Role of soy lecithin combined with soy isoflavone on cerebral blood flow in rats of cognitive impairment and the primary screening of its optimum combination

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES@#Soy isoflavone (SIF) and soy lecithin (SL) have beneficial effects on many chronic diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases. Regretfully, there is little evidence to show the combined effects of these soy extractives on the impairment of cognition and abnormal cerebral blood flow (CBF). This study examined the optimal combination dose of SIF + SL to provide evidence for improving CBF and protecting cerebrovascular endothelial cells.MATERIALS/METHODS: In vivo study, SIF50 + SL40, SIF50 + SL80 and SIF50 + SL160 groups were obtained. Morris water maze, laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI), and hematoxylineosin staining were used to detect learning and memory impairment, CBF, and damage to the cerebrovascular tissue in rat. The 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and the oxidized glutathione (GSSG) were detected. The anti-oxidative damage index of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione (GSH) in the serum of an animal model was also tested. In vitro study, an immortalized mouse brain endothelial cell line (bEND.3 cells) was used to confirm the cerebrovascular endothelial cell protection of SIF + SL. In this study, 50 μM of Gen were used, while the 25, 50, or 100 μM of SL for different incubation times were selected first. The intracellular levels of 8-OHdG, SOD, GSH, and GSSG were also detected in the cells. @*RESULTS@#In vivo study, SIF + SL could increase the target crossing times significantly and shorten the total swimming distance of rats. The CBF in the rats of the SIF50 + SL40 group and SIF50 + SL160 group was enhanced. Pathological changes, such as attenuation of the endothelium in cerebral vessels were much less in the SIF50 + SL40 group and SIF50 + SL160 group. The 8-OHdG was reduced in the SIF50 + SL40 group. The GSSG showed a significant decrease in all SIF + SL pretreatment groups, but the GSH showed an opposite result. SOD was upregulated by SIF + SL pretreatment. Different combinations of Genistein (Gen)+SL, the secondary proof of health benefits found in vivo study, showed they have effective antioxidation and less side reaction on protecting cerebrovascular endothelial cell. SIF50 + SL40 in rats experiment and Gen50 + SL25 in cell test were the optimum joint doses on alleviating cognitive impairment and regulating CBF through protecting cerebrovascular tissue by its antioxidant activity. @*CONCLUSIONS@#SIF+SL could significantly prevent cognitive defect induced by β-Amyloid through regulating CBF. This kind of effect might be attributed to its antioxidant activity on protecting cerebral vessels.

Reliability and validity of the 6-item UCLA Loneliness Scale(ULS-6)for application in adults / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the psychometric properties and applicability of the 6-item University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale (ULS-6) in adults.@*METHODS@#We conducted 2 surveys to assess the validity of different measurement scales and questionnaires. In Survey 1, a total of 1480 adults were measured using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS), and the data were used for item analysis and assessment of the reliability, validity and measurement invariance. In Survey 2, UCLA Loneliness Scale was used for measurement in 652 college students, and the data were used for analysis of the criterion validity of ULS-6; 3 weeks later, 300 of the students were retested using ULS-6 to assess the retest reliability of the scale.@*RESULTS@#Item analysis suggested that the items in ULS-6 all had good discrimination power with discrimination indexes all above 0.775 (r=0.775-0.820, P < 0.001). Measuring only one dimension, ULS-6 had an internal consistency reliability of 0.891, a split-half reliability of 0.875, and a retest reliability of 0.726. The correlation coefficients of ULS-6 with ULS, ULS-8, PHQ-9 and PSSS were 0.882, 0.967, 0.528 and -0.532, respectively. The measurement invariances of ULS-6 across genders and age groups were all acceptable. Among the adult participants, the mean total score of ULS-6 was 12.97 ± 3.96; While only 20% of the adults had no loneliness, 80% of them exhibited varying degrees of loneliness, ranging from mild (39.6%) and moderate (25.7%) to intense (14.7%) feelings of loneliness.@*CONCLUSION@#The ULS-6 has good reliability, validity and applicability for measurement of loneliness in Chinese adults.

