PROF. LI XUEGENG'S EXPERIENCE IN TREATMENT OF PEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES BY FLYING-NEEDLING THERAPY

Prof. Li Xuegeng,born in an oldwell-known family of Chinese Medicine,has been engaged in Chinese Medicine forabout fifty years.He has both wide range ofknowledge and rich experience,being espec-ially good at the application of flying need-ling(belonging to shallow needling or skinneedling)for treatment of pediatric emer-gencies with excellent therapeutic effects.

Hepatic differentiation from embryonic stem cells in vitro

OBJECTIVE: To investigate an method for hepatic differentiation from embryonic stem cells (ES cells) in vitro and the resulting differentiation ratio, in order to develop a procedure for producing a new type of hepatocyte for hepatocyte replacement therapy in the treatment of liver failure. METHODS: ES cells from Balb/C mice were cultured and maintained in an undifferentiated state in gelatin-coated dishes using Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) containing 1000 U/ml leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF). Then, LIF was withdrawn from the DMEM to allow the ES cells to develop into embryonic bodies (EBs). EBs were plated onto tissue culture dishes, and growth factors such as acidicfibroblast growth factor (aFGF) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) were added to the medium to promote directional differentiation. The course of development and differentiation was observed dynamically using an inversion microscope. The expression of hepatic proteins, such as alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), albumin (ALB), cytokeratin 8 (CK8), cytokeratin 18 (CK18), in cytoplasm was analyzed by immunocytochemistry (ICC). The concentration of ALB in the medium was determined dynamically by radioimmunoassay (RIA). RESULTS: ES cells replicated as clones, without differentiating, in DMEM containing LIF. They developed into EBs in medium without LIF. Our ICC assay showed that differentiating cells did not express hepatic proteins, such as AFP, ALB, CK8, and CK18 until day 7, day 9, day 11, and day 11, respectively (up to 2 days later when growth factors are not present). The concentration of AFP in the medium was first detected on day 8, at a concentration of 3.4 ng/ml, and increased to 22.8 ng/ml by day 15. The concentration of ALB in the medium was 0.2 micro g/ml on day 11, and increased to 2.2 micro g/ml by day 15. ALB-positive cells under ICC manifest morphological structures were consistent with normal mouse hepatocytes. The differentiation ratio of hepatocytes in the ES cell differentiation system was 30% on day 15 (significantly lower without the presence of growth factors). CONCLUSIONS: ES cells can differentiate into mature hepatocytes. Growth factors, such as aFGF and HGF, can enhance this differentiation and produce sufficient numbers of functional hepatocytes. This method may be a reliable new way of differentiating ES cells into hepatocytes for use in replacement therapy in the treatment of liver failure.

Menopausal depression:comparison of hormone replacement therapy and hormone replacement therapy plus fluoxetine

BACKGROUND: To compare the efficacy and safety of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) combined with fluoxetine, with HRT alone, in post-menopausal women suffering from depression. METHODS: A randomized, open-label, parallel trial was applied. HRT was administered to all patients for 2 cycles, with 14 days of estrogen therapy and 14 days of estrogen plus progesterone. Patients who were randomly assigned to the HRT plus fluoxetine group were given fluoxetine in combination with HRT. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), Kupperman Menopausal Index (KMI), and Clinical Global Impressions scale were used to measure the efficacy. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-three post-menopausal patients with depression were enrolled in the study. Among them, 120 had at least one post-treatment visit and entered into the statistical analysis. The mean total HAMD scores were significantly lower, and the percentages of HAMD score reductions were higher in the HRT plus fluoxetine Group compared with the HRT Group, after at least 3 weeks of treatment, with an average difference of 5 points at the endpoint. The Clinical Global Impression-Severity and Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scores were significantly different in the 2 groups, in favor of the combination therapy. The mean total KMI was significantly lower in the Combination Group compared with the HRT Group, after at least 6 weeks of treatment, with an average 4.5-point difference between the groups. No statistically significant differences were found in most of the adverse events reported in the Combination Group compared with the HRT group, with the exception of 3 symptoms, i.e., dry mouth, loss of appetite, and abdominal distention. They were mild to moderate in severity. Two patients in the HRT group, but none in the combination group, dropped out due to adverse events. CONCLUSION: HRT plus fluoxetine therapy was effective in the treatment of menopausal depression with a satisfactory safety profile.

Increased lipoprotein (a) level is independently associated with the severity of coronary artery disease

Background Increased serum level of lipoprotein （a） （Lp （a）） is associated with atherosclerosis. Whether increased Lp （a） level is independently associated with the severity of coronary artery disease （CAD） is un- clear. Methods Subjects were enrolled and received coronary angiography to assess the number of stenosed coronary artery. The subjects with CAD were divided into non-significant （〈 50% stenosis）, single and multi- vessel stenosis （ ≥ 50 % stenosis） groups. Parameters of interest at baseline were collected. Statistical analyses were performed to evaluate the relationship between Lp （a） level and CAD severity. Results Totally 745 populations were enrolled and diagnosed as CAD （n = 605） or without CAD （n = 140） on the basis of an- giography examination. As compared to the subjects without CAD, serum levels of Lp （a） and CRP, and the percentages of subjects with smoking or diabetes were significantly higher in subjects with CAD. In contrast, serum levels of HDL-C and Apo-A were significantly lower in subjects with CAD as compared to subjects without CAD. In comparison of subjects with non-significant stenosis （serum Lp（a） level, 170.0±19.7 mg/ dL）, serum Lp（a） level was significantly higher in subjects with single （245.5 ± 22.3 mg/dL） or multiple vessel stenoses （265.8 ± 14.0 mg/dL）. With multivariate regression analyses, after adjusted for age, gender, smoking, family history and hypertension, there was still significant association between serum Lp（a） level and the number of coronary artery stenosis. After additional adjustment for diabetes, HbAlc, total cholesterol, LDL-C, Apo-A, uric acid and CRP, Lp（a） remained strongly associated with CAD severity. Conclusion Serum Lp（a） level was significantly associated with the severity of coronary artery stenosis, which may add the value on cardiovascular risk evaluation.

The study of emotional presentation after stroke

Abstract: 30 stroke cases were studied in field of their emotional facts. linear related statistics showed the negative relation between the age, disease onset MMSE and ADL with SDS, SSRI drugs and Psychothcrapy should bc useful for prohibiting sever functional retardation.