The distribution of blood pressure and associated factors of the elderly with type 2 diabetes in Jiangsu Province / 中华预防医学杂志

Objective: To investigate the distribution of blood pressure and analyze the associated factors of blood pressure of the elderly with type 2 diabetes in Jiangsu Province. Methods: The elderly over 60 years old participants with type 2 diabetes in the communities of Huai'an City and Changshu City, Jiangsu Province were selected in this study. They were divided into two groups: taking antihypertensive drugs and not taking antihypertensive drugs. The demographic characteristics, such as age and sex, and relevant factors were collected by questionnaire. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured by physical examination. The percentile of SBP and DBP in each age group of men and women were described. The kernel density estimation curve was used to show the blood pressure distribution. The trend of blood pressure with age was fitted by locally weighted regression. The logistic regression model was used to analyze relevant factors of blood pressure. Results: A total of 12 949 participants were included in this study, including 7 775 patients in the antihypertensive drug group and 5 174 patients in the group without antihypertensive drugs. The SBP of participants was concentrated at 140-160 mmHg, and their DBP was concentrated at 75-85 mmHg. There were significant differences in the distribution of blood pressure among the subgroups of body mass index (BMI) and rural areas whether taking antihypertensive drugs and not. For participants aged under 80 years old, the SBP showed an increasing trend with age and the DBP showed a decreasing trend with age. Age, BMI ≥24 kg/m2, fasting blood glucose ≥7.0 mmol/L, living in rural areas and no smoking were influencing factors of the elevated SBP; BMI ≥24 kg/m2, male, living in rural areas, no smoking, drinking alcohol and not receiving drug hypoglycemic treatment were influencing factors of the elevated DBP. Conclusion: The SBP of older diabetic adults in Jiangsu Province is at a high level, and the distribution of blood pressure is significantly different between men and women in taking antihypertensive drugs group. The SBP presents a rising trend and the DBP is decreasing at the age of 60-80 years. The blood pressure level of this population are mainly affected by age, BMI, urban and rural areas, smoking.

Correlation of NTRK genetic fusions with mismatch repair protein deletion in patients with colorectal cancer / 中华病理学杂志

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the expression of four mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2) and NTRK genetic fusions in colorectal cancer. Methods: The paraffin-embedded tissue blocks of 830 cases of colorectal cancer were collected at the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University Medical School, China, from 2015 to 2019. Immunohistochemical and fluorescence in situ hybridization(FISH) method were used respectively to detect the expression of mismatch repair proteins and the break-apart of NTRKs; and the relationship between the expression of mismatch repair proteins and the NTRK genetic fusions was analyzed. Results: The overall mismatch repair protein deficiency (dMMR) rate was 9.88% (82/830), the mismatch repair proteins proficiency (pMMR) rate was 90.12%(748/830). The total deficiency rate of MLH1 protein was 9.04% (75/830), hPMS2 protein deficiency rate was 9.04% (75/830), MSH2 protein deficiency rate was 2.53% (21/830), MSH6 protein deficiency rate was 4.10% (34/830), the deficiency rate of synchronous MLH1 and PMS2 were 8.67% (72/830) and the deficiency rate of synchronous MSH2 and MSH6 were 2.17% (18/830). The dMMR group was associated with tumor location, different histological subgroups, tumor differentiation, AJCC stage and N stage (P<0.05). There were six cases (7.32%) carrying NTRK fusion by FISH among the 82 cases of dMMR, but only seven cases (0.94%) carrying NTRK fusion among the 748 cases of PMMR. The NTRKs translocation by FISH in all 13 cases were further confirmed by next generation sequencing. Among the clinicopathological characteristics, only differentiation showed significant difference between NTRK fusion positive and negative groups (P<0.05). More importantly, NTRK fusion was enriched in dMMR group (7.32% vs. 0.94%). Conclusion: In dMMR colorectal cancer group, the prevalence of NTRK fusion is higher than that in pMMR group.

