Huayu Jiedu Prescription Alleviates Gut Microbiota and Fecal Metabolites in Mice with Endometriosis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of Huayu Jiedu prescription （HYJDP） on gut microbiota and fecal metabolites in mice with endometriosis. Method:Normal female C57BL/6J mice were divided into normal control group （CO）， endometriosis group （EM） and Chinese medicine Huayu Jiedu decocotion group （CM）. CO and EM groups received normal saline and CM group received HYJDP by intragastric administration. Untargeted metabolomics method was used to detect metabolites in fecal supernatant of mice， and receiver operating characteristic （ROC） analysis was used to screen the differential metabolites， 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing was used to detect the gut microbiota， and Spearman correlation coefficient was used to represent the degree of correlation between differential metabolites and intestinal flora. Lipopolysaccharides （LPSs） in intestinal wall tissue， serum and peritoneal lavage fluid were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The expression of Vimentin and E-cadherin in ectopic lesions was detected by immunohistochemistry. Result:HYJDP alleviated the disorders of fecal metabolites and gut microbiota in EMS mice， especially with the recovered levels of homoveratric acid， melilotoside C and physapubescin in fecal supernatant. In the comparison of these three factors between EM group and CO group as well as between EM group and CM group， the variable important in projection （VIP） value was both above 2， and AUC in ROC analysis was both >0.9. As compared with EM group， HYJDP restored the abundance of species such as <italic>Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group</italic>， <italic>Lactobacillus</italic> and <italic>Blautia </italic>（<italic>P</italic><0.05）. In addition， the level of LPS in peritoneal fluid supernatant of EM group was significantly higher than that of CO group （<italic>P</italic><0.05） and CM group （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. The protein expression of vimentin and E-cadherin in endometriosis decreased significantly （<italic>P</italic><0.05）. Conclusion:HYJDP which can improve the intestinal environment and reduce the level of LPS in mice with endometriosis， is an effective drug for the treatment of endometriosis.

Multimodality management of squamous cell carcinoma of thoracic esophagus / 中华胃肠外科杂志

Most patients with esophageal cancer have advanced disease at presentation. The efficacy of surgical resection alone is often unsatisfactory in patients with stage III or more advanced cancer according to the seventh edition of UICC staging system for esophageal cancer. The systematic multidisciplinary treatment is important. Mounting evidence indicates that preoperative concurrent chemoradiotherapy is the most effective induction therapy to down-stage tumor and increase radical resection rate. For the esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients with multi-stations and multi-fields lymph node metastasis, preoperative induction chemotherapy would be a viable option. For locally advanced cancers which have been surgically resected, postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy maybe helpful to improve local control for the insufficient surgical dissection. The role of adjuvant chemotherapy also needs further studies. Thoracic esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and lower esophageal adenocarcinoma which is common in western countries are different. We need more prospective clinical studies to establish our treatment modalities for esophageal cancer.

Establishment and identification of CML model via injection of K562 cells into the murine caudal vein / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was purposed to establish and identify the model of extramedullary infiltration of CML-NOD/SCID mice. 24 mice were irradiated with 270 cGy of (137)Cs and absorbed dose rate 80 cGy/min, and were randomly divided into test group I, test group II and control group. The mice in test group I and test group II were injected with 5×10(6) and 1×10(7) K562 cells per mouse respectively, the mice in control group were injected with 0.2 ml of normal saline. The general situation and survival time of these mice were monitored, the extramedullary infiltration of leukemia cells was detected by histopathology examination and RT-PCR. The results indicated that at 4 - 8 weeks after injection, all the mice of group I and group II displayed extramedullary infiltration, suggesting that CML/NOD-SCID model was successfully established. It is concluded that the model of extramedullary infiltration of CML/NOD-SCID mice can be established by injection K562 cells into caudal vein, and can be confirmed by histopathologic examination and detection of BCR-ABL fusion gene using RT-PCR.

Influence of polypeptide extract from scorpion venom on PI3K and p-Akt signaling protein expression and cell proliferation of K562 cells / 中国实验血液学杂志

This study was aimed to investigate the effect of polypeptide extract from scorpion venom (PESV) on PI3K, p-Akt signal protein regulating K562 cell apoptosis and its mechanism. The K562 cells were cultured with PESV for different time, the cell growth curve was determined by MTT method, the levels of PI3K and p-Akt proteins were detected by Western blot. The results showed that as compared with control group, the apoptosis rate of K562 cells treated with PESV increased, the levels of PI3K and p-Akt expression decreased. It is concluded that the PESV inhibits the proliferation and promotes the apoptosis of K562 cells probably through suppressing the expression of PI3K and p-Akt signal proteins.

