvaginal mesh: an alternative for recurrent severe posterior vaginal prolapse.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the medium-term outcomes of ultralight type I mesh for postmenopausal women with recurrent severe posterior vaginal prolapse (PVP). METHODS: All participants underwent transvaginal ultralight type I mesh repair between April 2016 and April 2021 and were followed until May 2022. Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification System (POP-Q) staging, mesh-related complications, Patient Global Impression of Improvement (PGI-I) scale and quality of life questionnaire responses were evaluated. The primary outcome was composite surgical success rate at the last follow-up, composite success being defined as no vaginal bulge symptoms, no POP-Q point at or beyond the hymen and no re-treatment for POP. Secondary outcomes included anatomic outcomes (POP-Q score), symptomatic relief and complications. RESULTS: The median follow-up was 37.3 months. At the last follow-up, the composite success rate was 75%, and POP-Q scores for the vault and posterior wall and quality of life questionnaire scores were significantly improved (p < 0.01). The subjective satisfaction (PGI-I ≤ 2) rate was 83.3%. There were no mesh-related complications. CONCLUSIONS: Ultralight mesh can achieve good clinical outcomes and substantially improve the quality of life of patients with severe recurrent PVP in the medium term, and may thus be a viable alternative for treating this condition.

The Relationship between Dietary Copper intake and Telomere Length in Hypertension.

BACKGROUND: More indications proved that diet might be involved in the telomere length, a marker of biological aging and chronic diseases. Copper is widely viewed as one of the essential elements in the diet. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between telomere length and dietary copper intake in hypertension and provide a basis for guiding dietary copper intake in patients with hypertension. METHODS: The data was collected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002. The relevance between telomere length and dietary copper intake in hypertension is assessed using a multivariable linear regression model. RESULTS: We gathered 1,867 participants with hypertension with assessed telomere length and dietary copper intake. We found that one unit increasing log-transformed dietary copper intake in hypertension was significantly associated with longer telomere length base pair (bp) (ß = 112.20, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.48, 218.92), after controlling for covariates, including age, sex, ethnicity, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, and taking medication for hypertension. For the age group, we found that one unit increasing log-transformed dietary copper in hypertension was associated with longer telomere length (ß = 237.95, 95% CI: 114.39, 361.51) in the age group >45 years. The grouping was based on whether the participants take medication for hypertension. We found that one unit increasing log-transformed dietary copper in hypertension was associated with longer telomere length (ß = 116.47, 95% CI: 0.72, 232.21) in the group that takes medication for hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates that dietary copper intake was associated with longer telomere length in patients with hypertension, which provides evidence for guiding dietary copper intake in patients with hypertension. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the effect of copper supplementation on telomere length in patients with hypertension in well-designed random control studies and prospective studies.

Xiangshao granules can relieve emotional symptoms in menopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of Xiangshao granules for treating emotional disorders in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. METHODS: The current investigation was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial that included 300 perimenopausal and postmenopausal Chinese women aged 40-60 years. Participants received either a placebo (n = 150) or Xiangshao granules (n = 150) for 8 weeks. Outcome measures included Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA) scores, which were assessed at baseline, 4 weeks, and 8 weeks. The primary efficacy variables were changes in HAMD and HAMA scores after 8 weeks. RESULTS: After 8 weeks, the mean HAMD scores decreased from 15.0 to 7.9 in the Xiangshao group and from 16.3 to 10.0 in the placebo group, and the respective mean reductions in HAMA scores were from 16.0 to 8.5 and from 17.1 to 10.9. Clinical improvements in symptoms of both depression and anxiety after 8 weeks differed significantly in the two groups (p < 0.05). The cure rate was significantly higher in the Xiangshao group. There were no significant differences in the rates of adverse events in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Xiangshao granules can relieve symptoms of depression and anxiety significantly and safely.

The treatment of menopausal symptoms by traditional Chinese medicine in Asian countries.

Menopausal symptoms (or climacteric syndrome) refer to a series of symptoms that occur during the perimenopausal and early postmenopausal period. About 80% of women will have various degrees of menopausal symptoms, and most of them need associated treatment. Asian women are more inclined to choose traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in terms of therapeutic method, and menopausal hormone therapy has low acceptance because the women have been misinformed about the side effects of hormones. Therefore, TCM is used for menopausal symptoms in women in most Asian countries, including China, Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea. In the basic theory of TCM, the menopause is classified as the Kidney deficiency and imbalance of Yin and Yang; therefore, the treatment methods in either Chinese patent medicine or Chinese herbal medicine are aimed at supplementing the Kidney function and rebalancing Yin and Yang. It is believed that TCM treatment is suitable for patients with mild or moderate menopausal symptoms. The incidence rate of adverse reactions in terms of breast tenderness and irregular vaginal bleeding is lower than that of hormone therapy. However, there are few randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies on TCM treatment of menopausal syndrome. Future studies should be undertaken to confirm its merits.