Meta-analysis on Clinical Effect and Safety of Tanreqing Injection in Treatment of Elderly Chronic Bronchitis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To systematically evaluate the clinical efficacy of Tanreqing injection in the treatment of elderly chronic bronchitis. Method:CBM，CNKI，WanFang Data，VIP，PubMed，The Cochrane Library，Embase and other databases were retrieved by computer to screen out randomized controlled trials of Tanreqing injection in the treatment of elderly chronic bronchitis. The retrieval time was from the establishment to December 2019. After two researchers independently screened out the literatures according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria，extracted data and evaluated the literature quality，made meta-analysis using RevMan 5.3 software，and performed Egger test by Stata 14.0 software to evaluate publication bias. In case of any publication bias，clipping and supplementation method was further used to evaluate the effect of bias on the results. Result:A total of 48 studies were included，including 4 356 patients with diabetic nephropathy. The results of Meta-analysis showed that compared with conventional antibiotic therapy，the group of combination with Tanreqing injection was better than the control group in effective rate and lowering serum c-reactive protein （CRP） level，with statistically significant differences. The results of the publication bias test showed that a developmental bias in the effective rate. Further analysis based on the non-parametric clipping and supplementation method showed stable results of meta-analysis and no impact from potential publication bias. The adverse reactions had no statistically significance. Conclusion:This study shows that Tanreqing injection has a significant effect in treating chronic bronchitis in the elderly，and can reduce the serum CRP level of the patients. Compared with the conventional therapy group，the incidence of adverse reactions is not significantly increased，and the results need further clinical tests.

Protective effect of Pai-Nong-San against AOM/DSS-induced CAC in mice through inhibiting the Wnt signaling pathway / 中国天然药物

Pai-Nong-San (PNS), a prescription of traditional Chinese medicine, has been used for years to treat abscessation-induced diseases including colitis and colorectal cancer. This study was aimed to investigate the preventive effects and possible protective mechanism of PNS on a colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC) mouse model induced by azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sodium sulfate (DSS). The macroscopic and histopathologic examinations of colon injury and DAI score were observed. The inflammatory indicators of intestinal immunity were determined by immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence. The high throughput 16S rRNA sequence of gut microbiota in the feces of mice was performed. Western blot was used to investigate the protein expression of the Wnt signaling pathway in colon tissues. PNS improved colon injury, as manifested by the alleviation of hematochezia, decreased DAI score, increased colon length, and reversal of pathological changes. PNS treatment protected against AOM/DSS-induced colon inflammation by regulating the expression of CD4

Circular RNA circEGFR regulates tumor progression via the miR-106a-5p/DDX5 axis in colorectal cancer

Recently, an increasing number of studies have reported that dysregulation of circular RNA (circRNA) expression plays critical roles in the progression of several cancers, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of circRNAs involvement in CRC remain largely unknown. Here, we confirmed that the level of circEGFR was significantly increased in CRC tissues compared to matched adjacent non-tumor tissues, and a high level of circEGFR was correlated with poor clinicopathological characteristics and poor prognosis in patients with CRC. Moreover, increased circEGFR expression promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Mechanistically, circEGFR acted as a ceRNA for miR-106a-5p to relieve the repressive effect of miR-106a-5p on DDX5 mRNA. Moreover, circEGFR enhanced DDX5 expression, thereby upregulating p-AKT levels. Together, these findings showed that circEGFR promoted CRC cell proliferation, migration, and invasion through the miR-106a-5p/DDX5/AKT axis, and may serve as a promising diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for CRC patients.