A prospective study on application of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells combined with autologous Meek microskin transplantation in patients with extensive burns / 中华烧伤杂志

Objective: To investigate the effects of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) combined with autologous Meek microskin transplantation on patients with extensive burns. Methods: The prospective self-controlled study was conducted. From May 2019 to June 2022, 16 patients with extensive burns admitted to the 990th Hospital of PLA Joint Logistics Support Force met the inclusion criteria, while 3 patients were excluded according to the exclusion criteria, and 13 patients were finally selected, including 10 males and 3 females, aged 24-61 (42±13) years. A total of 20 trial areas (40 wounds, with area of 10 cm×10 cm in each wound) were selected. Two adjacent wounds in each trial area were divided into hUCMSC+gel group applied with hyaluronic acid gel containing hUCMSCs and gel only group applied with hyaluronic acid gel only according to the random number table, with 20 wounds in each group. Afterwards the wounds in two groups were transplanted with autologous Meek microskin grafts with an extension ratio of 1∶6. In 2, 3, and 4 weeks post operation, the wound healing was observed, the wound healing rate was calculated, and the wound healing time was recorded. The specimen of wound secretion was collected for microorganism culture if there was purulent secretion on the wound post operation. In 3, 6, and 12 months post operation, the scar hyperplasia in wound was assessed using the Vancouver scar scale (VSS). In 3 months post operation, the wound tissue was collected for hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining to observe the morphological changes and for immunohistochemical staining to observe the positive expressions of Ki67 and vimentin and to count the number of positive cells. Data were statistically analyzed with paired samples t test and Bonferronni correction. Results: In 2, 3, and 4 weeks post operation, the wound healing rates in hUCMSC+gel group were (80±11)%, (84±12)%, and (92±9)%, respectively, which were significantly higher than (67±18)%, (74±21)%, and (84±16)% in gel only group (with t values of 4.01, 3.52, and 3.66, respectively, P<0.05). The wound healing time in hUCMSC+gel group was (31±11) d, which was significantly shorter than (36±13) d in gel only group (t=-3.68, P<0.05). The microbiological culture of the postoperative wound secretion specimens from the adjacent wounds in 2 groups was identical, with negative results in 4 trial areas and positive results in 16 trial areas. In 3, 6, and 12 months post operation, the VSS scores of wounds in gel only group were 7.8±1.9, 6.7±2.1, and 5.4±1.6, which were significantly higher than 6.8±1.8, 5.6±1.6, and 4.0±1.4 in hUCMSC+gel group, respectively (with t values of -4.79, -4.37, and -5.47, respectively, P<0.05). In 3 months post operation, HE staining showed an increase in epidermal layer thickness and epidermal crest in wound in hUCMSC+gel group compared with those in gel only group, and immunohistochemical staining showed a significant increase in the number of Ki67 positive cells in wound in hUCMSC+gel group compared with those in gel only group (t=4.39, P<0.05), with no statistically significant difference in the number of vimentin positive cells in wound between the 2 groups (P>0.05). Conclusions: The application of hyaluronic acid gel containing hUCMSCs to the wound is simple to perform and is therefore a preferable route. Topical application of hUCMSCs can promote healing of the autologous Meek microskin grafted area in patients with extensive burns, shorten wound healing time, and alleviate scar hyperplasia. The above effects may be related to the increased epidermal thickness and epidermal crest, and active cell proliferation.

Efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of 123 cases of atopic dermatitis / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To investigate clinical efficacy and safety of dupilumab in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) .Methods:An ambispective study was conducted on 123 AD patients treated with dupilumab in Department of Dermatology, the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 2020 to March 2022, clinical data were collected, and efficacy and safety of dupilumab were evaluated. Primary outcomes included scores of eczema area and severity index (EASI) , patient-oriented eczema measure (POEM) , peak pruritus numerical rating scale (NRS) and dermatology life quality index (DLQI) before and after 4-, 8-, 12- and 16-week treatment, and adverse reactions and events were recorded. Comparison of scores before and after treatment was performed using paired t test or repeated measures analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test was used for the comparison of efficacy among patients with different types of skin lesions or different IgE levels, and multiple regression model based on robust standard errors was used to analyze factors influencing the efficacy. Results:Among the 123 AD patients, 107 were enolled into the efficacy analysis, and 85 (79.44%) completed at least 4 weeks of treatment, including 6 (7.06%) achieving EASI75 and 23 (27.06%) achieving EASI50, and the EASI, NRS, POEM, DLQI scores (10.41 ± 6.72, 4.12 ± 1.74, 8.60 ± 4.29, 7.81 ± 4.38, respectively) significantly decreased compared with those before treatment (18.08 ± 10.69, 7.21 ± 2.01, 16.88 ± 5.74, 12.95 ± 5.95, respectively; all P < 0.001) in the 85 patients. Among the 107 patients, 47 (43.93%) completed at least 16 weeks of treatment. Among the 47 patients, 23 (82.14%) of 28 adults and 17 (89.47%) of 19 adolescents and children achieved 75% or greater improvement in EASI score; the EASI, NRS, POEM and DLQI scores before the treatment all significantly differred from those 4, 8, 12, 16 weeks after the treatment (all P < 0.001) , and all the scores were significantly lower at weeks 4, 8, 12 and 16 than at the previous adjacent time points (all P < 0.05) . At week 4 during the treatment, the EASI improvement rate was significantly lower in the AD patients with prurigo nodularis than in those without ( U = 151.00, P = 0.006) , while there was no significant difference in the EASI improvement rate between the AD patients with xeroderma and those without ( P > 0.05) ; at week 16 during the treatment, there was no significant difference in the EASI improvement rate between patients with prurigo nodularis or xeroderma and those without (both P > 0.05) . Multiple regression analysis based on robust standard errors at week 16 showed that the improvement degree in the EASI score was not correlated with the type of skin lesions ( β = 3.20, P = 0.075) , but correlated with age ( β = -0.22, P = 0.030) , whether patients were in adulthood ( β = 9.54, P = 0.049) , immediate family history ( β = 7.46, P = 0.017) ; the improvement degree in the NRS score was correlated with the type of skin lesions ( β = 0.55, P = 0.032) , age ( β = -0.04, P = 0.033) , weight ( β = -0.05, P = 0.020) , whether patients were in adulthood ( β = 2.06, P = 0.003) and whether patients received combined treatment with antihistamines ( β = -1.91, P = 0.001) . Adverse reactions: among the 123 patients, 6 (4.88%) developed conjunctivitis, and 2 (1.63%) developed facial erythema. Adverse events: vitiligo-like changes occurred on the right forehead of 1 patient, and 3 patients discontinued the treatment with dupilumab due to Henoch-Sch?nlein purpura, distal axonal damage in peripheral nerves in both upper limbs, and epilepsy, respectively. The causal relationship between these adverse events and dupilumab was unclear. Conclusion:Dupilumab is effective in the treatment of AD with high overall safety, and can serve as a new treatment option for AD patients with an unsatisfactory response to traditional treatment.