[Cognitive level of first aid knowledge regarding small area burn among 2 723 child caregivers in Shanghai: a cross-sectional survey and analysis].

Objective: To assess the cognitive level of first aid knowledge regarding the small area burn among the child caregivers in Shanghai and improve the level of first aid for small area burn in children. Methods: From November 2017 to March 2018, 7 municipal districts in Shanghai were selected according to the random number table, from which 2 750 students of 4 nurseries, 5 kindergartens, 6 primary schools, and 2 junior middle schools were selected by adopting the convenience sampling method. Each student was limited to one caregiver as the research object. A cross-sectional survey was conducted on the cognitive level of first aid knowledge regarding small area burn among the caregivers with self-designed questionnaire through WeChat and Tencent QQ. The age, burn experience, and scarring after burns in children, the prevalence rate of burn in children of different age groups, the educational background of caregivers and their social relationship with their children, and the measures taken by caregivers firstly after small area burn occurred among their children were recorded. The choices of applying the folk prescription drugs to the wounds of their children made by caregivers and those with different educational backgrounds were recorded. The choices of applying daily necessities to the wound of their children made by caregivers were recorded. The caregivers' knowledge of standard first aid measures for small area burn, and the knowledge of caregivers with different educational backgrounds of all standard first aid measures for small area burn were recorded. The caregivers' choices of hospitals for treatment the first time, and the choices of going to the Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital with burn specialty for treatment made by caregivers with different knowledge levels about first aid measures for small area burn and those by caregivers whose children did or didn't have burn experience were recorded. The caregivers' choices of different types of medical institutions with burn specialty or specialized in burn treatment, and choices of going to burn department of comprehensive Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital for treatment made by caregivers with different knowledge levels about first aid measures for small area burn were recorded. Data were processed with Pearson chi-square test and partitions of chi-square test. Results: The effective recovery rate of questionnaire was 99.0% (2 723/2 750). The ages of children were mainly 6-11 years [64.7% (1 762/2 723)]The prevalence of burn in children was 19.4% (527/2 723). There was no statistically significant difference in the overall comparison of burn prevalence of children among the age groups (χ(2)=1.424, P>0.05). The percentage of scar formation after burn in children was 27.3% (144/527). The education backgrounds of caregivers were mainly undergraduate [40.2% (1 094/2 723)], and their social relationships with children were mainly children's mothers [74.6% (2 030/2 723)]. Assuming that their children suffered from minor burns, the measures firstly taken by 74.0% (2 016/2 723) of the caregivers was to immediately access cool running water and remove clothing on the wound of children. Totally 19.2% (523/2 723) of the caregivers chose to apply folk prescription drugs for their burn children by themselves, and the percentage of caregivers with education background of junior middle school choosing to apply folk prescription drugs for their burn children by themselves was significantly higher than that of caregivers with education background of junior college, undergraduate, or graduate (χ(2)=18.502, 20.642, 13.319, P<0.05). Totally 49.2% (1 340/2 723) of caregivers chose to daub many kinds of daily necessities for their burn children by themselves. Totally 39.2% (1 068/2 723) of caregivers knew all standard first aid measures for small area burn, the percentage of caregivers with education background of undergraduate knowing all standard first aid measures for small area burn was significantly higher than that of caregivers with education background of senior high school and secondary specialized school (χ(2)=11.234, P<0.05). Assuming that their children suffered from minor burns, 39.0% (1 063/2 723) of the caregivers chose to go to the nearest hospital for treatment the first time, the percentage of caregivers who knew all standard first aid measures for small area burn choosing to go to Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital with burn specialty for treatment the first time was similar with that of caregivers who did not know/did not fully know (χ(2)=3.528, P>0.05), and the percentage of caregivers whose children had burn experience choosing to go to Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital with burn specialty for treatment in the first time was similar with that of caregivers whose children didn't have burn experience (χ(2)=3.521, P>0.05). Among all medical institutions with burn specialty or specialized in burn treatment, 28.0% (762/2 723) of the caregivers chose to go to comprehensive Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital for treatment, and the percentage of caregivers who knew all standard first aid measures for small area burn choosing to go to comprehensive Grade Ⅲ Level A hospital for treatment was significantly higher than that of caregivers who did not know/did not fully know (χ(2)=4.890, P<0.05). Conclusions: The caregivers of children are mainly children's mothers with education background of undergraduate in Shanghai, and caregivers' cognitive levels of first aid knowledge regarding the small area burn are low. Only a few caregivers know all standard first aid measures for small area burn, and there are still some caregivers who have the wrong idea of applying folk prescription drugs or daily necessities for children by themselves. The publicity and education of basic first aid knowledge of burn should be strengthened through various channels such as burn simulation exercise and network, and caregivers should be guided to take their children to hospitals with burn specialty for treatment after occurrence of burn in children, so as to obtain more professional medical treatment.