Ancient Literatures of Classical Famous Prescription Dihuang Yinzi / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Classical famous prescription Dihuang Yinzi is widely used in modern clinical practice，and can treat many kinds of diseases，especially the diseases of nervous system in internal medicine. Its clinical effect is accurate，but it has not been converted into Chinese patent medicine preparations. Therefore，the authors have collected ancient traditional Chinese medicine（TCM） literatures of Dihuang Yinzi by the methods of bibliometrics，and selected and sorted out 254 pieces of effective data， involving 144 ancient books of TCM，and systematically summarized and analyzed the historical development origin，main treatment syndrome，formula making principle，dosage，preparation method，decoction method and medicine taking method of Dihuang Yinzi，in order to provide the ancient literary evidence support for the development and clinical application of classic famous prescriptions. It is found that Dihuang Yinzi was from Xuanming Lunfang written by LIU He-jian，a doctor of Jin dynasty. It was composed of 12 kinds of herbs，namely Rehmanniae Radix Praeparata，Morindae Officinalis Radix，Corni Fructus，Cistanches Herba，Dendrobii Caulis，Aconm Lateralis Radix Praeparaia，Schisandrae Chinensis Fructus，Cinnamomi Ramulus，Poria，maimendong，Acori Calami Rhizoma and Polygalae Radix, and mainly used for the treatment of Yinfei. The later records of Dihuang Yinzi mostly followed the prescription composition and main treatment set forth in Xuanming Lunfang，and its clinical application was expanded. In the 199 articles with the indications for disease treatment，Yinfei was the most commonest indication, and took up about half of the total，which was followed by stroke，taking up about two fifths of the total. It was also used for the treatment of sudden aphonia，flaccidity syndrome，vertigo，enuresis. Dihuang Yinzi has a wide range of treatment，but the pathogenes is always belongs to "the deficiency of water and fire in the kidney". The recipe of Dihuang Yinzi was unique，and can be used to treat both the upper and lower parts of the body，as well as both the outward symptoms and root causes of an illness at the same time， in particular，it mainly focuses on the treatment of the lower and the root. Among the 56 literatures with drug dosage records，about one third of them inherited the records of Xuanming Lunfang: "Equal division，the top is the end，3 qian for each dose." The dosage was generally light. The preparations are mostly decoction and boiled powder. In the decocting and taking methods，it was suggested that "turbid medicine shall be boiled for a short time，and taken after several boilings，with no limit to time."

Analysis of Banxia Xiexintang Based on Ancient Literatures / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Banxia Xiexin Tang is one of the classic prescriptions for treating digestive system diseases.In this paper，using the method of bibliometrics，information of Banxia Xiexintang in ancient Chinese medical literatures were collected and screened out 399 effective data from 238 kinds of ancient books．Based on the statistics and analysis of the history，drug composition，main disease and syndrome，principle of prescription，dosage，processing，preparation，decocting and taking methods of Banxia Xiexin Tang，it is found that Banxia Xiexin Tang originated from Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease written by ZHANG Zhong-jing，a famous physician in the Eastern Han dynasty，it is composed of seven herbs，namely，Pinelliae Rhizoma，Scutellariae Radix，Zingiberis Rhizoma，Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma，Glycyrrhizae Radix et Rhizoma Praeparata cum Melle，Coptidis Rhizoma，and Jujubae Fructus. It was mainly used to treat pizheng of mixed cold and heat. Most of the Banxia Xiexin Tang recorded in later generations follow the prescription composition and indications in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease and its clinical application has been extended and expanded，among the 352 literatures with the main diseases and syndromes recorded，the most common （341） were pizheng，accounting for about 96.88%，in addition，it is also used sporadically for shuzheng，malaria，nausea，damp-wen，jaundice，etc. Among the 122 documents with drug dosage records，nearly half of them are identical with the original records in Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease. Among the 112 literatures with pharmaceutical processing，licorice （86） was the most，most of them were roasted （80），followed by pinellia ternata （79），and most of them were "decoction washing and sliding" （67）. Among the 111 documents recorded in the decoction method，most of them inherited Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease by "removing the dross and again cooking" （68），there are also "Water Decoction" （32） and "Ginseng Radix et Rhizoma and Jujubae Fructus Decoction" （11）. Among the 108 documents with the method of taking medicine，nearly half of them inherited Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Disease，which is "a liter of warm taking ，three times daily". Based on the ancient Chinese medical literatures，Banxia Xiexintang was systematically analyzed in order to provide more accurate ancient literature reference for the clinical application and development of classic prescriptions.

Analysis of treating syndrome by I-Ching navel acupuncture / 中国针灸

Based on the theories of I-Ching and umbilicus-hologram, the navel acupuncture is considered as a new acupuncture therapy that only acupuncture at Shenque (CV 8). It has a good effect on the treatment of syndrome and provides a new treatment idea for syndrome. This article presents the definition, etiology and treatment of syndrome, and introduces the application of umbilical-holographic, the principle and method of positioning and needle-inserting, the adjustment of therapies and the analysis of cases, in order to introduce the idea of treating syndrome by I-Ching navel acupuncture.

