[Effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation at different times assisted general anesthesia on stress response of patients undergoing open posterior lumbar surgery].

OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (TEAS) at different times on the stress response during anesthesia and operation in the patients undergoing open posterior lumbar surgery. METHODS: A total of 94 patients undergoing open posterior lumbar surgery were randomly assigned to preoperative TEAS group(32 cases), intraoperative TEAS group(31 cases) and sham-TEAS group(31 cases). The same anesthetic method was used in the patients of 3 groups. Four electrodes were attached to the bilateral Hegu (LI4) and Neiguan (PC6) and connected to the electronic acupuncture instrument when patients entered the operation room. In the preoperative TEAS group, the patients received TEAS (10 to 20 mA) for 30 min before the anesthetic induction. TEAS (15 mA) was provided immediately when the operation starts till the end of ope-ration for the patients of the intraoperative TEAS group. In the sham-TEAS group, the electronic acupuncture instrument was switched on during the whole procedure of operation, but no electric current was output. Separately, at the moment of entering the operation room (T0), before endotracheal intubation (T1), at the time of endotracheal intubation (T2), 10 min after skin resection (T3), at the end of surgery (T4), recovery from anesthesia (T5) and at the time of extubation (T6), the heart rate (HR) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded. Using ELISA, the concentrations of epinephrine (E), norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), cortisol (Cor) in serum were assayed at T0, T3, and T4; and blood glucose was tested with blood sugar paper at the same time points. RESULTS: Compared with T0 of the same group, HR was increased at T2 and decreased at T3 of the patients in the sham-TEAS group and the intraoperative TEAS group (P<0.05). Compared with the sham-TEAS group at the same time points, HR was decreased at T2 and increased at T3 of the patients in the preoperative TEAS group (P<0.05), and it was decreased at T6 of patients in the intraoperation TEAS group (P<0.05). HR was reduced at T2 in the preoperative TEAS group when compared with the intraoperative TEAS group. Compared with T0 of the same group, MAP was elevated at T2 and reduced at T3 and T4 in the sham-TEAS group (P<0.05); it decreased at T3, T4 and T5 in the preoperative TEAS group (P<0.05); it rose at T2 and was reduced at T3, T4 and T5 in the intraoperative TEAS group (P<0.05). When compared with the sham-TEAS group at the same time points, MAP decreased at T2 in the preoperative TEAS group (P<0.05), and at T6 in the intraoperative TEAS group (P<0.05). MAP was reduced at T2 and elevated at T6 in the preoperative TEAS group in comparison with the intraoperative TEAS group (P<0.05) at the same time points. Compared with T0 of the same group, the contents of E was increased at T3 in the sham-TEAS group and the intraoperative TEAS group (P<0.05); it was increased in all of the three groups at T4 (P<0.05); the contents of NE, DA, Cor and the blood glucose were increased at T4 in the sham-TEAS group (P<0.05). Compared with the sham-TEAS group at the same time points, the contents of E, DA at T3 and T4 and Cor at T3 in serum of the preoperative TEAS group were decreased (P<0.05); and the contents of E, NE, DA and Cor at T4 in the intraoperative TEAS group were decreased (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: TEAS-assisted general anesthesia can better maintain the stability of HR and MAP during anesthesia and operation in patients undergoing open posterior lumbar surgery, and reduce surgical stress response.

Regulatory mechanism of icariin in cardiovascular and neurological diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and neurological diseases are widespread diseases with substantial rates of morbidity and mortality around the world. For the past few years, the preventive effects of Chinese herbal medicine on CVDs and neurological diseases have attracted a great deal of attention. Icariin (ICA), the main constituent of Epimedii Herba, is a flavonoid. It has been shown to provide neuroprotection, anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, and cardiovascular protection. The endothelial protection, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, antioxidative stress, and anti-apoptosis properties of ICA can help stop the progression of CVDs and neurological diseases. Therefore, our review summarized the known mechanisms and related studies of ICA in the prevention and treatment of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases (CCVDs), to better understand its therapeutic potential.

Melatonin ameliorates renal dysfunction in glyphosate- and hard water-treated mice.