Optimizing quality of life in perimenopause: lessons from the East.

As global life expectancy improves, women are expected to spend more than one-third of their lives in the status of menopause. In China, many women suffer from menopausal symptoms during this period, which impacts their well-being and quality of life. However, most Chinese women simply endure menopausal symptoms. Since the Chinese Menopause Society was founded in 1999, several versions of the guidelines for menopause management and menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) have been published; international cooperation has strengthened; menopause-related activities have been advocated; and popular knowledge of menopause and MHT has gradually improved. Medical workers, menopausal women, and the general population have come to realize that MHT is the most effective treatment for menopausal symptoms and could improve quality of life. In addition to MHT, non-hormone management (traditional Chinese medicine, lifestyle changes, social/psychological interventions, dietary management, etc.) of menopausal symptoms is an important consideration, especially in situations when MHT is contra-indicated. This review summarizes the literature and research studies to help health care acknowledge the population and prevent underuse of effective therapies or use of inappropriate or ineffective therapies, which, in turn, is expected to improve public health management and women's quality of life. More efforts should be made to better disseminate the knowledge on perimenopausal management among Chinese women.

Handwritten-Digit Recognition by Hybrid Convolutional Neural Network based on HfO2 Memristive Spiking-Neuron.

Although there is a huge progress in complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, construction of an artificial neural network using CMOS technology to realize the functionality comparable with that of human cerebral cortex containing 1010-1011 neurons is still of great challenge. Recently, phase change memristor neuron has been proposed to realize a human-brain level neural network operating at a high speed while consuming a small amount of power and having a high integration density. Although memristor neuron can be scaled down to nanometer, integration of 1010-1011 neurons still faces many problems in circuit complexity, chip area, power consumption, etc. In this work, we propose a CMOS compatible HfO2 memristor neuron that can be well integrated with silicon circuits. A hybrid Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based on the HfO2 memristor neuron is proposed and constructed. In the hybrid CNN, one memristive neuron can behave as multiple physical neurons based on the Time Division Multiplexing Access (TDMA) technique. Handwritten digit recognition is demonstrated in the hybrid CNN with a memristive neuron acting as 784 physical neurons. This work paves the way towards substantially shrinking the amount of neurons required in hardware and realization of more complex or even human cerebral cortex level memristive neural networks.

[Resting-state functional magnetic resonance study of the brain's network of the temporal lobe epilepsy patients with depression].

OBJECTIVE: To study brain networks of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) to investigate whether TLE brain dysfunction have an impact on depression, using resting state functional magnetic resonance (RS-fMRI) detection technology. METHODS: A total of 18 patients with TLE were included in this study. According to Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton's Depression Scale (HAMD)-17 score, we divided them into two groups: depression group 9 cases, non-depression group 9 cases. All patients underwent 3.0T MRI , RS-fMRI and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) examinations and then the results were analyzed. RESULTS: Disease course of depression group was longer than non-depression group and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). RS-fMRI examination showed that depression group had more active brain areas and more extral temporal active areas than non-depression group (P<0.05). By compared with the non-depression group, we found more strong active brain areas including thalamus, and the default-mode network which involved in prefrontal cortex, precuneus, ventral anterior cingulate and hippocampus. We found the NAA and NAA/Cho+ Cr of the hippocampus which were ipsilateral to the advantage discharge side were decreased in 5/9 cases with depression in MRS and 3/5 cases had hippocampal atrophy, while the non-depression group had no obvious abnormalities. CONCLUSION: The brain default-mode network activity in TLE patients with depression is increased and there is more extral temporal activation than the non-depression group; furthermore abnormal hippocampus structure is more common in depression group, which suggests that epileptic brain dysfunction may affect the development of depression.