Establishment and verification of a nomogram model for individualized prediction of poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of esophagogastric variceal bleeding / 中国医师进修杂志

Objective:To establish a nomogram model for individualized prediction of poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of esophagogastric variceal bleeding (EGVB), and verify its efficacy, so as to provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of EGVB.Methods:The clinical data of 389 patients with cirrhosis of EGVB from January 2010 to December 2018 in Hangzhou Hospital of Zhejiang Medical and Health Group were retrospectively analyzed. All patients were followed up for 3 years, including 232 cases with poor prognosis (poor prognosis group) and 157 cases with good prognosis (good prognosis group). The general clinical data and laboratory results were compared between 2 groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to analyze the optimal cut-off value of poor prognosis factors in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB; multivariate Logistic regression analysis was used to analyze independent risk factors of poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB. A nomogram model to predict poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB was established with R language software 4.0 "rms" package. Internal validation of the nomogram model was performed using correction curves, and the prediction efficiency of the nomogram model was evaluated using decision curves.Results:The age, ascites rate, liver surface roughness rate, end-stage liver disease model score (MELD score), Child-Turcotte-Pugh score (CTP score), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), international standard ratio (INR) and total bilirubin (TBIL) in poor prognosis group were significant higher than those in good prognosis group: (62.48 ± 6.21) years old vs. (58.71 ± 5.93) years old, 51.29% (119/232) vs. 35.03% (55/157), 60.78% (141/232) vs. 42.03% (66/157), (13.89±1.93) scores vs. (11.32 ± 1.69) scores, (8.93 ± 0.77) scores vs. (7.46 ± 0.63) scores, (37.73 ± 5.21) U/L vs. (32.13 ± 5.03) U/L, (64.19 ± 11.31) U/L vs. (57.36 ± 10.29) U/L, 1.73 ± 0.41 vs. 1.61 ± 0.39 and (24.31 ± 2.63) μmol/L vs. (19.86 ± 2.17) μmol/L, the albumin, hemoglobin and serum sodium were significantly lower than those in good prognosis group: (36.21 ± 4.51) g/L vs. (39.12 ± 4.96) g/L, (86.31 ± 8.27) g/L vs. (92.28 ± 9.67) g/L and (136.58 ± 18.24) mmol/L vs. (141.21 ± 19.26) mmol/L, and there were statistical differences ( P<0.01 or<0.05). ROC curve analysis results show that the optimal cut-off values of age, MELD score, CTP score, albumin, ALT, AST, hemoglobin, INR, TBIL and serum sodium for predicting poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB were 55 years old, 14.20 scores, 9.30 scores, 35 g/L, 38 U/L, 67 U/L, 88 g/L, 1.90 scores, 25 μmol/L and 135 mmol/L, respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis results showed that age≥55 years old, ascites, MELD score ≥14.20 scores, CTP score ≥9.30 scores, albumin<35 g/L and INR≥1.90 were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB ( HR = 1.528, 1.439, 1.637, 1.795, 1.521 and 1.596; 95% CI 1.165 to 1.891, 1.088 to 1.790, 1.308 to 1.966, 1.385 to 2.205, 1.262 to 1.780 and 1.259 to 1.933; P<0.05 or<0.01). To construct a nomogram model that integrates independent risk factors for poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB, the predictive power of the model was good (C-index 0.839, 95% CI 0.781 to 0.948). The corrected curve of nomogram model to predict poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB was close to the ideal curve; when the high risk threshold>0.02, nomogram model provided a significant additional clinical net benefit to predict poor outcome in patients with cirrhosis of EGVB, which was higher than the individual risk factors. Conclusions:The nomogram model based on age, ascites, MELD score, CTP score, albumin, INR and other independent risk factors that affect the high risk of poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EDVB has great clinical value in screening and identifying high risk of poor prognosis in patients with cirrhosis of EDVB.