Chronic interstitial nephritis in agricultural communities (CINAC) is a severe and widespread disease that has been associated with environmental and occupational exposure to glyphosate and hard water. However, the potential underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. Melatonin is reported to exert protective effects on the kidney, but whether melatonin can attenuate renal tubular injury in mice exposed to glyphosate combined with hard water is unclear. Here, mice were treated with high doses and environmentally relevant doses of glyphosate (100 mg/kg·bw and 0.7 mg/L, respectively) and/or hard water (2500 mg/L CaCO3 and 250 mg/L Ca2+, respectively) via their drinking water for 12 weeks. We found that high-dose glyphosate or hard water treatment significantly increased the levels of biomarkers of renal damage, including ß2-microglobulin, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipid carrier protein, and/or albumin, in the urine; these increased biomarker levels were correlated with obvious morphological changes, and all of these changes were also observed in animals exposed to environmentally relevant doses of glyphosate and/or high Ca2+ water. Melatonin (10 mg/kg·bw, intraperitoneal injection, daily for 12 weeks) administered concomitantly with high doses of glyphosate and hard water inhibited the glyphosate- and hard water-induced increases in the levels of kidney injury biomarkers and changes in morphology; this result was intriguing. Additionally, glyphosate combined with hard water at both high and environmentally relevant doses significantly upregulated the expression of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress marker proteins Bip, ATF6, and PERK as well as the pyroptosis-related proteins (NLRP3 and caspase 1 signaling proteins) in renal tissues. Similarly, melatonin significantly attenuated the increased ER stress and pyroptosis induced by high doses of glyphosate and hard water. In summary, we conclude that exposure to glyphosate and hard water at both high doses and environmentally relevant doses causes renal dysfunction in mice, and this dysfunction can be attenuated by melatonin, possibly through the inhibition of ER stress and pyroptosis. Our results support the notion that melatonin may have therapeutic potential for the treatment of chronic kidney diseases.

Clinical application and research progress of extracellular slow wave recording in the gastrointestinal tract.

The physiological function of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is based on the slow wave generated and transmitted by the interstitial cells of Cajal. Extracellular myoelectric recording techniques are often used to record the characteristics and propagation of slow wave and analyze the models of slow wave transmission under physiological and pathological conditions to further explore the mechanism of GI dysfunction. This article reviews the application and research progress of electromyography, bioelectromagnetic technology, and high-resolution mapping in animal and clinical experiments, summarizes the clinical application of GI electrical stimulation therapy, and reviews the electrophysiological research in the biliary system.

Beneficial effects of psyllium on the prevention and treatment of cardiometabolic diseases.

Cardiometabolic diseases are reaching epidemic proportions worldwide. Dietary fiber intake can improve the risk factors associated with CMD. Psyllium, especially its husk, is one of the most widely used dietary fiber supplements, which is often used to enrich cereals and other food products. Numerous pharmacological studies have investigated the active ingredients and therapeutic effects of psyllium and its extracts, including antioxidant, anti-tumor, antidiabetic, hypotensive, anti-inflammation, neuroprotection, antidiarrheal, and antiviral activities. In this review, we will summarize the available studies on the therapeutic potential and possible mechanisms of psyllium in treating CMDs, such as hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, and its complications, hypertension, hyperuricemia and obesity, and its applications in food systems.

Rapid start-up and advanced nutrient removal of simultaneous nitrification, endogenous denitrification and phosphorus removal aerobic granular sequence batch reactor for treating low C/N domestic wastewater.

The rapid start-up and advanced nutrient removal of simultaneous nitrification, endogenous denitrification, and phosphorus (P) removal aerobic granular sequence batch reactor (SNEDPR-AGSBR) is a challenge in the treatment of low carbon/nitrogen (C/N) domestic sewage. In this study, the feasibility of the SNEDPR-AGSBR process was examined in an exceedingly single-stage anaerobic/aerobic/anoxic sequencing batch reactor for treating low C/N ratio (3.3-5.0) domestic sewage. The initial results showed that accompanied by the rapid formation of the mature aerobic granular sludge based on the selection for slow-growing organisms, the rapid start-up (38 d) of the SNEDPR-AGSBR process was successfully realized. The formed mature aerobic granules had a dense structure with an average diameter of 667.7 µm and SVI30 of 30.0 mL/g. Two conditions for achieving the competitive balance between phosphorus-accumulating organisms/denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs/DPAOs) and glycogen accumulating organisms/denitrifying glycogen accumulating organisms (GAOs/DGAOs) were revealed by the long-term operation results. First, the dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration needed to be decreased to 3.0 mg/L in the aerobic phase, and then, the aerobic and anoxic phase hydraulic retention time (HRT) should be increased to 3.0 h. Notably, high removal efficiencies for NH4+-N (100%), total nitrogen (84.3%), and P (91.8%) of the SNEDPR-AGSBR process were stably obtained with a low C/N ratio of 3.9 domestic sewage. Simultaneous nitrification and endogenous denitrification (SNED) efficiency of 61.6% was achieved during a long-term operation of 142 days. Finally, microbial community analysis confirmed that GAOs (Defluviicoccus)/DGAOs (Candidatus_Competibacter) were responsible for the removal N, and PAOs (Acinetobacter, Candidatus_Accumulibacter, Hypomicrobinm)/DPAOs (Pseudomonas and Dechloromonas) ensured P removal.