Intake of polyunsaturated fat in relation to mortality among statin users and non-users in the Southern Community Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially the n3-series, may protect against cardiovascular disease (CVD), but recent randomized studies have failed to demonstrate these benefits. One of the prevailing hypotheses is that PUFA intake may not confer benefits beyond those provided by statins, but studies comparing statin users to non-users with regard to effects of PUFA are lacking. METHODS AND RESULTS: Black and white men and women (n = 69,559) in the Southern Community Cohort Study were studied. Cox regression models adjusting for age, sex, race, BMI, recruitment site, education, income, smoking, diabetes, and dietary variables were used. RESULTS: At baseline the mean ± SD age was 52 ± 9 years, 60% of participants were women, 54% had hypertension and 16% used statins. We observed modest inverse associations between n3-PUFA and n6-PUFA intake with mortality among non-statin users but not among statin users. In adjusted analyses, the HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality (6,396 deaths over a median of 6.4 years) comparing the highest to the lowest quintile were 0.90 (0.82-1.00) for n3-PUFA and 0.80 (0.70-0.92) for n6-PUFA among non-statin users, whereas they were 1.06 (0.87-1.28) and 0.96 (0.78-1.19) for n3-PUFA and n6-PUFA, respectively, among statin users. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest potential benefits of PUFA consumption on mortality which are only apparent in the absence of statin therapy. It seems prudent to consider the potential benefit of PUFA consumption in the primary prevention of CVD among patients who are not candidates for statin therapy but are at increased risk for CVD and mortality.

CpG oligonucleotides and Astragalus polysaccharides are effective adjuvants in cultures of avian bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells.

1. The potential use of CpG oligodeoxynucleotides and/or Astragalus polysaccharide (APS) as adjuvants for the culture of chicken bone-marrow-derived dendritic cells (chBM-DCs) was investigated. 2. Chicken dendritic cells (DCs) were isolated and cultured in the presence of recombinant chicken granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4. The chBM-DC displayed typical DC morphology and expressed DC surface markers (MHC-II and CD11c). 3. Cultured chBM-DC showed effective T-cell activation in vitro, based on a mixed lymphocyte response (MLR). Flow cytometry analysis showed an increased proportion of cells expressing CD40 and CD80 in the APS-stimulated culture, compared to the control culture. In the MLR, the APS- and CpG-stimulated chBM-DC could activate T-cells more than control chBM-DC. Real-time PCR assays showed that CpG can activate the TLR21 and an inflammatory response, while APS just reduced the expression of IRF-3. 4. The results demonstrated that in vitro the adjuvant CpG can stimulate chBM-DC to mature by activation of the TLR-signalling pathway, whereas the adjuvant APS stimulates maturation of chBM-DC in vitro to a lesser degree and by another mechanism.

Lipid-modifying efficacy and tolerability of extended-release niacin/laropiprant in patients with primary hypercholesterolaemia or mixed dyslipidaemia.

BACKGROUND: Improving lipids beyond low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) lowering with statin monotherapy may further reduce cardiovascular risk. Niacin has complementary lipid-modifying efficacy to statins and cardiovascular benefit, but is underutilised because of flushing, mediated primarily by prostaglandin D(2) (PGD(2)). Laropiprant (LRPT), a PGD(2) receptor (DP1) antagonist that reduces niacin-induced flushing has been combined with extended-release niacin (ERN) into a fixed-dose tablet. METHODS AND RESULTS: Dyslipidaemic patients were randomised to ERN/LRPT 1 g (n = 800), ERN 1 g (n = 543) or placebo (n = 270) for 4 weeks. Doses were doubled (2 tablets/day; i.e. 2 g for active treatments) for 20 weeks. ERN/LRPT 2 g produced significant changes vs. placebo in LDL-C (-18.4%), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; 20.0%), LDL-C:HDL-C (-31.2%), non-HDL-C (-19.8%), triglycerides (TG; -25.8%), apolipoprotein (Apo) B (-18.8%), Apo A-I (6.9%), total cholesterol (TC; -8.5%), TC:HDL-C (-23.1%) and lipoprotein(a) (-20.8%) across weeks 12-24. ERN/LRPT produced significantly less flushing than ERN during initiation (week 1) and maintenance (weeks 2-24) for all prespecified flushing end-points (incidence, intensity and discontinuation because of flushing). Except for flushing, ERN/LRPT had a safety/tolerability profile comparable with ERN. CONCLUSION: Extended-release niacin/LRPT 2 g produced significant, durable improvements in multiple lipid/lipoprotein parameters. The improved tolerability of ERN/LRPT supports a simplified 1 g-->2 g dosing regimen of niacin, a therapy proven to reduce cardiovascular risk.