Molecular Mechanism of "Transmission Between Lung and Brain" of Influenza and Intervention Effect of Maxing Shigantang Based on JAK1/STAT1 Signaling Pathway / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore the molecular mechanism of "transmission between the lung and brain" of influenza based on Janus kinase 1/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1（JAK1/STAT1） signaling pathway and further investigate the intervention effect of Maxing Shigantang （MXSGT）. MethodA total of 100 SPF BALB/c mice were randomly divided into a normal group，a model group，an oseltamivir group （21.63 mg·kg-1·d-1），an antiviral granules group（3.9 g·kg-1·d-1）， and an MXSGT group（6.05 g·kg-1·d-1）， with 20 mice in each group. The pneumonia model was induced in mice except for those in the normal group by intranasal infection of influenza A virus（IAV）. Twenty-four hours after modeling，mice were treated with corresponding drugs， while those in the normal group and the model group received the same amount of normal saline by gavage， once a day for 3 and 7 days. The pathological changes in the lung and brain were observed by hematoxylin-eosin（HE）staining. The mRNA expression of IAV nucleoprotein（NP），JAK1， and STAT1 in the lung and brain was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction（Real-time PCR）， and the protein expression of JAK1 and STAT1 in the lung and brain was detected by Western blot. Immunohistochemical method was used to detect the expression of phosphorylated（p）-STAT1 in the lung and brain tissues， and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ELISA） was used to detect the serum levels of interleukin-1β（IL-1β） and interleukin-10（IL-10）. ResultCompared with the normal group， the model group showed obvious pathological changes in the lung tissues and cerebral cortex， increased relative mRNA expression of IAV NP in the lung （P<0.01）， elevated mRNA and protein expression of JAK1 and STAT1 in the lung and brain tissues （P<0.05，P<0.01），up-regulated expression level of p-STAT1 in lung tissues and cerebral cortex （P<0.05，P<0.01）， and increased serum level of IL-1β （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， the MXSGT group showed alleviated pathological damage to lung tissues and cerebral cortex， decreased relative mRNA expression of IAV NP in lung tissues（P<0.01），reduced mRNA and protein expression levels of JAK1 and STAT1 in lung tissues and brain tissues（P<0.05，P<0.01）， and increased serum level of IL-10（P<0.01）. ConclusionThe abnormal activation of the JAK1-STAT1 signaling pathway may be one of the molecular mechanisms of "transmission between the lung and brain" of influenza. As an effective compound prescription against the influenza virus，MXSGT can alleviate the pathological damage of brain tissues in mice infected with IAV by regulating the level of cytokines mediated by this pathway.

Influencing factors of inconsistency between γ-interferon release test QFT-GIT and tuberculosis etiological test results / 中华临床感染病杂志

Objective:To evaluate the influencing factors of inconsistency between γ-interferon release test QFT-GIT and etiological results in tuberculosis patients.Methods:The clinical data of 1 398 patients with positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection confirmed by pathogen culture after QFT-GIT test who were admitted to Hangzhou Chest Hospital Affiliated to Zhejiang University School of Medicine from September 2017 to August 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. There were 1 242 cases in whom both the pathogenic culture and QFT-GIT results were positive(consistent result group) and 156 cases in whom the QFT-GIT test results were negative or indeterminate(inconsistent result group). Logistic regression was used to analyze the influencing factors of inconsistent results between QFT-GIT and tuberculosis pathogenic tests. SPSS 25.0 software was used to analyze the data. Results:The overall incidence of inconsistency between QFT-GIT and tuberculosis etiological results was 11.16% (156/1 398). The incidence of inconsistency was 0, 7.09% (63/889) and 19.58% (93/475) in patients aged <18, 18-<65 and ≥65 years old, respectively; the incidence of inconsistency in age group ≥65 was higher than that in age groups <18 and 18-<65 ( χ2=6.584 and 36.762, P<0.01). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that age ( OR=1.026, 95% CI 1.016-1.037), smoking ( OR=1.649, 95% CI 1.159-2.347), chronic liver disease ( OR=1.868, 95% CI 1.213-2.876), cardiovascular disease ( OR=2.353, 95% CI 1.361-4.069) and blood albumin level ( OR=0.956, 95% CI 0.928-0.985) were independent influencing factors for the inconsistency between the results of QFT-GIT and tuberculosis etiology. Conclusion:Patients with advanced age, smoking, chronic liver disease, cardiovascular disease and low albumin level are more likely to have inconsistent results between QFT-GIT and tuberculosis etiological tests.