Biosynthesis analysis of hederagenin pathway and its construction in yeast cells / 中国中药杂志

Hederagenin is an effective constituent of many medical plants, such as Clematidis Radix, and has a wide range of applications in anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, hepatoprotective antibacterial, et al. In order to obtain the efficient production of yeast cells for hederagenin,we successfully cloned and screened out a P450 gene MdMA02 from Malus×domestica which can catalyze oleanolic acid C-23 oxidation with our developed plug and play platform. Its amino acid homology is only 32% as compared to characterized CYP72A68v2. By transforming MdMA02 to the oleanolic acid-producing strain BY-OA, a hederagenin-producing strain was constructed and hederagenin's titer could achieve 101 mg·L⁻¹ using high cell density fermentation, which was 337 times higher than in shake flasks culturing. This study provides a basis for further research on promoting the creation of oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoids biosynthetic pathway analysis and relative cell factories construction.

Advantages of cryopreservation technology for rare human sperm / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>Objective</b>To search for an effective method for cryopreservation of rare human sperm (RHS) by comparing the effect of RHS cryopreservation technology with that of conventional cryopreservation technology on post-thaw sperm from patients with severe oligozoospermia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Semen samples obtained from 82 patients with severe oligozoospermia were preserved by RHS cryopreservation technology, and another 24 samples cryopreserved by conventional technology, the former divided into groups A (sperm concentration < 1×10⁶/ml, n = 54) and B (1×10⁶/ml ≤ sperm concentration < 5×10⁶/ml, n = 28), and the latter included in group C (sperm concentration < 15×106 /ml, n = 24). The survival rate of post-thaw sperm and recovery rate of progressively motile sperm (PMS) were compared among the three groups.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The survival rate of post-thaw sperm was significantly higher in groups A and B than in C (［62.8 ± 18.7］% and ［61.9 ± 17.2］% vs ［50.7 ± 13.5］%, P < 0.05), and so was the recovery rate of PMS (［68.7 ± 18.4］% and ［70.7 ± 15.5］% vs ［29.2 ± 12.4］% , P < 0.05), but there were no statistically significant differences between groups A and B in either of the two parameters (P > 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The cryopreservation technology for rare human sperm may yield relatively stable post-thaw results and deserves a wide clinical application in preserving male fertility.</p>

Levels of T-Lymphocyte Subsets, IL-17, IL-35 and IFN-γ in Peripheral Blood and Their Clinical Significance in Patients with Multiple Myeloma / 中国实验血液学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the levels of T-lymphocyte subsets and IL-17, IL-35, IFN-γ in peripheral blood of patients with multiple myeloma(MM) and their clinical significance.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 86 MM patients in our hospital from January 2014 to January 2017 were enrolled in MM group and 30 healthy persons were enrolled in control group, the CD4/CD8T cells ratio, CD4CD25CD127Treg level in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometer. The levels of IL-17, IL-35 and IFN-γ in peripheral serum were detected by ELISA, and the differences of detected indicators between different groups were compared.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with control group, the proportion of CD4T cells and CD4/CD8T cells ratio decreased, the proportion of CD8T cells and Treg increased in MM group. The differences of T lymphocyte subsets level between group III stage of MM and control group were statistically significant (P<0.05). With enhancing of clinical stages, Treg level showed a increasing trend, especially in III stage (P<0.05), the serum level of IL-17 as followed in turn: III stage>II stage>I stage>control, the serum level of IL-35 and IFN-γ as followed in turn: control>I stage>II stage>III stage (P<0.05). In terms of disease status, the propurtion of Treg cells as fllowed in turn: disease progression stage>stable stage>control (P<0.05), the serum level of IL-17 as followed in turn also: disease progression stage>stable stage (P<0.05), while the serum level of IL-35 and IFN-γ as followed in turn: control>disease table stage>progression stage (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The abnomal level of T-lymphocyte subsets, Treg, IL-17, IL-35 and IFN-γ are related with progression and prognosis of MM patients.</p>

Association of Body Composition and Other Clinical Factors with Incomplete Immune Response after Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy / 中国医学科学院学报