Operative techniques and morbidity with subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation in 100 consecutive patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: Subthalamic nucleus (STN) stimulation for patients with medically refractory Parkinson disease (PD) is expanding. Reported experience has provided some indication of techniques, efficacy, and morbidity, but few centres have reported more than 50 patients. To expand this knowledge, we reviewed our experience with a large series of consecutive patients. METHODS: From March 1999 to September 2003, 191 subthalamic stimulator devices (19 unilateral) were implanted in 100 patients with PD at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. Sixteen patients had undergone a prior surgery for PD (pallidotomy, thalamotomy, or fetal transplant). Microelectrode guided implantations were performed using techniques similar to those described previously. Electrode implantation occurred 1-2 weeks before outpatient pulse generator implantation. RESULTS: Reductions of dyskinesias and off severity/duration were similar to prior published reports. Morbidity included: 7 device infections (3.7%), 1 cerebral infarct, 1 intracerebral haematoma, 1 subdural haematoma, 1 air embolism, 2 wound haematomas requiring drainage (1.0%), 2 skin erosions over implanted hardware (1.0%), 3 periprocedural seizures (1.6%), 6 brain electrode revisions (3.1%), postoperative confusion in 13 patients (6.8%), and 16 battery failures (8.4%). Of the 100 patients, there were no surgical deaths or permanent new neurological deficits. The average hospital stay for all 100 patients was 3.1 days. CONCLUSION: Subthalamic stimulator implantation in a large consecutive series of patients with PD produced significant clinical improvement without mortality or major neurological morbidity. Morbidity primarily involved device infections and hardware/wound revisions.

Subthalamic nucleus stimulation in advanced Parkinson's disease: blinded assessments at one year follow up.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effect of deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus in patients with advanced Parkinson's disease. DESIGN: Open label follow up using blinded ratings of videotaped neurological examinations. PATIENTS: 30 patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (19 male, 11 female; mean age 58.8 years; mean disease duration 12.8 years), complicated by intractable wearing off motor fluctuations and dopaminergic dyskinesias. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Unified Parkinson's disease rating scale (UPDRS), part III (motor), score at one year, from blinded reviews of videotaped neurological examinations. Secondary outcomes included the other UPDRS subscales, Hoehn and Yahr scale, activities of daily living (ADL) scale, mini-mental state examination (MMSE), estimates of motor fluctuations and dyskinesia severity, drug intake, and patient satisfaction questionnaire. RESULTS: Subthalamic nucleus stimulation was associated with a 29.5% reduction in motor scores at one year (p<0.0001). The only important predictors of improvement in UPDRS part III motor scores were the baseline response to dopaminergic drugs (p = 0.015) and the presence of tremor (p = 0.027). Hoehn and Yahr scores and ADL scores in the "on" and "off" states did not change, nor did the mean MMSE score. Weight gain occurred in the year after surgery, from (mean) 75.8 kg to 78.5 kg (p = 0.028). Duration of daily wearing off episodes was reduced by 69%. Dyskinesia severity was reduced by 60%. Drug requirements (in levodopa equivalents) declined by 30%. CONCLUSIONS: The 30% improvement in UPDRS motor scores was a more modest result than previously reported. DBS did not improve functional capacity independent of drug use. Its chief benefits were reduction in wearing off duration and dyskinesia severity.

[Experimental study on functional rehabilitation of peripheral nerve with electric acupuncture].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the functional rehabilitation of injured peripheral nerve with electric acupuncture. METHODS: Sciatic nerve injury model was established by transection of left sciatic nerve in 60 Wistar rats, which were randomly divided into two groups. The experimental group was treated with electroacupuncture, no treatment in the control group. Change of nerve electrophysiological, power of muscle and sciatic functional index (SFI) were observed. RESULTS: Nerve muscle-action potential (MAP) and motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) in the experimental group were better than that of the control group (P < 0.01). The single muscle twitch and tetanization of gastrocnemius muscle were higher in the experimental group too (P < 0.05). SFI were significantly higher in the experimental group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Electric acupuncture therapy can improve functional rehabilitation of injured peripheral nerve.

Protective effect of Oren-gedoku-to (Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang) against impairment of learning and memory induced by transient cerebral ischemia in mice.