Clinical analysis of 1 057 patients with critical illnesses in a dermatological ward / 中华皮肤科杂志

Objective:To summarize clinical characteristics of and treatment experience with patients with critical illnesses in a dermatological ward.Methods:All patients with serious or life-threatening conditions, who were hospitalized at the dermatological ward of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from July 9, 2011 to December 31, 2020, were collected, and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Demographic characteristics, disease types and proportions, main complications, causes of serious or life-threatening conditions, important treatment measures and outcomes were summarized, and causes of death were also analyzed and discussed.Results:A total of 1 057 patients with critical illnesses were collected, with a male-to-female ratio of 1∶1.11, and 64.81% of them aged 18 to 65 years. The types of diseases mainly included drug eruptions (332 cases) , connective tissue diseases (226 cases) , bullous skin diseases (104 cases) , psoriasis (57 cases) , erythroderma (45 cases) , infectious skin diseases (67 cases) , etc. Among them, psoriasis (39 cases) and erythroderma (32 cases) mostly occurred in males, and connective tissue diseases (168 cases) mostly occurred in females. Common complications mainly involved infections, important organ damage or dysfunction, hypoalbuminemia, and fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. A total of 94 patients were diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, which were found to be mainly caused by primary skin diseases, hematologic abnormalities, respiratory failure, nervous system abnormalities, renal failure, sepsis, fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances, etc. During the management of critical illnesses, 43 patients were treated with high-dose glucocorticoid pulse therapy, 264 were treated with gamma-globulin pulse therapy, 355 were transfused with other blood products, and 34 received special therapies such as hemoperfusion/immunoadsorption therapy, plasma exchange, dialysis, artificial liver support therapy; 42 patients were transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) , 12 were transferred to the department of surgery for operations, and 12 were transferred to the department of obstetrics and gynecology for delivery or induction of labor. After treatment, 989 patients (93.57%) achieved improvement and were discharged. A total of 14 patients (1.32%) died, of whom 7 died of secondary sepsis, 2 died of severe pulmonary infections, 2 died of asphyxia caused by respiratory mucosa shedding-induced airway obstruction, the other 3 died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage, cerebral hemorrhage and neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus, respectively.Conclusions:Critical cases in the dermatological ward mainly suffered from serious skin diseases such as severe drug eruptions, connective tissue diseases and bullous skin diseases, as well as complications such as severe underlying diseases, severe organ dysfunction, sepsis or severe fluid, electrolyte and acid-base imbalances. In terms of treatment, it is of critical significance to make a clear diagnosis and assess the severity of disease as early as possible, monitor and prevent possible complications, and to consult with specialists in relevant disciplines in time.

Ophiopogonin D interferes with ferroptosis to reduce the damage of cardiomyocytes induced by ophiopogonin D' / 药学学报

This study investigated the intervention effect and possible mechanism of ophiopogonin D (OPD) in protecting cardiomyocytes against ophiopogonin D' (OPD')-induced injury, and provided relevant experimental data for the clinical use of Ophiopogon japonicas. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to evaluate the effect of OPD and OPD' on H9c2 cell viability. The content of reaction oxygen species (ROS) in cells were detected by flow cytometry. The contents of Fe2+ in cells were detected by FerroOrange's fluorescence imaging. The content of glutathione (GSH) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were detected by kits. The expression of transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1), cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1), long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (ACSL4), cationic amino acid transporter 11 (SLC7A11), glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4), and ferritin heavy chain 1 (FTH1) was detected by Western blot. Results showed that OPD' (1 μmol·L-1) significantly induced the expression of ferroptosis-related proteins, the contents of Fe2+, ROS, and GSH-Px were increased, and the content of GSH were decreased. In addition, different concentrations of OPD (0.5, 1, and 2 μmol·L-1) could partially reverse the myocardial cell injury caused by OPD', and the best effect was obtained when the dose range was 1-2 μmol·L-1. The experimental results show that OPD can interfere with the ferroptosis caused by OPD', and then have a protective effect on H9c2 cells.

