[Medicinal Characteristics of Shao Jiu in Compendium of Materia Medica].

Modern Bai Jiu(liquor) was called Shao Jiu in ancient times.By consulting ancient books, it was found that there was a distillation and preparation process of Shao Jiu before the Ming Dynasty, but due to its high toxicity, the scope of application was limited, and there were few records of its medicinal use.However many records of its medicinal use was found in the Compendium of Materia Medica(«¼).By comparing the medical books that recorded Shao Jiu in previous dynasties, it is found that the Compendium of Materia Medica comprehensively records the relevant cognition and application of the medicinal use of Shao Jiu for the first time. The book lists in detail the causes of the toxicity of Shao Jiu and the methods to avoid it, comprehensively expounds its characteristics, efficacy and indications, lists a variety of ways to use it, skillfully uses Shao Jiu to treat syphilis sores, and proposes that high-concentration Shao Jiu can be used as a solvent for medical liquor.The record of Shao Jiu in the Compendium of Materia Medica had a profound impact on the medical liquor of later generations.The use of Shao Jiu in the Qing Dynasty continued to expand, and the types of medicinal liquor were also constantly enriched. The record of Shao Jiu in the Compendium of Materia Medica can also provide a reference for the medicinal use of modern liquor.

[The efficacy and safety of domestic magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermotherapy in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma].

Sixteen patients with recurrent high-grade glioma who were treated by domestic magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermotherapy (MRgLITT) in the Neurosurgery Department of Xuanwu Hospital of Capital Medical University from 1st January 2021 to 31st December 2021 were prospectively included, with 11 males and 5 females, and aged 27-74 (50±16) years. The duration of surgery, the rate of ablation after surgery, and perioperative complications were assessed. The patients were followed up every 3 months to assess survival and progression. A total of 5 WHO grade Ⅲ patients and 11 WHO grade Ⅳ patients were included. The operation time was 144 (109, 176) min, 28 targeted lesions were detected, and the ablation rate [M (Q1, Q3)] was 91.0% (87.4%, 93.3%). After surgery, 2 patients (2/16) had decreased limb muscle strength, and no perioperative death or other serious complications occurred. The median time to a complete response was 12 (5, 14) months in WHO Grade Ⅲ patients, and one died 12 months after surgery, while the median time to a complete response was 3 (1, 8) months in 11 WHO Grade Ⅳ patients, with a total of 8 deaths at the last follow-up. Therefore, domestic MRgLITT has certain efficacy and safety in the treatment of recurrent high-grade glioma, providing a new option for patients with recurrent glioma.

[The textbooks in the North China Medical College].

The North China Medical College typically represented medical colleges for traditional Chinese medicine in the 1930s when many of them were set up. It was based on the principles of centring on traditional Chinese medicine, following western medicine and integrated medicine in teaching. This led to the emergence of a great number of people with a high level of traditional Chinese medicine and strong belief in it. In terms of the textbooks and handouts for western medicine, compared to similar textbooks in other medical colleges, such as the Medical College of Xie He, at that time, the textbooks in the North China Medical College covered a variety of perspectives and categories. It was found that 20 textbooks for western medicine in the North China Medical College were designed reasonably in content and were simple and applicable in teaching. More importantly, it contained some traditional Chinese medicine in different degrees, with its typical characteristics. The course design and textbook compilation provided references for the teaching in contemporary medical universities.

[Safety and short-term efficacy of domestic magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermotherapy in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy].

Objective: To investigate the safety and short-term efficacy of domestic magnetic resonance-guided laser interstitial thermotherapy (MRgLITT) in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. Methods: Patients with drug-resistant epilepsy treated with a domestic MRgLITT system in the Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University from October 2020 to April 2021 were prospectively enrolled. The damage volume ratio was assessed immediately after surgery, and perioperative complications were recorded and followed up. The clinical safety and short-term efficacy were evaluated using the Engel classification. Results: A total of 22 patients were included, including 12 males and 10 females, aged from 3 to 45 years old [(24±13) years]. There were 5 cases of medial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE), 3 cases of hypothalamic hamartoma (HH), 7 cases of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD), and 7 cases of other types, respectively. The mean operation time and blood loss was (173±49) min and (3.7±1.6) ml. The postoperative length of hospital stay was (5.5±1.8) days, and the average damage volume ratio was 92.6%. Among them, only 2 patients (FCD of the parietal lobe) showed transient contralateral limb weakness, without any serious complications such as symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and cerebral infarction. The follow-up time was 14 to 168 days. There were 13 Engel class Ⅰ cases (59.1%), 2 Engel class Ⅱ cases (9.1%), 2 Engel class Ⅲ cases (9.1%) and 5 Engel class Ⅳ cases (22.7%), respectively. Short-term incident-free rates were MTLE 5/5and FCD4/7, respectively. Conclusion: Domestic MRgLITT system is stable, reliable and safe in the treatment of drug-refractory epilepsy, and has better short-term efficacy in MTLE and FCD patients.