Mussel-Inspired Ligand Clicking and Ion Coordination on 2D Black Phosphorus for Cancer Multimodal Imaging and Therapy.

As a promising 2D nanocarrier, the biggest challenge of bare black phosphorus nanosheets (BP NSs) lies in the inherent instability, while it can be improved by surface modification strategies to a great extent. Considering the existing infirm BP NSs surface modification strategies, A mussels-inspired strong adhesive biomimetic peptide with azide groups for surface modification to increase the stability of BP NSs is synthesized. The azide groups on the peptide can quickly and precisely bind to the targeting ligand through click chemistry, solving the problem of nonspecificity of secondary modification of other mussel-mimicking materials. Besides, a catechol-Gd3+ coordination network is further constructed for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and inducing intracellular endo/lysosome escape. The fabricated BP-DOX@Gd/(DOPA)4 -PEG-TL nanoplatform exhibits enhanced antitumor abilities through synergetic chemo/photothermal effects both in vitro and in vivo.

Enhanced aerobic granulation for treating low-strength wastewater in an anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor by selecting slow-growing organisms and adding carriers.

The aerobic granular sludge (AGS) process is a promising technology for wastewater treatment. However, a long start-up period for granulation and instability during long-term operation still hinder the application of AGS technology, especially for low-strength wastewater. To solve these two problems, this study tested a novel strategy involving the selection of slow-growing organisms and the addition of carriers in an anaerobic-aerobic-anoxic sequencing batch reactor (AN/O/AX_SBR). Three identical AN/O/AX_SBRs (R_Ctrl, R_CCM, and R_GAC), fed with low-strength wastewater, were operated for 120 days. R_Ctrl had no carriers, R_CCM contained cell culture microcarriers (CCM), and R_GAC contained granular activated carbon (GAC). Mature AGS was achieved within 80 days in all reactors. The carriers could reduce the maturation period of AGS by approximately 10 days (76, 66, and 69 days in R_Ctrl, R_CCM, and R_GAC, respectively) and improve the physical strength of the AGS. AGS showed a strong structure without excessive proliferation of filamentous bacteria, full-grown size (900-1100 µm), and good settleability (SVI5 was 15.4-19.4 mL/g). Microbiological analysis showed that AN/O/AX_SBRs can provide a metabolic selective pressure to select slow-growing organisms such as nitrifying bacteria (norank_f__NS9_marine_group, Ellin6067, and Nitrospira), glycogen and phosphorus accumulating organisms (GAOs: Candidatus_Competibacter and Defluviicoccus; PAOs: Candidatus_Accumulibacter and Flavobacterium). All reactors showed good performance for simultaneous nitrification, endogenous denitrification, and phosphorus removal. The removal efficiencies of total nitrogen and total phosphorous were above 70% and 80%, respectively. The cycle test showed intermediate PAO-GAO metabolism prevailed in the system, and endogenous denitrification was primarily carried out by denitrifying GAOs.

Modified Linggui Zhugan Decoction protects against ventricular remodeling through ameliorating mitochondrial damage in post-myocardial infarction rats.