Development of a new protocol for freeze-drying preservation of Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens and its protective effect on other marine bacteria

Background: Freeze-drying is known as one of the best methods to preserve bacterial strains. Protectant is the key factor affecting the survival rate of freeze-dried strains. In addition, salinity, bacterial suspension concentration, drying time, and other factors can also affect the survival rate of strains to varying degrees. At present, there are relatively few studies on freeze-drying preservation of marine bacteria. In the present study, we performed the freeze-drying protectant screening and optimized the preservation conditions for Pseudoalteromonas nigrifaciens, which is widely distributed in marine environment. The protective effects of the screened protectants were verified by 18 other marine bacterial strains. Results: The results indicated that the combination of 5.0% (w/v) lactose, 5.0% (w/v) mannitol, 5.0% (w/v) trehalose, 10.0% (w/v) skim milk powder, 0.5% (w/v) ascorbic acid and 0.5% (w/v) gelatin was the best choice for the preservation of P. nigrifaciens. The suggested salinity and concentration of initial cell suspension were 10 g/L NaCl and 1.0 × 109 CFU/mL, respectively. Furthermore, stationary-phase cells were the best choice for the freeze-drying process. The highest survival rate of P. nigrifaciens reached 52.8% when using 5­10% (w/v) skim milk as rehydration medium. Moreover, the other 18 marine strains belonging to Pseudoalteromonas, Vibrio, Photobacterium, Planomicrobium, Edwardsiella, Enterococcus, Bacillus, and Saccharomyces were freezedried under the abovementioned conditions. Their survival rates were 2.3­95.1%. Conclusion: Collectively, our results supported that the protectant mixture and parameters were beneficial for lyophilization of marine bacteria

Chinese traditional cultural belief of medical students and its relationship with depression / 南方医科大学学报

To study the cultural beliefs of medical students and its relationship with depression.A questionnaire survey was conducted among 977 medical students using the Chinese Traditional Culture Belief Scale (CTCBS) and Nine Item-Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).The total score of medical students' cultural belief was 48.34± 7.31, and 54.4% of them had clear cultural belief. Cultural belief did not differ significantly among the medical students with different genders, places of residence or economic status, but those with ideals and beliefs had significantly higher cultural belief than those without (48.87±7.40 47.09±6.95, < 0.001). Cultural belief was negatively correlated to depression among the medical students (=-0.215, < 0.001), and those with a high-level cultural belief had lower levels of depression (6.09±3.88 7.42 ± 3.82 9.00 ± 4.90, < 0.001). The total and all the dimensions scores of CTCBS of the students without depressive symptoms were significantly higher than those in students with depressive symptoms. The medical students with lower cultural beliefs had a higher positive rate for depression screening (37.8% 18.8% 12.2%).Medical students have a high level of cultural beliefs. Strong culture beliefs are beneficial to relieve depression symptoms and reduce the incidence rate of depression. Chinese traditional culture education should be strengthened in the quality education of medical students.

Clinical Research on Treatment of Acute Cerebral Infarction with ‘Sanjiao Regular Sequence Therapy’ / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of Sanjiao Cidi therapy on acute cerebral infarction and its effect on levels of S100-β protein （S100-β）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， hypersensitive C-reactive protein （hs-CRP） and neuropeptide （NPY）. Method:One hundred and eighty patients were randomly divided into control group （90 cases） and observation group （90 cases） by random number table. Patients in control group got aspirin enteric-coated tablets， 100 mg/time， 1 time/day， edaravone injection （injected within 30 minutes） for 14 days， 30 mg/time， 2 times/day， simvastatin tablets， 20 mg/time， 1 time/day. In addition to the basic therapy of meloxicam tablets， patients in observation group were also treated with Sanjiao Cidi therapy. In the first step， patients got Guizhi therapy to dredge Zhongjiao and Shangjiao， 1 dose/day， for 8 days. In the second step， patients got Sini therapy to dredge Zhongjiao and Xiajiao， 1 dose/day， for 10 days. In the third step， patients got Tianjing Gubentherapy， 1 dose/day， for 10 days. The course of treatment was 4 weeks. Before the treatment， and at the first， second， third and fourth weeks after treatment， National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale （NIHSS） was scored. And before and after treatment， function scale of fuglmeyer （FMA）， ability of daily life activities （ADL）， mini-mental state examination （MMSE） and main symptoms of traditional Chinese medicine were scored. Comprehensive assessment of patient report outcome （PRO） was made. And levels of S100-β， hs-CRP， TNF-α and NPY were detected. And the incidence rate of pulmonary infection， urinary infection， skeletal myalgia， shoulder hand syndrome and shoulder subluxation of patients were recorded during hospitalization. Result:The clinical efficacy in observation group was better than that in control group （Z=2.141， P<0.05）. Scores of NIHSS in observation group were lower than those in control group at the first， second， third and fourth weeks after treatment （P<0.01）. Scores of upper limb， legs and the total scores from FMA were higher than those in control group （P<0.01）. Scores of the main symptoms of traditional Chinese medicine， symptoms， psychological and social scores， total scores of PRO， S100-β， hs-CRP， TNF-α and NPY were lower than those in the observation group （P<0.01）. And scores of ADL and MMSE were higher than those in control group （P<0.01）. Total incidence of complications in observation group was 27.27%（21/77）， which was lower than 46.15%（36/78） in control group （χ2=5.941， P<0.05）. Conclusion:In addition to conventional western medicine treatment， Sanjiao Cidi therapy can treat the patients with acute cerebral infarction， alleviate the degree of neurological deficit， improve the cognitive function， motor function of limbs and the ability of daily life， reduce the main symptoms of traditional Chinese medicine， the incidence of complications and the inflammatory response， protect the nerve cells， with a better clinical efficacy and comprehensive effect in patients than pure Western medicine.