The protective effect of Oren-gedoku-to (OGT; Huang-Lian-Jie-Du-Tang), a traditional Chinese medicine, against impairment of learning and memory induced by transient cerebral ischemia was investigated in mice. The cerebral ischemia caused a reduction of step-down latency and an increase of step-down errors in the passive avoidance task. Pretreatment with oral administration of OGT (2, 4 or 8 g of herbs per kg) once daily for 5 days prolonged the step-down latency significantly and decreased the step-down errors as compared with those of sham-operated controls. In the Morris water maze test, the cerebral ischemia caused an increase in the latency until finding the platform in the training trial and a decrease in the percentage of swimming in the quadrant of the former platform in the probe trial. Oren-gedoku-to (OGT; 2, 4 and 8 g/kg, p. o.) shortened the latency of escaping markedly onto the platform in the training trial and increased the percentage of crossing the former platform quadrant in the probe trial. A reference drug, tacrine (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg, p.o.), prevented the reduction of step-down latency in the passive avoidance task and shortened the escape latency in the Morris water maze task. Furthermore, OGT significantly protected against cerebral ischemia-induced reduction in the acetylcholine (ACh) content of the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and striatum. These results indicate that the protective effects of OGT against the impairment of learning and memory induced by transient cerebral ischemia may be associated with preventing the decrease in the ACh content of the mouse brain.

New megastigmane and tetraketide from the leaves of Euscaphis japonica.

New megastigmane (1) and tetraketide (2) were isolated from the leaves of Euscaphis japonica and the structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic and chemical evidence.

[Study on early application of Chinese medicinal herbs after total gastrectomy].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of Chinese medicinal herbs on digestive function, nutritional status, immune function and complication rate in patients after total gastrectomy. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients of gastrectomy were divided into two groups and were intubated into small intestine for administering postoperatively. Twenty-one of them belonged to the treated group and were dripped with Chinese medicinal herbs intraluminally during the early postoperative stage, while 18 cases of the control group were dripped with 0.9% sodium chloride. RESULTS: The digestive function of the treated group recovered rapidly, and the nutritional status and immune function improved markedly as compared with those of the control group (P < 0.001-0.05). CONCLUSION: Early application of Chinese medicinal herbs after total gastrectomy could promote the digestive function to recover to normal, the nutritional status and immune function to improve. The occurrence of complication was reduced.

[Effect of fermented morel liquid on immunity function in mice].

The experiments studied the effect of fermented morel liquid on immunity function in mice [correction of rats]. The results showed that fermented morel liquid could greatly enhance the non-specific immunity (macrophage's phagocytosis), specific immunity (delayed-type hypersensitivity), humoral immunity (the amount of hemolysin) and the weights of thymus. The author concluded that the fermented morel liquid could effectively regulate the immunity function in mice [correction of rats].

An unexpected localization of basonuclin in the centrosome, mitochondria, and acrosome of developing spermatids.

Basonuclin is a zinc finger protein that was thought to be restricted to keratinocytes of stratified squamous epithelia. In epidermis, basonuclin is associated with the nuclei of mitotically active basal cells but not in terminally differentiating keratinocytes. We report here the isolation of a novel form of basonuclin, which we show is also expressed in stratified epithelia. Most unexpectedly, we find both forms in testis, where a surprising localization pattern was uncovered. While basonuclin RNA expression occurs in mitotically active germ cells, protein was not detected until the meiotic stage, where basonuclin localized to the appendage of the distal centriole of spermatocytes and spermatids. Near the end of spermiogenesis, basonuclin also accumulated in the acrosome and mitochondrial sheath surrounding the flagellum. Intriguingly, a perfect six-amino acid residue mitochondrial targeting sequence (Komiya, T., N. Hachiya, M. Sakaguchi, T. Omura, and K. Mihara. 1994. J. Biol. Chem. 269:30893-30897; Shore, G.C., H.M. McBride, D.G. Millar, N.A. Steenaart, and M. Nguyen. 1995. Eur. J. Biochem. 227: 9-18; McBride, H.M., I.S. Goping, and G.C. Shore. 1996. J. Cell. Biol. 134:307-313) is present in basonuclin 1a but not in the 1b form. Moreover, three distinct affinity-purified peptide antibodies gave this unusual pattern of basonuclin antibody staining, which was confirmed by cell fractionation studies. Our findings suggest a unique role for basonuclin in centrosomes within the developing spermatid, and a role for one of the protein forms in germ cell mitochondrial function. Its localization with the acrosome suggests that it may also perform a special function during or shortly after fertilization.