Research progress of EGFRvIII targeted immunotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma / 药学学报

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain tumor, which is prone to recurrence and metastasis with poor prognosis. In recent years, immunotherapy has prolonged the survival of patients with GBM, providing a new option for the treatment of GBM. Target selection is very important for immunotherapy. Epidermal growth factor receptor variant III (EGFRvIII) is highly expressed on the surface of GBM cells in some patients, and EGFRvIII was not expressed in normal tissues. EGFRvIII are pivotal for the occurrence and progression of GBM, various targeted therapy including immunotherapy is promising to improve the efficacy of GBM. Currently, there are various approaches to target EGFRvIII, including humanized monoclonal antibodies, adoptive cell therapies and therapeutic vaccines. In this review, we focus on the preclinical and clinical findings of targeting EGFRvIII for GBM.

Effect of PADI4 on the Expression of Inflammatory Cytokines During NB4 Cells Differentiation / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the expression of peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) during the process of differentiation into granulocyte of NB4 cells induced by all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) and whether PADI4 is involved in the inflammatory cytokines expression.@*METHODS@#Granulocyte differentiation model of NB4 cells induced by ATRA was established. The cell morphology changes were observed by Wright-Giemsa staining. The expression of cell differentiation marker CD11b was analyzed by flow cytometry. The mRNA and protein expression of PADI4 was detected by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. The expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α and interleukin (IL) 1β was analyzed by ELISA, and also examined with the knockdown of PADI4 expression by siRNA.@*RESULTS@#After NB4 cells induced by ATRA, the cytoplasm increased and the ratio of nuclear to cytoplasmic was reduced. Nuclear dented, and rod-shaped nucleus, lobulated phenomenon increased (P<0.05). Flow cytometry analysis results showed that the cell surface molecule CD11b expression increased (P<0.01). RT-PCR and Western blot showed the expression of PADI4 increased at both transcriptional and translational levels during the process of the differentiation. ELISA showed TNF-α and IL-1β secretion increased in differentiated macrophages, while they could be inhibited by PADI4-specific siRNA.@*CONCLUSION@#During the differentiation into granulocyte of NB4 cells induced by ATRA, PADI4 expression increased. Furthermore, PADI4 appeared to play a critical role in inflammatory cytokines secretion.

Simultaneous and Rapid Detection of Concentrated Liquid of Compound Dahuang Decoction Based on Near Infrared Spectroscopy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::Near infrared spectroscopy was used to detect the concentration density (25 ℃), solid-containing content, rhein content and glycyrrhizic acid content of compound Dahuang decoction. Method::The concentrated liquid of compound Dahuang decoction was determined by near infrared optical fiber transmission spectrometry. The contents of rhein and glycyrrhizic acid were determined by HPLC. Fifty-one samples were used for internal cross-validation, and partial least square regression was used to establish correction models between near-infrared spectrum and density, solid-containing content, rhein content and glycyrrhizic acid content, respectively. Ten unknown concentrated liquid samples were collected for external validation and prediction. Result::The external validation complex correlation coefficients between near-infrared spectra and density, solid-containing content, rhein content and glycyrrhizic acid content of the concentrated liquid of compound Dahuang decoction were 0.995 9, 0.999 6, 0.997 0 and 0.992 2, and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) values were 2.50×10-3, 0.17, 7.57 and 67.10, respectively. Conclusion::The near infrared spectroscopy is suitable for the determination of evaluation indexes of the concentrated liquid index of compound Dahuang decoction, and has the characteristics of rapid, simple, stable and reliable.

Research on extraction process of Digeda-4 flavored decoction based on QbD concept / 中国中药杂志

