[Effect and safety evaluation of catgut implantation at acupoint for levels of bone metabolism and free radicals in postmenopausal women].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect and safety evaluation of catgut implantation at acupoint and drugs for levels of bone metabolism and free radicals in postmenopausal women. METHODS: Sixty-five postmenopausal women were randomly divided into an acupoint catgut implantation group (33 cases) and a medication group (32 cases). Sanyinjiao (SP 6), Shenshu (BL 23) and Guanyuan (CV 4) were used as main points combined with adjunct points according to syndrome differentiation in the acupoint catgut implantation group, once two weeks. The medication group was treated with oral administration of 2 pills of Fu fuchun capsule, once a day. Three months constitute one course in the both groups. The scores of the symptoms and signs were evaluated, and elbow vein blood was drawn to detect the correlative index on the beginning and the ending day of the treatment respectively. The safety of catgut implantation at acupoint was evaluated after one course of treatment. Besides, the sex hormone test in ovulatory period was detected in twenty-eight normal women in reproductive age with regular menstrual cycle. RESULTS: 1) The total effective rate of the acupoint catgut implantation group was 93.9% (31/33), and that of the medication group was 96.9% (31/32), there was no significant difference between the two groups (P>0.05). The contents of bone gla protein (BGP), calcitonin (CT), parathyroid hormone (PTH) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) in the both groups had significant differences after treatment (P<0.05, P<0.01); 2) The content of estradiol (E2) in serum in the both groups was decreased more obviously than those of normal women in reproductive age (both P<0.001). The content of E2 in the both groups was obviously increased after treatment (P<0.05, P<0.01), this function in the acupoint catgut implantation group was weaker than that of the medication group (P<0.05), while the incidence rate of adverse effect in the acupoint catgut implantation group was lower than that of the medication group (P<0.05); 3) There were significant differences of the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) before and after treatment in the acupoint catgut implantation group, the level of SOD was obviously increased after treatment (P<0.01), while the level of MDA decreased obviously (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Catgut implantation at acupoint can improve the low level of estrogen of postmenopausal women, with good safety. It can regulate the levels of bone metabolism and free radicals of postmenopausal women, so it is very meaningful to prevent and treat postmenopausal degenerative diseases including the osteoporosis and to delay the process of apolexis.

Treatment of injectable soft tissue filler complications.

BACKGROUND: Increasing use of dermal fillers, especially with the U.S. introduction of long-term and permanent fillers, is expected to increase the number of complications seen after treatment with these materials. OBJECTIVES: To provide physicians with an overview for treatment of dermal filler complications. RESULTS: Complications of dermal filler use can be treated successfully based on a firm understanding of the mechanisms and limitations of filler action and wound healing. Complications can be classified as immediate, early, or delayed onset; available treatment options are presented. CONCLUSION: Short- and long-term dermal fillers are increasingly becoming popular treatment options for signs of facial aging. Complications, although not common, can be treated effectively and excellent outcomes achieved.

A new anti-adhesion film synthesized from polygalacturonic acid with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)carbodiimide crosslinker.

The most commonly used anti-adhesion device for separation and isolation of wounded tissues after surgery is the polymeric film. In this study, a new anti-adhesion membrane based on polygalacturonic acid (PGA) has been synthesized, and its biocompatibility and anti-adhesion capabilities evaluated. The PGA film was reacted with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) to obtain a cross-linked PGA film with an 86% gel content and a 47% water content when immersed in aqueous solution. This PGA-EDC film did not show any evidence of cytotoxic effects since it did not induce any significant increase in cytoplasmic LDH release from the L929 cells in contact with it. When implanted into rats, the PGA-EDC film exhibited a most promising anti-adhesion potential with only 1 out of 21 rats operated not forming any tissue adhesion. This anti-adhesion potency is significantly higher than that found for Seprafilm and untreated rats where 11 out of 21 and 18 out of 21 operated rats, respectively, formed tissue adhesions. The implanted PGA-EDC film did not elicit any acute inflammatory reaction based on the results of histological examination and peritoneal fluid leukocytes analysis. The newly developed PGA-EDC film thus has a great potential for future use in clinical applications.