Potentiating effect and mechanism of extract of Jingfang Granules on activation of macrophages / 中国中药杂志

This study aimed to explore the potentiating effect and mechanism of the extract of Jingfang Granules(JFG) on the activation of macrophages. The RAW264.7 cells were treated with JFG extract and then stimulated by multiple agents. Subsequently, mRNA was extracted, and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was used to measure the mRNA transcription of multiple cytokines in RAW264.7 cells. The levels of cytokines in the cell supernatant were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA). In addition, the intracellular proteins were extracted and the activation of signaling pathways was determined by Western blot. The results showed that JFG extract alone could not promote or slightly promote the mRNA transcription of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, MIP-1α, MCP-1, CCL5, IP-10, and IFN-β, and significantly enhance the mRNA transcription of these cytokines in RAW264.7 cells induced by R848 and CpG in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, JFG extract also potentiated the secretion of TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, and IFN-β by RAW264.7 cells stimulated with R848 and CpG. As revealed by mechanism analysis, JFG extract enhanced the phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2, IRF3, STAT1, and STAT3 in RAW264.7 cells induced by CpG. The findings of this study indicate that JFG extract can selectively potentiate the activation of macrophages induced by R848 and CpG, which may be attributed to the promotion of the activation of MAPKs, IRF3, and STAT1/3 signaling pathways.

A Novel Robotic Bronchoscopic Surgical System / 中国医疗器械杂志

Transbronchil biopsy has the characteristic of less trauma and quick recovery compared to percutaneous aspiration biopsy. In order to automate this procedure, it requires the development of a robotic surgical system that combines electromagnetic navigation and flexible endoscope. The robotic surgical system introduced herein consists of flexible endoscope, remote-control handle, electromagnetic navigation and dexterous manipulators. The robotic system supports lung bronchial model segmentation and reconstruction, automatic bronchial path planning, real-time navigation and visual biopsy. In the control of the endoscopic catheter, an elasticity compensation algorithm was proposed to improve the location accuracy of the catheter and operational efficiency. Clinical trials proved that the robotic system had high positioning accuracy, was intuitive to operate, and could improve the biopsy efficiency, shorten the learning time, reduce the burden of surgical operations, and lower radiation exposure and infection rate.

A Novel Single-arm Single-port Micro-traumatic Laparoscopic Robotic Surgical System / 中国医疗器械杂志

As the robotic assisted single port surgery arousing attention, a novel single-arm single-port micro-traumatic laparoscopic robotic surgical system is proposed in this study. From the perspective of the mechanics, joints with high rigidity and high reliability were utilized to realize the remote center of motion (RCM). Besides, the cost of consumables was reduced by adding the support of the rigid endoscope. From the perspective of the algorithm, high-precision motion control method and feedback force protection mechanism were implemented. The effectiveness of the aforementioned characteristics were verified by five clinical experiments of cholecystectomy. The results showed that the system is able to reduce the amount of bleeding, accelerate the patient recovery, reduce the infection risk and shorten the learning period. The robotic surgical system had significant clinical application value.

Dose reconstruction of volumetric modulated arc therapy for nasopharyngeal carcinoma based on log files and CBCT / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To reconstruct the dose of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and verify the results of the whole-process radiotherapy plan based on log files and cone beam CT (CBCT).Methods:A total of 15 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma who received volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) with Halcyon accelerator in the Cancer Center of Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from February to September 2022 were retrospectively selected. Log files and CBCT for all fractionated radiotherapy were recorded. The errors of monitor unit (MU), gantry angle, and multi-leaf collimator (MLC) leaf position per control point were analyzed. The adaptive CT (aCT) were generated according to CBCT and planned CT (pCT) using a commercial software Velocity TM, and the similarities among aCT, pCT and CBCT were analyzed. The original plan was modified from the log files and imported into the treatment planning system to calculate the delivered dose on the corresponding fractionated aCT to reconstruct the fractionated dose. And all the reconstructed doses were mapped back to pCT to obtain the cumulative dose. Theγpass ratios with criteria of 2 mm/2% and 2 mm/3% and the dose differences between the planned dose and the cumulative dose in the planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OAR) were compared. Results:The root mean square (RMS) and the 95th percentile of the errors of MU, gantry angle and MLC leaf position errors were within an acceptable range. The aCT generated by Velocity TM had the anatomical structure of CBCT and the resolution, contrast, noise characteristics of pCT, which could be directly used for dose calculation. Compared with the planned dose, the changes of V 70 Gy of nasopharyngeal primary tumor (PTV nx), V 68 Gy of cervical glands (PTV nd) and V 60 Gy of planning target volume (PTV1) were -0.88%±1.91%, -2.99%±2.99% and -0.63%±0.93%, respectively, and V 40 Gy of parotid gland was increased to 2.65%±2.63%. Cumulative dose showed different degrees of PTV dose decrease ( P<0.05) and parotid dose was increased ( P<0.05). The γ pass ratio (2 mm/3%) between the cumulative dose and planned dose was 97.3%±2.7% and >95.0% in 86.7% of patients. Conclusions:Based on the log files and CBCT, the whole-process dose reconstruction of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients can be carried out. According to the results of dose reconstruction, the radiotherapy effect of the target area and OAR can be quantitatively evaluated. In the case of high dose coverage and conformity of the original plan, the reconstruction results show that the cumulative dose coverage of the target area is decreased, whereas that of the parotid gland is increased.

