Search

To investigate the therapeutic effect of combined Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine therapy on survival outcomes of patients’ PLC. In XCHD group (n=76), patients were treated with Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction in accordance with the addition and subtraction theory of TCM; in NM group (n=89), patients were managed by naturopathic medicine; in combined group (n=70), the same volume of Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction combined with naturopathic medicine procedures was applied. There were no evident statistical differences of age, gender, KPS score, body weight, smoking status, AFP levels, HbsAg status, TBIL levels, tumor diameters, and numbers among different groups, showing comparability among groups. No significant difference was found regarding the total remission rate and stability rate of tumors in patients treated by Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction and naturopathic medicine, except the combined therapy. KPS scores were significantly improved after treatment among groups. After treatment, 52.8% cases maintained a stable or slight increase in weight, of which 42.1%, 48.3%, and 70.0% cases maintained weight stably in the XCHD group, NM group, and combined treatment group, respectively. Xiao-Chaihu-Decoction associated with naturopathy may predict improved prognostic outcomes in PLC patients, along with improved remission and stability rates, increased KPS scores, and stable weight maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An alkaline phosphatase was purified from the gut of sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus by n-butyl alcohol extract, ammonium sulfate precipitation, ion exchange chromatography with diethylaminoethyl cellulose, gel filtration chromatography with Sephacryl S-200 and preparative electrophoresis with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The native enzyme was estimated to be 166 ± 9 kDa and produced a single predominant band corresponding to active enzyme on nondenaturing electrophoresis, but showed 2 bands of 97 and 35 kDa on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the native enzyme is composed of two dissimilar subunits. The enzyme displayed maximum activity at pH 11 and 40 °C, showing narrow pH stability (pH 10-12) and thermal instability at temperature higher than 30 °C. The activity of the purified alkaline phosphatase was enhanced by Mg, whereas inhibited by Zn, Ca and EDTA at 1 and 10 mM, suggesting its activity is in a magnesium ion-dependent manner. The product-analog WO and product HPO showed strong inhibitory effects on the enzyme activity. Using p-nitrophenyl phosphate as substrate, the V and K values were 24.45 μmol/L min and 5.76 mM, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ording to the distribution characteristics of equivalent plastic strain (PEEQ) in radial-axial ring rolling, the plastic deformation zones in cross section were established. A 3D rigid-viscoplastic finite element model (FEM) which was controlled adaptively was applied to investigate defects that occurred during ring rolling under ABAQUS software. PEEQ, stress, and temperature distributions in different deformation zones have been analyzed in this study. Strain peaks were found in the cross-section corners. Moreover, it was investigated that non-uniform strain, stress, and temperature distributions in the ring tend to cause non-uniform microstructure and properties. Therefore, forming defects and microstructure damage would appear in cross-section corners due to the high-strain deformation. Based on the new developed FEM of the radial-axial ring-rolling process and comprehensive numerical simulations, the size effects of feed rate and lubrication conditions on strain and temperature distributions and their uniformity were investigated by 3D coupled thermomechanical FE simulation. The results have good agreement with experiment. The achievements of this study can provide basis for quality control and technical guidance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We sought to determine the diagnostic value of a D-dimer test for myocardial infarction (MI). The prospective cohort study was carried in the ED of a university hospital. All included patients were tested for D-dimer and cardiac troponin I (cTnI) on ED admission and additional cTnI 6 h later. AMI was retrospectively confirmed by employing the ESC-ACC-AHA-WHF 2007 universal definition. The discriminative value of D-dimer test was assessed by ROC curve analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to identify independent risk factors associated with D-dimer elevation other than MI. A total of 178 patients were included in this study. Median D-dimer levels were significantly higher in MI patients. A D-dimer value greater than 200 ng/ml was significantly associated with MI. When used alone, the test has a high sensitivity of 91.8% but a low specificity of 23.9%. Combined use of cTnI and D-dimer tests raised the sensitivity to 98.4% and helped early triage a subgroup of low risk patients. However, the test had the downside of 58% false positives. High false positives could be partly explained by the high prevalence of underlying hypercoagulable comorbidities. Diabetes mellitus with chronic renal insufficiency was identified as the strongest risk factor associated with D-dimer elevation in patients without MI. D-dimer test alone has a low diagnostic value for MI. Co-existing hypercoagulable conditions may confound the results. Combining cTnI and D-dimer tests enables early identification a low risk group of patients for MI at the cost of high false positives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background . Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is used for treatment of lupus erythematosus. The cardiac toxicity of HCQ has focused primarily on acute intoxication. We report a case of chronic use of HCQ associated with torsade de pointes. Case report . A 67-year-old female presented with acquired long QT interval syndrome with a refractory ventricular arrhythmia. She was receiving chronic therapeutic doses of HCQ for the treatment of lupus erythematosus. Torsades de pointes was diagnosed in the Emergency Department (ED). After excluding other causes of long QT syndrome, the HCQ was suspected as the cause of her ventricular tachycardia. After discontinuing the HCQ, the QT interval was shorter and the patient recovered after treatment with lidocaine and isoproterenol. Conclusion . The chronic use of HCQ for rheumatic diseases, or as an anti-malarial drug, should be balanced against the risk of developing potentially lethal cardiac arrhythmias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]