To establish and validate the design space of the Digeda-4 flavored decoction( DGD-4D) extraction process by using the quality by design( Qb D) concept. With DGD-4D decoction pieces as a model drug,with the transfer rate of aesculin,picroside I,picroside Ⅱ,geniposide and the yield of extract as critical quality attributes( CQAs),the single factor experiment design was used to determine the level of each factor; the Plackett-Burman experiment design was used to select the critical process parameters( CPPs);and the Box-Behnken experiment design was used to optimize the extraction process. The design space of the DGD-4D extraction process was established,and finally,four experimental points were selected to verify the established model. The single factor experiment determined the levels of each factor,including soaking time 60 min and 30 min,water adding volume 12 times and 8 times,extraction time 90 min and 30 min,number of extraction times 3 times and 1 time,as well as extraction temperature 100 ℃ and 90 ℃.By Plackett-Burman experimental design,the DGD-4D water addition,extraction time and number of extraction times were determined to be CPPs. The Box-Behnken experimental variance analysis showed that P of the regression model was less than 0. 01 and the misstated value was more than 0. 01,indicating that the model had good predictive ability,and the operation space of CPPs in the DGD-4D extraction process was determined as follows: the amount of water addition was 10-12 times; extraction time 50-80 min; and number of extraction times was 3 times. The design space of DGD-4D extraction process based on the concept of Qb D is conducive to improving the stability of product quality and laying a foundation for the future development of DGD-4D.

Protective effects of laminarin on vascular endothelium in rats with chronic inflammation induced by LPS / 中国药理学通报

Aim To observe the effect of laminarin L01 on the expression of eNOS and iNOS in aorta of rats with chronic inflammation induced by LPS. Methods Chronic inflammatory rat models were prepared by tail vein injection low dose LPS(0.4 mg·kg-1) once a week for four weeks. The rats were randomly divided into five groups. After the first injection of LPS, the DXM group was intraperitoneally injected with dexam-ethasone (10 mg·kg-1). L01 high,medium and low dose groups were intraperitoneally injected with L01 (50,30,10 mg·kg-1). The LPS group was injected intraperitoneally with equal volume of normal saline once a day. Another control group, only injection of normal saline, a total of four weeks. After the last administration,the number of whole white blood cells (WBC) was counted. ELISA was used to measure the hs-CRP in serum. The expressions of eNOS,iNOS and COX-2 mRNA were detected by RT-PCR. Results After four weeks of administration of L01, the number of WBC and the level of serum hs-CRP in chronic in-flammatory rats were significantly decreased. The ex-pression of eNOS was up-regulated, and iNOS and COX-2 expressions were down-regulated. Conclusions Laminarin L01 may regulate the expression and re-lease of endothelium-derived relaxing factor stimulated by LPS,and improve the endothelium-dependent dias-tolic function of aorta, thus protecting the damage of vascular endothelium.

Protective effect of puerarin against anoxia reoxygenation injury in cardiomyocytes based on VDAC1/mPTP regulation mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the effect of puerarin( Pue) against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury and in-volved mitochondrial mechanism. Methods Anoxia/reoxygenation( A/R) injury model was established in H9c2 cell. Recombinant plasmid pFLAG-VDAC1 was constructed. Cells were randomly divided into 4 groups, normal control group ( Control) , A/R group, puerarin group ( Pue + A/R ) , and pFLAG-VDAC1-Pue group. Real-time PCR was used to investigate the expression of VDAC1 at mRNA level, and the expres-sion of protein level was detected by Western blot. LDH and CK activities were measured by automatic bi-ochemical analyzer. Mitochondrial membrane potential ( Δψm) and cell apoptosis were observed by flow cy-tometry method. Mitochondrial swelling test was used to detect the opening of mitochondria permeability tran- sition pore ( mPTP) . Results Compared with control group, the expression of VDAC1 and mRNA was up-regulated in A/R group, LDH and CK activity were el-evated, and then mPTP opened, Δψm collapsed, cell apoptosis was significantly increased. Puerarin pre-treatment can lower the expression of VDAC1, main-tain Δψm, prevent the opening of mPTP, and reduce apoptosis. However, the protective effect of Puerarin could be cancelled by transfection of pFLAG-VDAC1. Conclusions The cardioprotection of Puerarin against A/R injury is closely related to down-regulation of VDAC1 and prevention of mPTP opening.