Objective To explore whether baseline body composition and other clinical factors are associated with incomplete immune response after highly active antiretroviral therapy(HAART)in Chinese men with human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(AIDS).Methods A retrospective study was conducted among HIV/AIDS male patients who achieved viral suppression(maintained HIV-1 RNA levels<400 copies/ml)after a year of HAART between 2007 and 2015.Clinical,immunological,and virological data were collected from patients' files,including weight,height,and whole body composition measured within one month prior to staring HAART.Body mass index(BMI),lean mass index(LMI),fat mass index(FMI),and body bone mineral content/height were adjusted by height.According to whether the patients experienced incomplete immune responses(CD4 cell count<350 cells/μl)after a year of HAART,the patients were divided into two groups:the complete immune response(CD4 cell count≥350 cells/μl)and the incomplete immune response(CD4 cell count<350 cells/μl),respectively.Student's t test,chi-square test,and Wilcoxon rank test were used to assess differences between these two groups.Multiple Logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors associated with an incomplete immune response in patients with sustained viral suppression.Results Totally 84 HIV/AIDS male patients with viral suppression were included in this study.There were statistical differences between these two groups in terms of age(Z=-2.479,P=0.013),baseline BMI(t=2.030,P=0.045),LMI(t=2.200,P=0.029),and CD4 cell count(Z=6.416,P=0.000).However,there was no statistical differences in viral load,FMI,body bone mineral content/height,HAART duration,and HAART regimen(all P>0.05).BMI[OR=0.742,95% confidence interval(CI)=0.554-0.993,P=0.044],LMI(OR=0.459,95% CI=0.249-0.844,P=0.012),HAART duration(OR=10.161,95% CI=1.110-93.052,P=0.040),baseline CD4 cell count(OR=80.051,95% CI=8.396-762.563,P=0.000)were significantly associated with incomplete immune response.Age(OR=1.497,95% CI=0.213-10.505,P=0.685),viral load(OR=0.333,95% CI=0.071-1.572,P=0.164),FMI(OR=0.797,95% CI=0.546-1.164,P=0.240),body bone mineral content/height(OR=1.145,95% CI=0.037-35.676,P=0.938)and HAART regimen(OR=0.430,95% CI=0.159-1.159,P=0.095)were not associated with incomplete immune response.Conclusions Baseline CD4 cell count and HAART duration may affect immune response.Patients with higher baseline BMI or higher LMI may be less likely to develop incomplete immune response.Baseline FMI and body bone mineral content/height ratio are not associated with incomplete immune response.

Efficacy of levofloxacin hydrochloride eye gel in treatment of staphylococcus aureus keratitis in rabbits / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To observe the efficacy of levofloxacin hydrochloride eye gel (LHEG) in treatment of Staphylococcus aureus keratitis in rabbits. Methods Sixty rabb received intrastromal injection of 10 μL bacterial suspension conta establish Staphylococcus aureus keratitis model. Forty-eight rabb into four groups; 24 h baseline group, phosphate buffer solution (PBS) control group, levofloxacin hydrochloride eye drop (LHED) group, and LHEG group. Rabbits in the 24 h baseline group received slit-lamp examination and were given clinical score, and their corneas were collected for histopathology examination and bacterial quantitation. The other three groups received treatment with PBS, LHED or LHEG three times a day for seven successive days. In the last day, rabbits in these three groups received the same examination as that in the 24 h baseline group. The clinical scores and cornea bacterial quantitation were analyzed with variance analysis, and a P value less than 0. 05 was considered as statistically significant Results Compared wth PBS control group, clinical symptoms of LHED group and LHEG group were significantly reduced (P = 0. 00) on the seventh day, with the clinical scores being (4. 21 ± 1. 10) and (3. 63±0. 86), respectively; the numbers of bacterial colonies were also significantly reduced in LHED group and LHEG group (P =0. 00), with the numbers being (4. 87 ± 0. 05) and (4. 64±0. 10) CFU, respectively. Moreover, LHEG group had a significantly better bacteriostatic effect than LHEG group (P =0. 00). Conclusion Local application of LHEG can greatly inhibk the growth of bacterial colony of Staphylococcus aureus and improve the clinical signs of keratitis, with the efficacy being better than that of routinely used LHED in rabbk model of Staphylococcus aureus keratitis.