Introduction: Modified Linggui Zhugan Decoction (MLZD) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine prescription developed from Linggui Zhugan Decoction (LZD) that has been used for the clinical treatment of ischemic cardiovascular diseases. However, the cardioprotective mechanism of MLZD against post-myocardial infarction (MI) ventricular remodeling remains unclear. Methods: We explored the effects of MLZD on ventricular remodeling and their underlying mechanisms, respectively, in SD rats with MI models and in H9c2 cardiomyocytes with oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) models. The cardiac structure and function of rats were measured by echocardiography, HE staining, and Masson staining. Apoptosis, inflammation, mitochondrial structure and function, and sirtuin 3 (SIRT3) expression were additionally examined. Results: MLZD treatment significantly ameliorated cardiac structure and function, and thus reversed ventricular remodeling, compared with the control. Further research showed that MLZD ameliorated mitochondrial structural disruption, protected against mitochondrial dynamics disorder, restored impaired mitochondrial function, inhibited inflammation, and thus inhibited apoptosis. Moreover, the decreased expression level of SIRT3 was enhanced after MLZD treatment. The protective effects of MLZD on SIRT3 and mitochondria, nevertheless, were blocked by 3-TYP, a selective inhibitor of SIRT3. Discussion: These findings together revealed that MLZD could improve the ventricular remodeling of MI rats by ameliorating mitochondrial damage and its associated apoptosis, which might exert protective effects by targeting SIRT3.

Involvement of mitochondrial fission in renal tubular pyroptosis in mice exposed to high and environmental levels of glyphosate combined with hard water.

Chronic interstitial nephritis in agricultural communities (CINAC) has reached epidemic proportions. The combination of glyphosate and hard water has been postulated to play a potent aetiological role in CINAC. Therefore, dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp1)-mediated aberrant mitochondrial fission and subsequent activation of the nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (Nlrp3)/caspase1 pathway may be involved in the pathogenesis of nephropathy. In the present study, mice were sub-chronically exposed to high doses and environmental levels of glyphosate (100 mg/kg body weight (mg/kg·bw) glyphosate in Roundup and 0.7 mg/L pure glyphosate, respectively) and hard water (2500 mg/L CaCO3 and 250 mg/L Ca2+, respectively) in drinking water. Moreover, Mdivi-1 (Md-1, 10 mg/kg·bw) was intraperitoneally injected to inhibit Drp1 on the basis of the high-dose experiment. Histopathological examination, biochemical analysis, ELISA, western blotting and fluorescent staining were used to analyse renal structure, renal tubular pyroptosis and mitochondrial fission/fusion alterations. The results showed dramatic proximal tubular injury, particularly in the combined groups. Moreover, significant increases in the protein expression levels of calmodulin (CaM), calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), Drp1/p-Drp1-Ser616 and the Txnip/Nlrp3/caspase1 signalling pathway, and alterations in oxidative stress were observed in the combined groups, and these effects were attenuated by the Drp1 inhibitor Md-1. Intriguingly, there may be a synergistic effect of glyphosate and hard water on renal injury. Taken together, these results suggest that the combination of glyphosate and hard water, even at environmental exposure levels, enhances pyroptosis and ongoing tubulointerstitial inflammation through excessive Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission.

[Effect of nitrogen additions on soil pH, phosphorus contents and phosphatase activities in grassland]. / æ°®æ·»åŠ å¯¹è‰åœ°ç”Ÿæ€ç³»ç»ŸåœŸå£¤pHã€ç£·å«é‡å’Œç£·é ¸é ¶æ´»æ€§çš„å½±å“.

Phosphorus is a key nutrient for all plant species and a limiting factor for grassland ecosystem function. In recent years, in response to the rapid increase of global nitrogen deposition, soil phosphorus contents and phosphatase activities changed to varying degrees in grassland ecosystems. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the responses of soil pH, total phosphorus (TP), available phosphorus (AP), as well as activities of alkaline phosphatase (AlP) and acid phosphatase (AcP) in soils to nitrogen addition amount, nitrogen type, experimental duration, and sampling depth. The correlation between soil pH and phosphatase response ratio was investigated. The results showed that nitrogen addition significantly reduced soil pH, TP and AlP activity, while significantly increased AcP activity, but had no significant effect on AP. Soil pH and AlP activity significantly decreased under nitrogen addition >5 g·m-2·a-1, and AcP activity significantly increased under high nitrogen addition (>10 g·m-2·a-1). The contents of TP and AP significantly decreased when nitrogen addition was 5-10 g·m-2·a-1. NH4NO3 treatment significantly reduced soil TP and increased AcP activity, while urea treatment significantly reduced soil pH and AlP activity. Across all nitrogen addition amounts, when the experiment duration was 3 to 10 years, soil TP content and AlP activity were significantly reduced. Soil pH was significantly reduced after three years nitrogen addition, and AcP activitiy was significantly increased after 10 years nitrogen addition. In the 0-10 cm soil layer, the TP content and AlP activity significantly decreased, while the AP content significantly increased. In >10 cm soil layer, the AP content was significantly decreased. The significant negative correlation between soil pH and AcP activity indicated that change in soil pH caused by nitrogen addition may be an important factor for the variation of soil phosphatase activity.