Qualitative and quantitative analysis of related substances in clotrimazole cream / 药学学报

For qualitative and quantitative analysis of related substances in clotrimazole cream, HPLC-Q-TOF spectrometer was used to analyze the fragmentation pathways and identify structures of the related substances. Five related substances named by BP (2018) were identified as impurity A ((2-chlorophenyl)-diphenylmethanol), impurity B (para-clotrimazole isomer), impurity E (2-chlorobenzophenone), impurity F (1-tritylimidazole) and impurity 4 (9-(2-chlorophenyl)-fluorene), respectively, by using impurity references matching and comparison with the literature data. Four related substances were detected in clotrimazole cream except impurity E, and 9-(2-chlorophenyl)-fluorene is the first identified impurity in this preparation. To establish an HPLC method for determination of the related substances in Clotrimazole Cream, the Agilent Poroshell Bonuns RP column was used (100 mm×4.6 mm, 2.7 μm) with UV detection at 215 nm. The mobile phase was acetonitrile-10 mmol·L-1 dipotassium phosphate buffer (adjusted with phosphoric acid to pH of 5.80) with a flow rate of 1.0 mL·min-1. Gradient elution was used. The column temperature was maintained at 40℃. A good linear behavior was achieved between component's concentrations and peak area for impurity A, B, E, F within the range of 0.20-10.02 μg·mL-1, 0.20-10.00 μg·mL-1, 0.20-10.10 μg·mL-1, 0.10-5.01 μg·mL-1 with the correlation coefficients were 0.999 7, 1.000 0, 1.000 0, 0.999 9, respectively. The average recoveries were 94.3%, 95.0%, 100.0%, 99.6% with RSDs were 2.8%, 2.2%, 1.1%, 2.7%, respectively (n=9). LOQ were 200.4, 200.0, 202.0, 100.2 ng·mL-1, respectively. LOD were 57.25, 57.14, 57.71, 28.63 ng·mL-1, respectively. The developed method was simple, rapid, accurate and effective for testing related substances in clotrimazole cream to control its quality, ensuring the safety of clinical medication.

Changes of mitofusin-2 expression after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats / 解剖学报

Objective: To investigate the dynamic changes of mitofusin-2 (Mfn2) expression in rat cerebral arteries after experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and to reveal the relationship between Mfn2 and cerebral vasospasm (CVS). Methods: A SAH model was induced by endovascular perforation of the intracranial portion of the internal carotid artery. One hundred and forty six male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups; sham group and SAH groups which were sacrificed at different time points (24 hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, 7days and 14days). Mortality, neurobehavioral score and brain water content were measured. Histology was conducted to observe the morphological changes. Western blotting and RT-PCR were performed to measure the Mfn2 protein and mRNA changes of the major cerebral arteries at different time points after SAH. Results: Blood clot surrounded the basilar artery gradually dissipated after SAH. HE staining showed that the most severe morphological vasospasm in basilar arteries was observed at the 24th hour after SAH. No positive immunohistochemical staining of Mfn2 was shown in the media layer of basilar artery at the 7th day after SAH. Western blotting showed that Mfn2 protein was remarkably increased at the 48th hour and the 72th hour after SAH compared to sham groups (P < 0. 05) and significantly decreased at the 7th day after SAH (p < 0. 05). The protein level at the 14th day after SAH was almost the same level with the sham and SAH 24 hours groups. The mRNA level changed in the same tendency as the protein level. Conclusion: This study indicate that Mfn2 plays essential roles in both acute and delayed CVS which may provide a theoretical basis for understanding of the mechanism of the CVS after SAH.

Early Kinetics of Procalcitonin in Predicting Surgical Outcomes in Type A Aortic Dissection Patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>In cardiac surgery, elevation of procalcitonin (PCT) could be observed postoperatively in the absence of any evidence of infection and also seems to be a prognostic marker. PCT levels measured in patients undergoing Type A aortic dissection (TAAD) were used to determine prognostic values for complications and surgical outcomes.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Measurements of PCT, C-reactive protein (CRP), and leukocyte count were observed in TAAD surgery patients (n = 251; average age: 49.02 ± 12.83 years; 78.5% male) at presurgery (T0) and 24 h (T1), 48 h (T2), and 7 days (T3) postsurgery. PCT clearance (PCTc) on days 2 and 7 was calculated: (PCTday1- PCTday2/day7)/PCTday1 × 100%. Endotracheal intubation duration, length of stay (LOS) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)/hospital, and complications were recorded.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>PCT peaked 24 h postsurgery (median 2.73 ng/ml) before decreasing. Correlation existed between PCT levels at T1 and duration of cardiopulmonary bypass (P = 0.001, r = 0.278). Serum PCT concentrations were significantly higher in nonsurvivor and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome groups on all postoperative days. PCT levels at T1 correlated with length of time of ventilation support and ICU/hospital LOS. Comparing PCT values of survivors versus nonsurvivors, a PCT cutoff level of 5.86 ng/ml at T2 had high sensitivity (70.6%) and specificity (74.3%) in predicting in-hospital death. PCTc-day 2 and 7 were significantly higher in survivor compared with nonsurvivor patients (38% vs. 8%, P= 0.012, 83% vs. -39%, P< 0.001). A PCTc-day 7 cutoff point of 48.7% predicted survival with high sensitivity (77.8%) and specificity (81.8%).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PCT level and PCTc after TAAD surgery might serve as early prognostic markers to predict postoperative outcome. PCT measurement may help identify high-risk patients.</p>