Baseline Naive CD4+ T-cell Level Predicting Immune Reconstitution in Treated HIV-infected Late Presenters / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>Among HIV-infected patients initiating antiretroviral therapy (ART), early changes in CD4+ T-cell subsets are well described. However, HIV-infected late presenters initiating treatment present with a suboptimal CD4+ T-cell reconstitution and remain at a higher risk for AIDS and non-AIDS events. Therefore, factors associated with CD4+ T-cell reconstitution need to be determined in this population, which will allow designing effective immunotherapeutic strategies.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-one adult patients with baseline CD4+ T-cell count <350 cells/mm3 exhibiting viral suppression after ART initiation were followed in the HIV/AIDS research center of Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing, China, from October 2002 to September 2013. Changes in T-cell subsets and associated determinants were measured.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Median baseline CD4+ T-cell count was 70 cells/mm3. We found a biphasic reconstitution of T-cell subsets and immune activation: a rapid change during the first 6 months followed by a more gradual change over the subsequent 8 years. Baseline CD4+ T-cell count >200 cells/mm3 in comparison to CD4+ T-cell count ≤200 cells/mm3 was associated with more complete immune Reconstitution (77.8% vs. 27.3% respectively; P = 0.017) and normalized CD4/CD8 ratio. We showed that the baseline percentage of naive CD4+ T-cell was a predictive marker for complete immune reconstitution (area under receiver operating characteristic curve 0.907), and 12.4% as cutoff value had a sensitivity of 84.6% and a specificity of 88.2%.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Baseline naive CD4+ T-cell percentage may serve as a predictive marker for optimal immune reconstitution during long-term therapy. Such study findings suggest that increasing thymic output should represent an avenue to improve patients who are diagnosed late in the course of infection.</p>

Prevalence of thrombocytopenia among Chinese adult antiretroviral-naïve HIV-positive patients / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b>The prevalence of thrombocytopenia among Chinese antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve HIV-infected adults has not been well-described. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and associated risk factors of thrombocytopenia among Chinese ART-naïve HIV-infected adults.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We performed a cross-sectional study of Chinese adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients from September 2005 through August 2014. Socio-demographic variables and laboratory results including platelets, CD4+ cell count, and viral load were obtained from medical records. Factors and outcomes associated with thrombocytopenia were assessed using logistic regression.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 1730 adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients was included. The mean age was 38 years. The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was 4.5%. There were significant differences in the prevalence of thrombocytopenia between patients <30 years of age (2.8%) and 30-39 years (4.0%) compared with patients greater than 50 years (7.0%) (P = 0.006 and P = 0.044, respectively). The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was also significantly different between patients with CD4+ counts of 200-349 cells/mm 3 (3.3%) and >350 cells/mm 3 (2.8%) compared with patients with CD4+ counts of 50-199 cells/mm 3 (7.1%) (P = 0.002 and P = 0.005, respectively). The prevalence of thrombocytopenia was significantly different by hepatitis C virus antibody (HCV-Ab) seropositivity (10.2% for HCV-Ab positive vs. 3.9% for HCV-Ab negative, P = 0.001). We observed differences in prevalence of thrombocytopenia by mode of transmission of HIV infection: Blood transmission (10.7%) versus men who have sex with men (3.9%) (P = 0.002) and versus heterosexual transmission (3.9%) (P = 0.001). In binary logistic regression analyses, age ≥ 50 years, HCV-Ab positivity and having a CD4+ cell count of 50-199 cells/mm 3 were significantly associated with thrombocytopenia with adjusted odds ratio of 2.482 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.167, 5.281, P = 0.018), 2.091 (95% CI: 1.078, 4.055, P = 0.029) and 2.259 (95% CI: 1.028, 4.962, P = 0.042), respectively.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Thrombocytopenia is not common among adult ART-naïve HIV-infected patients in China. Older age (age over 50 years), HCV-Ab positivity and lower CD4+ cell count are associated with an increased risk of thrombocytopenia. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of thrombocytopenia in these patients are necessary.</p>

Construction of Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell factories for lycopene production / 中国中药杂志