Prevalence and related factors of falls among the elderly in an urban community of Beijing / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the prevalence, consequences and risk factors of falls among urban community-dwelling elderly in Beijing.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A cross-sectional study was conducted in Longtan Community, Beijing. A total of 1512 individuals aged 60 years or over were selected by stratified cluster sampling. Data regarding the frequency of falls in the previous year, as well as circumstances, consequence and related factors of falls were collected from the elderly through face-to-face interviews with questionnaires in their home.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The prevalence of falls was 18.0% on the average among 1512 participants, higher in women (20.1%) than in men (14.9%) (P = 0.006), and increased with age (chi2(for trend) = 10.37, P = 0.001). The total rate of falls-induced injuries among the fallers was 37.7%. Falls usually resulted in soft-tissues bruises (58.7%), fear of repeated episodes of falls (58.8%), loss of independence and confidence in movement (35.7%) and even in hip fracture. In addition to the burden of medical care, falls also generated a big economic burden. Occurrence of falls was significantly associated with both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The related factors of falls in the elderly included age > or = 60-70 years, femininity, less physical activities, fear of future falls, living alone, severely impaired vision, health problem-impacted activities of daily living, chronic diseases (diabetes, hypertension, postural hypotension, stroke sequela, cataract, arthritis, dementia and depression), medications (psychoactive, anti-diabetic), gait imbalance, high bed and faintly-lighted stairway.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The prevalence of falls among urban community-dwelling elderly in Beijing is closely associated with significant associated with intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Efforts to prevent falls in the elderly should be made at community level.</p>

Relationship between discomfort experience and factual recollection in patients of intensive care unit / 中国实用护理杂志

Objective To analyze the correlation of discomfort experience and factual recollection (FR) in patients of intensive care unit (ICU). Methods Fifty-five ICU patients and 63 ward patients par-ticipated in the study. Standardized questionnaires were used to evaluate all patients" FR and the results underwent analysis. Results The prevalence of recollection of any type of discomfort in the ICU patients was 64%. The presence of an endotracheal tube, pain and hallucinations were identified as sources of dis-comfort.The median score for FR in the ICU patients was 7.25. The median score for FR in the ward pa-tients was 13.50. The difference between them was highly significant (t =3.34, P < 0.01 ). Logistic analysis revealed that discomfort, especially discomfort caused by the presence of an endotracheal tube, pain and hallucinations, was positively related to FR, 0R95%CI (1.2～2.1), P < 0.01. Conclusions The presence of an endotracheal tube, pain and hallucinations were most frequently reported as sources of discomfort in ICU patients and their memory was often impaired. FR and recollection of discomfort appear to be related significantly in ICU patients.

Application of NOD/SCID mice in research of experimental hematology - review / 中国实验血液学杂志

NOD/SCID (non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient) mice are immune deficient mice which are made by backcross of severe combined immunodeficient mice with non-obese diabetic mice strains. NOD/SCID mice are both innate immune deficiencies and lack of T and B lymphocytes. Various tumor cells can be implanted in this kind of mice, the rejection and graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) occur fewer. Therefore, NOD/SCID mice gradually become a useful tool for the study on Experimental Hematology. This paper comprehensively reviews the biological characteristics of NOD/SCID mice, the establishment of human leukemia model, stem cell transplantation, drug research, deficiency and improvement of NOD/SCID mice in application for study.

Liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: prognostic analysis of 89 cases / 中华外科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To summarize the experience of liver transplantation (LT) for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in one center and identify prognostic factors for survival.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The clinical data and survival results of 89 patients with HCC receiving LT from January 1999 to December 2003 were retrospectively analyzed and various clinicopathologic risk factors for actuarial survival and tumor free survival were evaluated by univariate and multivariate analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Six-month, 1-, and 2-year survival rates were 81.8%, 55.3% and 43.7%, respectively. The 6-month, 1-, and 2-year tumor free survival rates were 62.4%, 35.6% and 24.9%, respectively. The overall tumor recurrence and metastasis rate was 52.8%. In the univariate analysis, portal vein tumor thrombi (PVTT) (chi(2) = 15.14, P = 0.0001), tumor size (chi(2) = 15.05, P = 0.0001), hepatic cirrhosis background (chi(2) = 6.14, P = 0.0132), preoperative alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level (chi(2) = 5.82, P = 0.0159) and histopathologic grading (chi(2) = 4.61, P = 0.0319) were found to be significantly associated with actuarial survival rate. Seven factors influencing tumor free survival included PVTT (chi(2) = 26.30, P < 0.0001), tumor size (chi(2) = 25.25, P < 0.0001), preoperative AFP level (chi(2) = 14.83, P = 0.0001), histopathologic grading (chi(2) = 12.54, P = 0.0004), tumor distribution (chi(2) = 12.73, P = 0.0004), number of nodules (chi(2) = 9.81, P = 0.0017) and cirrhosis background (chi(2) = 9.76, P = 0.0018). In the multivariate Cox regression analysis, the prognostic factors independently associated with patient survival were identified to be PVTT (RR = 4.721, P = 0.001), age (RR = 3.282, P = 0.007) and histopathologic grading (RR = 2.368, P = 0.037). For tumor free survival, histopathologic grading (RR = 3.739, P < 0.0001), PVTT (RR = 4.382, P = 0.001), cirrhosis background (RR = 0.421, P = 0.011), age (RR = 2.312, P = 0.027) and AFP (RR = 2.301, P = 0.047) were identified as prognostic parameters.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>LT is a good therapeutic option for strictly selected patients with HCC. PVTT and histopathologic grading are the most important factors of predicting outcomes of HCC patients undergoing LT. Further studies should be strengthened to establish a reliable and feasible selection criteria and an optimal prognosis scoring system for LT.</p>