Comparative study on the situation of neglected children aged 3-6 year-olds between urban and rural areas of China / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate and analyze the situation of urban and rural neglected children aged 3-6,in China,so as to provide basis for the analysis and comparison on relevant risk factors.Methods 1163 urban children aged 3-6 (with 49.6％ males and 4.5％ with minority ethnicity) were investigated from 25 cities of 14 provinces,autonomous regions and municipalities in the whole country.Multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method was used.Again,using the same sampling method,4096 rural children (of whom 50.6％ were males with 6.2％ as minorities) were chosen from 26 cities of 10 provinces or municipalities.Identification of children being neglected was based on “Child Neglect Evaluation Norms of Children Aged 3-6 Years in Urban/Rural China”.SPSS-Windows 13.0 was employed for data analysis.Scores,frequency/degrees,age,sex and types (physical,emotional,educational,safety,medical and social) of children under negligence on every group of the regions,were calculated.x2 test (Chi-Square) and Analysis of variance (ANOVA) were processed to determine the significance of their differences.Results The overall frequencies of negligence were 28.0％ and 53.7％ respectively among the urban and rural children aged 3-6,while the total degrees of negligence were 42.2 and 44.4 respectively.Significant difference was found between children from the urban and the rural areas (P＜0.05).Significant difference was also found between urban and rural children on every age group (P＜0.05).The frequencies of negligence among males were 32.6％ and 55.9％ respectively in urban and rural areas while among females,the figures appeared to be 23.7％ and 51.6％ respectively.The degrees of negligence were 42.7 and 44.6 among male while 41.8 and 44.3 among female children,in the urban or rural areas.Significant differences were found on male or female between urban and rural groups (P＜0.05).Frequencies of negligence in urban children aged 3-6 for the six types were from 5.1％ to 12.9％,with the frequency in rural areas as 13.1％-26.6％.Significant difference was found between urban and rural group for any other type (P＜0.05),in addition to the safety type.The degrees of negligence in urban children aged 3-6 for the different type were between 39.4 and 43.4,while in the rural areas as from 36.5 to 48.2,with significant difference for every type (P＜0.05).The degrees of negligence related to education,emotion,or physical strength were more serious on children from the urban than from the rural areas.The highest frequency of child negligence was seen in the single-parent families on both urban and rural groups (42.9％ and 60.0％ respectively),with no significant difference found (P＞0.05).The urban and rural children aged 3-6 were mainly involved in single item of negligence,with incidence rates as 16.5％ and 22.7％ and proportions as 58.9％ and 45.1％ respectively,despite the factors as age or sex.Conclusion There were large differences on the situation of negligence between the urban and rural children aged 3-6.The frequencies and degrees of negligence in every age group and different sex for children living in the rural areas were higher than those urban children.The frequency of negligence among boys was higher than girls for both urban and rural areas.The rural children had suffered more serious negligence than the urban children at any other type,in addition to the ‘ safety'.Both urban and rural children had the highest frequency of negligence in single-parent family,and were mainly suffered from single item of negligence.

