[The Ophthalmology-centered medical industry in Suzhou in the Ming and the Qing Dynasties - from the Painting Album of Cityscapes and Business].

The Painting Album of Cityscapes and Business was finished in the early Qing Dynasty with realism. This painting album described the prosperity in business and everyday life in Suzhou during the late Ming and the early Qing Dynasties. They were drawn and painted retrospectively, ie, the content of the pictures was based on existing paintings handed down. In the painting album, more than ten medical-related elements were specifically depicted, such as traditional Chinese medicine clinics and pharmacies and seven ophthalmology-related elements including one clinic specialized in ophthalmology, two spectacle shops, two people wearing eyeglasses and three blind people. Up to now, no specialized ophthalmology clinics and spectacle shops have been found in earlier literature and paintings. It can be speculated that the Painting Album of Cityscapes and Business is the earliest album of paintings depicting clinics specialized in ophthalmology and spectacle shops in China. This painting album provides important information for the study of the medical industry in Suzhou in the late Ming and the early Qing Dynasties, particularly, in terms of ophthalmology-related diagnosis and treatment.

Rotenone-induced death of RGC-5 cells is caspase independent, involves the JNK and p38 pathways and is attenuated by specific green tea flavonoids.

The aim of the present studies was to characterise cell death following inhibition of mitochondrial complex I with rotenone in a transformed cell line (RGC-5 cells) and to examine the neuroprotective properties of the flavonoids genistein, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), epicatechin (EC) and baicalin. Rotenone-induced cell death of RGC-5 cells results in a generation of reactive oxygen species, a breakdown of DNA, the translocation of membrane phosphatidylserine, an up-regulation of haemoxygenase-1 and is unaffected by necrostatin-1 (inhibitor of necroptosis), z-VAD-fmk (pan caspase inhibitor) or NU1025 (PARP inhibitor) but attenuated with SP600125 (JNK inhibitor). Rotenone-induced toxicity of RGC-5 cells also caused an activation of mitogen-activated kinases indicated by an up-regulation and translocation into mitochondria of p-c-Jun, pJNK and pp38. Exposure of RGC-5 cells to rotenone does not affect apoptosis inducing factor or significantly stimulate caspase-3 activity. EGCG and EC both significantly blunt rotenone toxicity of RGC-5 cells at concentrations of 50 µM while genistein and baicalin were without effect. Significantly, genistein is approximately 20 times less efficacious than EGCG (IC(50) 2.5 µM) and EC (IC(50) 1.5 µM) at inhibiting sodium nitroprusside-induced lipid peroxidation. These studies show that rotenone toxicity of RGC-5 cells is neither necroptosis nor caspase-dependent apoptosis but involves the activation of mitogen-activated kinases and is inhibited by a JNK inhibitor, EGCG and EC. Genistein attenuates lipid peroxidation less efficaciously than EC and EGCG and does not affect rotenone toxicity of RGC-5 cells.

Genistein blunts the negative effect of ischaemia to the retina caused by an elevation of intraocular pressure.

AIMS: Deduce whether the isoflavone genistein blunts the effect of ischaemia to the retina. METHODS: Ischaemia was induced in rats by raising the intraocular pressure (120 mm Hg) for 50 min. Genistein (10 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally 1 h before and after ischaemia. Seven days after ischaemia, the level of mRNAs for neurofilament light (NF-L), caspase 3, caspase 8, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP), Thy-1 and proteins (GFAP, NF-L, PARP) in whole retinas were determined. NF-L and tubulin proteins in optic nerves were also determined. Retinas were also processed for the localization of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) and GFAP immunoreactivities. RESULTS: Ischaemia caused a significant reduction in ganglion cell proteins in the optic nerve (NF-L and tubulin) and retina (NF-L). Retinal Thy-1 (mRNA and protein) and NF-L (mRNA) were also reduced while mRNAs of caspase 3, caspase 8, PARP and GFAP (also protein) were increased. Changes in the mRNAs and proteins induced by ischaemia were significantly blunted by genistein with the exception of the increase in GFAP and PARP protein/mRNA levels. Ischaemia-induced changes in the localization of ChAT were also clearly attenuated by genistein treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Genistein blunts most of the damaging effects caused to the retina by ischaemia.

Amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan.

AIMS: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of amoebiasis among patrons visiting gay saunas in Taiwan. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using questionnaire interview and indirect hemagglutination assays and specific Entamoeba histolytica antigen assays of blood and rectal swab specimens, respectively, among patrons visiting 10 gay saunas between September 2006 and December 2006. RESULTS: During the three-month study period, 208 blood and 120 rectal swab specimens were tested for E. histolytica infection. Amoebiasis was detected among 3.8% and 3.3% of the patrons by serologies and antigen assays, respectively. During the latest sexual encounter, more than 70% of the patrons had oral-anogenital sex, and only 20% used condoms during oral-anogenital contact. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that there is a potential risk of E. histolytica transmission among the patrons visiting gay saunas who do not practise safe sex consistently in Taiwan.

Suppression of morphine withdrawal by electroacupuncture in rats: dynorphin and kappa-opioid receptor implicated.

Our previous work has demonstrated that 100-Hz electroacupuncture (EA) or 100-Hz transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) was very effective in ameliorating the morphine withdrawal syndrome in rats and humans. The mechanism was obscure. (1) Rats were made dependent on morphine by repeated morphine injections (5-140 mg/kg, s.c., twice a day) for eight days. They were then given 100-Hz EA for 30 min 24 h after the last injection of morphine. A marked increase in tail flick latency (TFL) was observed. This effect of 100-Hz EA could be blocked by naloxone (NX) at 20 mg/kg, but not at 1 mg/kg, suggesting that 100-Hz EA-induced analgesia observed in morphine-dependent rats is mediated by kappa-opioid receptors. (2) A significant decrease of the concentration of dynorphin A (1-17) immunoreactivity (-ir) was observed in the spinal perfusate in morphine-dependent rats, that could be brought back to normal level by 100-Hz EA. (3) 100-Hz EA was very effective in suppressing NX-precipitated morphine withdrawal syndrome. This effect of EA could be prevented by intrathecal administration of nor-BNI (2.5 micrograms/20 microliters), a kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, or dynorphin A (1-13) antibodies (25 micrograms/20 microliters) administered 10 min prior to EA. In conclusion, while the steady-state spinal dynorphin release is low in morphine-dependent rats, it can be activated by 100-Hz EA stimulation, which may be responsible for eliciting an analgesic effect and ameliorating morphine withdrawal syndrome, most probably via interacting with kappa-opioid receptor at spinal level.

[Effects of baoshen pill in treating chronic renal failure with long-term hemodialysis].

A clinical trial, to evaluate the effects of Baoshen Pill (Rheum palmatum extract, RPE) on hemodialytic patients was conducted. 42 cases with terminal stage of renal failure (Scr < 10 ml/min) on HD were divided at random into RPE treated group and control group. The results showed there were no statistically significant differences between two groups for Scr or BUN. Serum levels of TC, LDL-c, apo B and apo B/apo A1 dropped down and HDL-c, apo A1, albumin, pro-albumin and fibrinectin increased during the follow-up period (P < 0.05) in the treated patients. It is considered that the mechanisms of RPE in preventing chronic renal failure were not the action of whole body. Improving serum levels of albumin, lipoprotein, apolipoproteins might play important role in treatment.