Simvastatin alleviated diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction in rats by enhancing AMPK pathway-induced autophagy.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction is a common diabetic complication, and new therapeutics and the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction need to be investigated. OBJECTIVES: The aim was to investigate the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction and the pharmacological mechanism of simvastatin treatment in diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction model rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 86 male Sprague Dawley rats aged 8 weeks old were used in this study. The rats were divided into three groups: control (normal), diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction (streptozotocin-injected), and diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction + simvastatin (sim). Each group was subdivided into two subgroups for in vitro and in vivo analyses. A bioinformatics method was used to detect differences in gene expression in the corpus cavernosum between normal and diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction rats. Erectile function was measured by a cavernous nerve electrostimulation test. Corpus cavernosum fibrosis was assessed by Masson staining and Western blotting. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were performed to explore the differential expression of autophagy-related genes and the AMPK-SKP2-CARM1 pathway genes in rat cavernous smooth muscle cells and the corpus cavernosum. The autophagosomes of the corpus cavernosum tissue were observed by transmission electron microscopy. RESULTS: Autophagy-related genes and pathways (the AMPK and FoxO pathway) were identified by bioinformatics analysis and confirmed at the protein level. Simvastatin, an AMPK agonist, was used to treat diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction rats for 8 weeks, demonstrating that erectile function was improved for 80.5% (P < .05) of rats. Corpus cavernosum fibrosis was alleviated (P < .05), and autophagy was further enhanced (P < .05); these results might be partially caused by AMPK-SKP2-CARM1 pathway activation (P < .05). DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Simvastatin could enhance protective autophagy by activating the AMPK-SKP2-CARM1 pathway to improve erectile function in diabetes mellitus-induced erectile dysfunction rats.

Protective Effects of Ligustroflavone, an Active Compound from Ligustrum lucidum, on Diabetes-Induced Osteoporosis in Mice: A Potential Candidate as Calcium-Sensing Receptor Antagonist.

Ligustroflavone is one major compound contained in active fraction from Fructus Ligustri Lucidi (the fruit of Ligustrum lucidum), which could regulate parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels and improve calcium balance by acting on calcium-sensing receptors (CaSR). This study aimed to explore the potency of ligustroflavone as a CaSR antagonist and its protective effects against diabetic osteoporosis in mice. LF interacted well with the allosteric site of CaSR shown by molecular docking analysis, increased PTH release of primary parathyroid gland cells and suppressed extracellular calcium influx in HEK-293 cells. The serum level of PTH attained peak value at 2 h and maintained high during the period of 1 h and 3 h than that before treatment in mice after a single dose of LF. Treatment of diabetic mice with LF inhibited the decrease in calcium level of serum and bone and the enhancement in urinary calcium excretion as well as elevated circulating PTH levels. Trabecular bone mineral density and micro-architecture were markedly improved in diabetic mice upon to LF treatment for 8 weeks. LF reduced CaSR mRNA and protein expression in the kidneys of diabetic mice. Taken together, ligustroflavone could transiently increase PTH level and regulate calcium metabolism as well as prevent osteoporosis in diabetic mice, suggesting that ligustroflavone might be an effective antagonist on CaSR.

An analysis of chemical ingredients network of Chinese herbal formulae for the treatment of coronary heart disease.

As a complex system, the complicated interactions between chemical ingredients, as well as the potential rules of interactive associations among chemical ingredients of traditional Chinese herbal formulae are not yet fully understood by modern science. On the other hand, network analysis is emerging as a powerful approach focusing on processing complex interactive data. By employing network approach in selected Chinese herbal formulae for the treatment of coronary heart disease (CHD), this article aims to construct and analyze chemical ingredients network of herbal formulae, and provide candidate herbs, chemical constituents, and ingredient groups for further investigation. As a result, chemical ingredients network composed of 1588 ingredients from 36 herbs used in 8 core formulae for the treatment of CHD was produced based on combination associations in herbal formulae. In this network, 9 communities with relative dense internal connections are significantly associated with 14 kinds of chemical structures with P<0.001. Moreover, chemical structural fingerprints of network communities were detected, while specific centralities of chemical ingredients indicating different levels of importance in the network were also measured. Finally, several distinct herbs, chemical ingredients, and ingredient groups with essential position in the network or high centrality value are recommended for further pharmacology study in the context of new drug development.