The status of child neglect for children aged 3 - 17 years in China / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the status of child neglect among urban areas children and adolescents aged 3 - 17 years in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method, 8001 children and adolescents were recruited from 30 cities of 14 provinces in December 2008. The investigation was carried based on The 3 - 6 years old children Neglect Norms of city in China and The 6 - 17 years old children Neglect Norms of city in China. SPSS 13.0 was employed for analyzing neglect rate and degree for group of areas, age, sex and neglect type (including neglect of physical, emotional, educational, medical, safety and social).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The degrees of child neglect for urban children aged 3 - 6 (children aged 6 were not in school), 6 - 8 (children aged 6 were school children), 9 - 11, 12 - 14 and 15 - 17 were 42.2 ± 6.9, 42.8 ± 8.4, 42.1 ± 9.1, 46.4 ± 9.2 and 49.7 ± 8.4(P < 0.05), the neglect rates were 28.0% (326/1163), 28.8% (431/1496), 27.2% (543/1962), 22.4% (373/1664) and 32.8% (563/1716) (P < 0.05), respectively. There were differences in six neglect types for each group; the neglect degrees and rates were high in the group aged 12 - 14 and 15 - 17 (46.4 ± 9.2 and 49.1 ± 8.4, 22.4% (373/1664) and 32.8% (563/1716), respectively); for each neglect type, the neglect degree of children aged 15 - 17 were highest (52.8 ± 8.0, 47.3 ± 11.6, 49.5 ± 10.8, 42.4 ± 10.3, 52.2 ± 16.0, 56.0 ± 10.1). The degree and rate of neglect in West were highest, Middle was next, the East was lowest (the neglect degrees were 45.4 ± 9.1, 45.0 ± 9.3 and 44.0 ± 8.8, P < 0.05;the rates were 30.7% (1340/4361), 25.0% (756/3024) and 21.2% (131/616), P < 0.05). Degree and rate of child neglect for children without siblings were lower than children with siblings (the neglect degrees were 44.2 ± 9.0 and 47.6 ± 9.1, P < 0.01; the rates were 26.1% (1572/6017) and 33.0% (655/1984), P < 0.01). Neglect degree of school children aged 6 years old (43.1 ± 7.3) was higher than children not in school (40.7 ± 7.8) (P < 0.01), but neglect rate was lower (the rates were 35.4% (60/169) and 21.3% (84/394), P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Neglect degree and rate of urban children and adolescents aged 3 - 17 years in China were both high, and neglect deserved more attentions.</p>

The status of child neglect among rural areas children aged 0 - 6 years in China / 中华预防医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the status of child neglect among rural areas children aged 0 - 6 years in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 7411 rural children aged 0 - 6 years old who were composed of two age groups (3315 children aged 0 - 2 years old and 4096 children aged 3 - 6 years old) were multistage stratified randomly sampled from 84 villages which were representative of 10 provinces of China, in accordance with sex and age in November 2010. To identify the child neglect based on the Neglect Norms for Children Aged 0 to 2 and 3 to 6 Years Old in Rural Areas of China, SPSS 13.0 was employed for analyzing neglect frequency and degree for every group of different age, sex and neglect type (including physical, emotional, educational, medical, safety and social neglects). χ(2) test and analysis of variance were also used.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The degree of child neglect for the children aged 0 - 2 years old was 45.01 ± 7.56, the neglect frequency was 54.9% (1819/3315); the degree of child neglect for the children aged 3 - 6 years old was 44.42 ± 7.57, the neglect frequency was 53.8% (2203/4096). The neglect frequency of children aged 0, 1, 2 years old were 58.5% (654/1117), 52.2% (597/1144), 53.9% (568/1054) (P < 0.05). For children aged 3 - 6 years old, the degrees of emotional and safety neglect for males (44.60 ± 7.86, 36.82 ± 9.03) were higher than females (44.03 ± 7.72, 36.25 ± 9.05) (P < 0.05); and the frequencies of emotional and social neglect for males (16.8% (349/2072), 28.3% (586/2072)) were also higher than females (14.1% (286/2024), 24.8% (503/2024)) (P < 0.05). All children of two age groups suffered neglect mainly on one of the six neglect types (incidences were 20.6% (683/3315) and 22.7% (931/4096)). For 0-2 age groups, the higher neglect frequencies happened in the single-parent family and the remarried family (62.5% (15/24) and 63.2% (12/19)), but for children aged 3 - 6 years old groups, it happened in the single-parent family (60.0%, 27/45).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Degree and frequency of child neglect among children aged 0 to 6 years old in the rural areas of China are high, and we should find out risk factors and provide efficient prevention measures.</p>