Clinical analysis of 35 cases of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical features of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DiHS) and enhance the recognition of its diagnosis and treatment.Methods:Drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome diagnosed in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in recent 6 years were retrospectively analyzed and summarized.Results:Of 35 cases of drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome there were ten types of suspected drugs. Antibiotics were the most common allergy-inducing drug, followed by allopurinol, antiepileptics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The expected clinical findings of DiHS were characterized by skin rash, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, which may be accompanied by eosinophilia, liver function damaged. The lesions of DiHS were variable and the majority of cases 65.71%(23/35) were characterized by eruptive papules.The main therapeutic approach of DiHS was systemic application of glucocorticoids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). When necessary its combination with immunosuppressant or hemoperfusion (HP).Conclusions:DiHS should be on the high alert when a patient with medication history, rash, high fever and lymph nodes large, accompanied by eosinophilia, liver function damaged. Predictors of good prognosis are early diagnosis and treatment.

Materialistic values and depression in medical students:the mediating effect of meaning in life / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the relationship between materialistic values and depression in medical students.@*METHODS@#A random sample of 1158 college students from a medical university in Guangdong Province was investigated using the materialism tendency scale (MTS), the simplified version of purpose in life test (PIL-SF) and the patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9).@*RESULTS@#The survey showed that 17.33% of the students had obvious depressive symptoms. A negative correlation was found between the materialistic values and the meaning in life (=-0.229, < 0.01) in these students; materialistic values were positively correlated with depression (=0.246, < 0.01), and the meaning in life was negatively correlated with depression (=-0.476, < 0.01). Meaning in life mediated the relationship between materialistic values and depression, which accounted for 41.2% of the total effects.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Meaning in life partially mediates the relationship between materialistic values and depression.

Clinical analysis for 108 cases of dermatomyositis / 中南大学学报(医学版)

To investigate the clinical characteristics of dermatomyositis, to investigate the types and clinical features of dermatomyositis complicated with malignant tumor, and to provide evidence for clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognostic evaluation.
 Methods: The clinical manifestations and laboratory test results for 108 cases of dermatomyositis with complications in the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University were analyzed.
 Results: Patients aged from 14 to 60 years accounted for 62.96%. The first symptom was single skin rash (54.63%), and the most characteristic cutaneous features were asymmetrical proximal myositis with various degrees (97.22%). The visceral involvement was as follows: the digestive tract (31.48%), the heart (19.44%), the lung (26.85%), and the thyroid damage (12.96%). Twelve (11.11%) patients were combined with malignant tumor. The positive rates for albumin (ALB), glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (AST), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), anti Jo-1 antibody, anti ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antibody, and anti-topoisomerasel (Scl) antibody were 25.93%, 46.30%, 28.70%, 87.04%%, 51.85%, 26.85%, 55.56%, 2.27%, 8.99%, and 2.27%, respectively. The patients were divided into a tumor group and a non-tumor group. The chi-square test results from clinical symptoms and laboratory tests suggested that increase of ESR was a risk factor for dermatomyositis combining tumor. The main strategy of therapy was corticosteroids.
 Conclusion: Dermatomyositis possesses typical skin lesions and dermatitis is the most common initial symptom of dermatomyositis. In clinic, diagnosis of dermatomyositis should be timely combined with muscle enzymes test, electromyography and muscle biopsy. Dermatomyositis can easily involve many organs. Thus relevant examinations (such as chest X-ray and CT) should be done preventively. Rapid ESR is a risk factor for dermatomyositis complicated with malignant tumor and it can be used as an index to guide clinical diagnosis.