[Mechanism study on preventive and curative effects of buyang huanwu decoction in Qi deficiency and blood stasis diseases based on network analysis].

In this study, researchers adopted the network analysis method to study Buyang Huanwu decoction at three levels, namely chemical ingredients, targets and diseases, and discovered the potential effect of Buyang Huanwu decoction in cancer treatment. Besides, they analyzed the "target-target" network of Buyang Huanwu decoction based on diseases, calculated four network indexes, namely node centrality, closeness centrality, betweenness centrality and eigenvector centrality for a comprehensive evaluation on the importance and significance of each target in the network. Afterwards, key targets of Buyang Huanwu decoction were excavated to obtain two important targets--COX-2 and PPAR-gamma, which may be important targets involved in the qi deficiency and blood stasis diseases. Meanwhile, the two targets were the basis to build the core network of "chemical component-target-disease" of Buyang Huanwu decoction, which provided reference for further studies on the effect of Buyang Huanwu decoction in treating qi deficiency and blood stasis diseases. According to the study, the network analysis method was helpful to excavate potential targets Buyang Huanwu decoction in treating qi deficiency and blood stasis diseases, and could provide methodological reference for revealing the mechanism of Buyang Huanwu decoction at multiple levels, with a guiding significance for interpreting mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicinal formulae and developing new drugs.

[Chemical constituents of surface layer of Poria cocos and their pharmacological properties (I)].

The surface layer of the sclerotia of Poria cocos, named Fu-Ling-Pi, is used as a diuretic in traditional Chinese medicine to treat edema and urinary dysfunction. Recent studies have showed that the triterpenes (lanostane and 3,4-secolanostane skeletons) and polysaccharides (beta-pachyman) are the main components of Fu-Ling-Pi and they exhibited various biological activities, such as anti-tumor, antibacterial and antioxidant, etc. This review was focused on the chemistry, pharmacology, and clinical uses of this drug and it may provide scientific foundation for further development and utilization of Fulingpi.

[Sheshiliuhuang decoction on cytokines in patients with urinary tract infection].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Sheshiliuhuang decoction on clinical outcomes and cytokines in patients with urinary tract infection (UTI). METHOD: Ninety-two (92) patients were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups, the treatment group (n = 47) administered with Sheshiliuhuang decoction, one prescription, 2 times a day, while patients in the control group (n = 45) were given Sanjin pills, 3 pills a time, 3 times a day. The treatment lasted for 7 days. Clinical outcomes and serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8 in both groups were examined before and after the treatment. RESULT: The clinical effective rate was 93.62% in the treatment group and 88.22% the control group, indicating a significant difference of P < 0.05. Before the treatment, the serum levels of TNF-alpha, IL-6, IL-8 of treatment group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). At the end of the treatment, serum levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha in the treatment group were significantly decreased compared with the before treatment (P < 0.01) and those did in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Serum cytokines of IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha were significantly increased in patients with UTI. Sheshiliuhuang decoction, with the mechanisms of regulating IL-6, IL-8, TNF-alpha, is an effective agent in patients with UTI.

[Effects of Sanwushaoxie decoction on IL-18, TNF-alpha, IL-4 and IL-10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic effects of Sanwushaoxie decoction on alternations of serum cytokines in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHOD: Sixty-three (63) RA patients were selected and randomly divided into 2 groups, with the treatment group administered with Sanwushaoxie decoction, one prescription, 2 times a day, while patients in the control group were given Common Threewingnut Root polyglycoside 20 mg a time, 3 times a day. The treatment was lasted for 60 days. Serum concentrations of IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-4, IL-10 were observed during the treatment. RESULT: The clinical effecacy and the experimental indexes were significantly improved in the treatment group than those did in the control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). There were significant differences of serum levels of 4 cytokines within the treatment group before and after the treatment (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). The serum levels of IL-4, IL-10 were significantly increased in treatment group compared with those did in the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Sanwushaoxie decoction is an effective agent in regulating cytokines, improving symptoms and experimental indexes in patients with RA.