Pifithrin-alpha reduces cerebral vasospasm by attenuating apoptosis of endothelial cells in a subarachnoid haemorrhage model of rat / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The mechanism of cerebral vasospasm following subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is not understood. Here, we hypothesized that apoptosis of endothelial cells induced by p53 and its target gene em dash p53 upregulated modulator of apoptosis (PUMA) played an important role in development of cerebral vasospasm. We also observed the effects of a p53 inhibitor, pifithrin-alpha (PFT-alpha), on reducing the expression of p53 and PUMA, consequently decreasing the apoptosis of endothelial cells and alleviating cerebral vasospasm.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300-350 g were randomly divided into five groups: a control group (sham surgery), a SAH group, a SAH+dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) group, a SAH + PFT-alpha (0.2 mg/kg) group and a SAH + PFT-alpha (2.0 mg/kg) group. PFT-alpha was injected intraperitoneally immediately after SAH. Rats were sacrificed 24 hours after SAH. Western blot and immunohistochemical staining were used to detect the levels of p53, PUMA and caspase-3 protein. In addition, mortality and neurological scores were assessed for each group. Statistical significance was assured by analysis of variance performed in one way ANOVA followed by the Tukey test. The neurological and mortality scores were analyzed by Dunn's method and Fisher exact test, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>After SAH, Western blot and immunohistochemical staining showed the levels of p53, PUMA and caspase-3 in the endothelial cells and the numbers of TdT mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL) positive endothelial cells were all significantly increased in the basilar arteries (P<0.05), but significantly reduced by PFT-alpha (P<0.05). These changes were accompanied by increasing diameters and declining wall thickness of basilar arteries (P<0.05), as well as reduced mortality and neurological deficits of the rats (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>PFT-alpha could protect cerebral vessels from development of vasospasm and improve neurological outcome as well as reduce the mortality via suppressing apoptosis induced by p53 in the endothelial cells of cerebral vessels.</p>

Effect of extracts from rabbit skin inflamed by vaccinia virus in the management of postherpetic neuralgia and on serum interleukin-6 level in aged patients / 南方医科大学学报

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of the extracts from rabbit skin inflamed by vaccinia virus for injection, a commercially available agent (Analgecine), in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in aged patients and its influence on serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) level.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 44 elderly patients with PHN were randomly divided into two groups. In addition to the conventional antiviral therapy, patients in group A were given analgecine, and those in group B given indomethacin tablet. After the completion of the 14-day treatment course, the therapeutic effects were evaluated using visual analogue scale (VAS), and the changes in serum IL-6 levels after treatment were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The score of VAS decreased significantly after treatment in group A (P<0.01), but not in group B (P>0.05). In both groups, the serum IL-6 level before treatment was significantly higher than that in normal control subjects (P<0.001), and lowered significantly after treatment (P<0.01) in group A, but not in group B (P>0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The extracts from rabbit skin inflamed by vaccinia virus have definite effects for rapid pain relief, and can effectively decrease the serum IL-6 level in elderly patients with PHN.</p>

Study on the characteristics of inheritance and epidemiology in one pedigree with gallstone disease / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the characteristics of inheritance and epidemiology of gallstone disease in one pedigree.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A gallbladder disease-specific questionnaire was administered to all family members to ascertain histories of cholecystectomy and other medical conditions as well as anthropometrical data. Laboratory examination and ultrasonography were performed to determine the existence of gallstone.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>One hundred and thirteen members of four generations in the index family were enrolled in the study. The prevalence of gallstone in females (34.48%) was higher than in males (23.64%) but with no significant difference. The prevalence in the second and third generations (52%) was higher than in others (20%) (P < 0.05). The heritability and standard error showed as 86.38% +/- 46.46% in I generations. Body mass index, histories of hypertension, hyperlipidemia and blood glucose were positively related to gallstone disease (P = 0.012, < 0.01, 0.017, 0.043, respectively) in this family. Gallstone disease was not significantly related to history of diabetes, daily alcohol or diet habit. Plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels were not correlated with gallstone disease.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Gallstone disease presented aggregation in the family and was in accordance with the characteristics of autosomal dominant inheritance. Being female, obesity, hypertension and history of hyperlipidemia might serve as risk factors to this family.</p>