For microbial production of lycopene, the lycopene synthetic genes from Pantoea agglomerans were integrated into Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain BY4742, to obtain strain ZD-L-000 for production of 0.17 mg · L(-1) lycopene. Improving supplies of isoprenoid precursors was then investigated for increasing lycopene production. Four key genes were chosen to be overexpressed, inclu- ding truncated 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase gene (tHMG1), which is the major rate-limiting enzyme in the mevalonate (MVA) pathway, a mutated global regulatory factor gene (upc2.1), a fusion gene of FPP synthase (ERG20) and endogenous GGPP synthase (BTS1), which is a key enzyme in the diterpenoid synthetic pathway, and GGPP synthase gene (SaGGPS) from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius. Over-expression of upc2.1 could not improve lycopene production, while over-expression of tHMGI , BTS1-ERG20 and SaGGPS genes led to 2-, 16. 9- and20. 5-fold increase of lycopene production, respectively. In addition, three effective genes, tHMG1, BTS1-ERG20 and SaGGPS, were integrated into rDNA sites of ZD-L-000, resulting in strain ZD-L-201 for production of 13.23 mg · L(-1) lycopene, which was 77-fold higher than that of the parent strain. Finally, two-phase extractive fermentation was performed. The titer of lycopene increased 10-fold to 135.21 mg · L(-1). The engineered yeast strains obtained in this work provided the basis for fermentative production of lycopene.

Improved mesenchymal stem cell survival in ischemic heart through electroacupuncture / 中国结合医学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate whether electroacupuncture (EA) can promote cell survival and enhance heart function of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) therapy.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>MSCs were isolated from bone marrow and expanded in Minimum Essential Medium Alpha (α-MEM). MI was induced in 72 Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rats by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) for 30 min and reperfusion. MI rats randomly received injection of 1×10(6) DiI-labeled MSCs alone (n =24, MSC group), or plus electroacupuncture (EA) at Neiguan (PC6, n=24, EA+MSC group), or saline (n =24, saline group). EA treatment was performed for 4 days. Another 24 rats were subjected to chest-open surgery without LAD occlusion and treatment (sham group). Three time points, 4, 14 and 28 days (n =8 for each group) were included in this study. The survival of transplanted MSCs and the protective gene expression were analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot at day 4 and 14. Left ventricular remodeling, cardiac function, infarction area, fibrosis and capillary density were analyzed at day 28.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>EA can enhance MSC survival (2.6-fold up) at day 4. Big capillary density was 53% higher in EA+MSC treated group than MSC alone group. Furthermore, the rats treated by EA reduced the fibrosis and had 36% smaller infarct size comparing to MSC alone. EA also attenuated left ventricular remodeling and enhanced the functional recovery of infarcted hearts at week 4.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>EA at Neiguan acupoint can promote the stem cell survival and improve ischemic heart function. EA could become a useful approach in stem cell therapy for ischemia heart diseases.</p>

Head dynamic response based on reconstruction of vehicle-pedestrian accidents with the video / 医用生物力学

Objective To study the relationship between the severity of pedestrian head injury and the impact speeds, the vehicle types and the impact positions in pedestrian-vehicle accidents by computer simulation based on the real accident video. Methods A pedestrian-traffic accident with the video was reconstructed by the MADYMO multi-body dynamics software to obtain the initial and boundary conditions. Experimental impact simulations were conducted on different vehicles (car, SUV and minibus) and pedestrian impact positions (front, side and back structure) by different speeds (20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 km/h) to analyze head injuries, and the simulation results were validated by two real pedestrian-vehicle accidents. Results Not only the impact speed and the front structure influenced the pedestrian head injury severity, but also the impact position of pedestrian was an important factor. At the collision speed ≤30 km/h, the pedestrian head injury caused by the contact with the ground could be possibly more serious than the contact with the vehicle; while at the collision speed≥40 km/h, the pedestrian head injury was mainly caused by the contact with the vehicle. Conclusions The pedestrian traffic accident can be accurately reconstructed by using the real accident video to analyze the pedestrian head dynamic response. The severity of pedestrian head injuries can be effectively reduced by speed limitations on different types of vehicles at pedestrian traffic accident black-spots.