Cortical glutamate levels decrease in a non-human primate model of dopamine deficiency.

While Parkinson's disease is the result of dopaminergic dysfunction of the nigrostriatal system, the clinical manifestations of Parkinson's disease are brought about by alterations in multiple neural components, including cortical areas. We examined how 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) administration affected extracellular cortical glutamate levels by comparing glutamate levels in normal and MPTP-lesioned nonhuman primates (Macaca mulatta). Extracellular glutamate levels were measured using glutamate microelectrode biosensors. Unilateral MPTP-administration rendered the animals with hemiparkinsonian symptoms, including dopaminergic deficiencies in the substantia nigra and the premotor and motor cortices, and with statistically significant decreases in basal glutamate levels in the primary motor cortex on the side ipsilateral to the MPTP-lesion. These results suggest that the functional changes of the glutamatergic system, especially in the motor cortex, in models of Parkinson's disease could provide important insights into the mechanisms of this disease.

Effects of AP-V and bicuculline on somatostatin-positive neurons in hypothalamus of rats subjected to acute hypobaric hypoxia.

AIM: To investigate the effects of 2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate-pharmacology (AP-V) and bicuculline on somatostatin (SST)-positive neurons in hypothalamus of rats subjected to acute hypobaric hypoxia. METHODS: SST-immunoreactivity (IR) and somatostatin mRNA (SS mRNA)-positive neurons were measured by immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization methods. RESULTS: Compared with control rats, SST-IR and SS mRNA-positive neurons in hypothalamic periventricular nucleus (PeV), paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and arcuate nucleus (ARC) increased after acute hypobaric hypoxia for 6 h (P < 0.01), and these effects were markedly inhibited by AP-V (10 microg, icv), a highly selective N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, whereas were strongly enhanced by bicuculline (1.5 mg/kg, ip), a gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABAA) receptor antagonist. CONCLUSION: SST possibly participates in acute hypoxic reaction in hypothalamus, furthermore, glutamate and GABA can affect somatostatin release and synthesis in hypothalamus through NMDA and GABAA receptors respectively.

[Ketamine and L-NAME inhibit NOS and somatostatin mRNA expression induced by altitude hypoxia in the rat hypothalamus].

Using altitude hypoxia model, in situ hybridization and NADPH-d histochemistry, we investigated the effects of ketamine and L-NAME (blocker of NOS) on NOS and somatostatin mRNA (SS mRNA) expression in the rat hypothalamus following acute altitude hypoxia. It was revealed that acute altitude hypoxia induced NOS and SS mRNA overexpression in the rat hypothalamus. When pretreated with NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine and L-NAME, NOS and SS mRNA expression were inhibited significantly. These results suggest that NMDA receptor activation participates in the expression of NOS and SS mRNA in the rat hypothalamus subjected to acute altitude hypoxia. Meanwhile, hypothalamic endogenous NO may mediate expression of SS mRNA.

[Excitatory amino acid enhance prepro-somatostatin mRNA expression induced by altitude hypoxia in the rat hypothalamus].

AIM AND METHODS: Contents of glutamate (Glu), asparate (Asp) and expression of prepro-somatostatin mRNA (PPS-mRNA) in rat hypothalamus were measured by using imitated altitude hypoxia rat model, amino acid analyzer and in situ hybridization technique. RESULTS: After rats were subjected to altitude hypoxia, contents of Glu and Asp in hypothalamus and PPS-mRNA expression in periventricular nucleus (PeVN), paraventricular nucleus (PaVN) and arcuate nucleus (ArcN) were increased significantly. Ketamine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, could decrease the number of PPS-mRNA neurons in rat hypothalamus evoked by altitude hypoxia, but had no effect on Glu and Asp contents evoled by altitude hypoxia. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that somatostatin maybe paticipate in altitude hypoxia reaction, Glu can enhance PPS-mRNA expression through NMDA receptor.