Research progress on chemical constituents and biological activities from Turpinia species / 中国中药杂志

Turpinia species have been used as local Chinese medicines. It has been widely concerned about their antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects. Modern studies showed that the chemical constituents of Turpina species include flavonoids, triterpenoids, megastigans and phenoli acids. Its pharmacological research mainly focused on antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, and immuneregulation effect. In this paper, the chemical compositions and pharmacological activities of Turpinia species were summarized, in order to provide scientific basis for the further development and utilization of Turpinia species.

UPLC-Q-TOF-MS-based metabolomics study of celastrol / 中国中药杂志

The mass spectrometry-based metabolomics method was used to systematically investigate the formation of celastrol metabolites,and the effect of celastrol on endogenous metabolites. The mice plasma,urine and feces samples were collected after oral administration of celastrol. Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry( UPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied to analyze the exogenous metabolites of celastrol and its altered endogenous metabolites. Mass defect filtering was adopted to screen for the exogenous metabolites of celastrol. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to identify the endogenous metabolites affected by celastrol. Celastrol and its eight metabolites were detected in urine and feces of mice,and 5 metabolites of them were reported for the first time. The hydroxylated metabolites were observed in the metabolism of both human liver microsomes and mouse liver microsomes. Further recombinant enzyme experiments revealed CYP3 A4 was the major metabolic enzyme involved in the formation of hydroxylated metabolites. Urinary metabolomics revealed that celastrol can affect the excretion of intestinal bacteria-related endogenous metabolites,including hippuric acid,phenylacetylglycine,5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid,urocanic acid,cinnamoylglycine,phenylproplonylglycine and xanthurenic acid. These results are helpful to elucidate the metabolism and disposition of celastrol in vivo,and its mechanism of action.

Study on chemical constituents of flavonoids in Turpinia arguta / 药学学报

Fifteen flavonoids were isolated and identified by macroporous resin column chromatography, polyamide column chromatography, silica gel column chromatography, ODS column chromatography and preparative liquid chromatography from the ethanol extract Turpinia arguta. Their structures of these flavonoids were identified by NMR and mass spectrometry as argutoside F (1), luteolin-7-O-α-L-rhamanopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (2), nuezhenoside (3), acacetin-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (4), apigenin (5), quercetin (6), quercetin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranoside (7), rhoifolin (8), luteolin-7-O-α-L-rhamanopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), acacetin-7-O-α-L-rhamnopyranosyl-(1→2)-β-D-glucopyranoside (10), luteolin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (11), luteolin (12), neodiosmin (13), apigenin-7-O-rutinoside (14), and quercetin-3-O-α-L-arabinopyranoside (15). Compound 1 is new, whereas compound 2, 7, 9, 13-15 were obtained from this plant for the first time.

Developing spectrum-toxicity relationship with rough set theory for hepatotoxicity material basis of Polygonum multiflorum / 中国中药杂志

Idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of Polygonum multiflorum has attracted a great attention in the world. The most toxic part of idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity was screened by MTT assay and flow cytometry, which was the 50% ethanol elute by macroporous adsorptive resins from alcohol-extraction of P. multiflorum. The fingerprints were collected by HPLC from 50% ethanol elute of crude and processed P. multiflorum from different habitats, then 14 common peaks were determined. Spectrum-toxicity relationship was analyzed by rough set theory(RST). Two main chemical components were predicted for idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity, in which TSG was the greater contributor. Idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of TSG was tested in vitro, and the results indicated that TSG was the most important constituent contributed to idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity of P. multiflorum. The study showed the discovery of the main chemical components for idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity, and RST was effective for analyzing the spectrum-toxicity relationship, which could be a new method used in the effective/toxic constituents field of traditional Chinese medicine.

Treatment of Rosai-Dorfman disease / 中华皮肤科杂志

Rosai-Dorfman disease (RDD) , also known as sinus histiocytosis with massive lymphadenopathy, is a rare benign self-limited histiocytic proliferative disorder with undetermined etiology. There is still no specific treatment for RDD. Surgical excision is the first-line treatment, while topical and systemic therapy can be chosen for the patients who are not unfit for surgery. Classic topical therapies include topical treatment or local injection with glucocorticoids. Photodynamic therapy and laser immunotherapy are considered as promising topical treatments. Traditional systemic treatments include oral glucocorticoids, immunomodulators, acitretin, and so on. Rituximab is a new treatment option for patients with CD20-positive RDD. This review summarizes new progress in the treatment of RDD in recent years.