Effects of electroacupuncture on rats with cognitive impairment: An iTRAQ-based proteomics analysis / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#The study explores the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) at the governing vessel (GV) on proteomic changes in the hippocampus of rats with cognitive impairment.@*METHODS@#Healthy male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: sham, model and EA. Cognitive impairment was induced by left middle cerebral artery occlusion in the model and EA groups. Rats in the EA group were treated with EA at Shenting (GV24) and Baihui (GV20) for 7 d. Neurological deficit was scored using the Longa scale, the learning and memory ability was detected using the Morris water maze (MWM) test, and the proteomic profiling in the hippocampus was analyzed using protein-labeling technology based on the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). The Western blot (WB) analysis was used to detect the proteins and validate the results of iTRAQ.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the model group, the neurological deficit score was significantly reduced, and the escape latency in the MWM test was significantly shortened, while the number of platform crossings increased in the EA group. A total of 2872 proteins were identified by iTRAQ. Differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified between different groups: 92 proteins were upregulated and 103 were downregulated in the model group compared with the sham group, while 142 proteins were upregulated and 126 were downregulated in the EA group compared with the model group. Most of the DEPs were involved in oxidative phosphorylation, glycolipid metabolism and synaptic transmission. Furthermore, we also verified 4 DEPs using WB technology. Although the WB results were not exactly the same as the iTRAQ results, the expression trends of the DEPs were consistent. The upregulation of heat-shock protein β1 (Hspb1) was the highest in the EA group compared to the model group.@*CONCLUSION@#EA can effect proteomic changes in the hippocampus of rats with cognitive impairment. Hspb1 may be involved in the molecular mechanism by which acupuncture improves cognitive impairment.

Spontaneous remission of follicular bronchiolitis with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia: A case report and literature review / 北京大学学报(医学版)

A 41-year-old female patient was admitted in Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Peking University Third Hospital because of having cough for a year. Multiple subpleural ground grass and solid nodules could be seen on her CT scan. Four months before admission, she began to experience dry mouth and eyes, blurred vision, finger joints pain, muscle pain and weakness in both lower limbs and weight loss. At the time of admission, the patient's vital signs were normal, no skin rash was seen, breath sounds in both lungs were clear, no rales or wheeze, no deformities in her hands, no redness, swelling, or tenderness in the joints. There was no edema in both lower limbs. Some lab examinations were performed. Tumor markers including squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen, neuron-specific enolase (NSE), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), Cyfra21-1, pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (proGRP), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 199 (CA199) were all normal. The antinuclear antibody, rheumatoid factor, antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody, anti-dsDNA antibody, anti-Sm antibody, anti-SSA/SSB antibody, anti-ribonucleoprotein (RNP) antibody, anti-Jo-1 antibody, anti-SCL-70 antibody and anti-ribosomal antibody were all negative. The blood IgG level was normal. The blood fungal β-1.3-D glucose, aspergillus galactomannan antigen, sputum bacterial and fungal culture, and sputum smear test for acid-fast staining were all negative. Lung function was normal. Bronchoscopy showed the airways and mucosa were normal. To clarify the diagnosis, she underwent thoracoscopic lung biopsy, the histopathology revealed follicular bronchiolitis (FB) with nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP). She did not receive any treatment and after 7 months, the lung opacities were spontaneously resolved. After 7 years of follow-up, the opacities in her lung did not relapse. To improve the understanding of FB, a literature research was performed with "follicular bronchiolitis" as the key word in Wanfang, PubMed and Ovid Database. The time interval was from January 2000 to December 2018. Relative articles were retrieved and clinical treatments and prognosis of FB were analyzed. Eighteen articles concerning FB with complete records were included in the literature review. A total of 51 adult patients with FB were reported, including 18 primary FB and 33 secondary FB, and autoimmune disease was the most common underlying cause. Forty-one (80.4%) patients were prescribed with corticosteroids and/or immunosuppressive agents, 6 (11.8%) patients were treated with anti-infective, 5 (9.8%) patients did not receive any treatment. The longest follow-up period was 107 months. Among the 5 patients without any treatment, 1 patients died of metastatic melanoma, the lung opacities were unchanged in 1 patient and getting severe in 3 patients. In conclusion, FB is a rare disease, the treatment and prognosis are controversial. Corticosteroid and immunosuppressive agents could be effective. This case report suggests the possibility of spontaneous remission of FB.

Value of CT radiomics for prediction of pathological response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in esophageal cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To establish a radiomics-based biomarker for predicting pathological response after preoperative neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT) in locally advanced esophageal cancer.Methods:From 2008 to 2018, 112 patients with locally advanced esophageal cancer who received nCRT were enrolled. All patients were treated with preoperative nCRT combined with surgery. Enhanced CT images and clinical information before nCRT were collected. A lesion volume of interest was manually delineated. In total, 670 radiomics features (including tumor intensity, shape and size, texture and wavelet characteristics) were extracted using the pyradiomics package in PYTHON. The stepwise regression combined with the best subset were employed to select the features, and finally the Logistic regression model was adopted to establish the prediction model. The performance of the classifier was evaluated by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Results:The pathological complete remission (pCR) rate was 58.0%(65/112). 10 radiomics features were included in the final model, The most relevant radiomics feature was the gray feature (the texture information of the image), followed by the shape and voxel intensity-related features. In the training set, the AUC was 0.750 with a sensitivity of 0.711 and a specificity of 0.778, the corresponding values in the testing set were 0.870, 0.757 and 0.900, respectively.Conclusions:Models based on radiomics features from CT images can be utilized to predict the pathological response to nCRT in esophageal cancer. As it is efficient, non-invasive and economic model, it could serve as a promising tool for individualized treatment when validated by further prospective trials in the future.

Condensed tannins from roots of Indigofera stachyodes / 中国中药杂志

Eleven condensed tannins were isolated from the roots of Indigofera stachyodes by various column chromatography techniques including silica gel, octadecyl silica(ODS), Sephadex LH-20, and semi-preparative high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC). These compounds were identified on the basis of physicochemical properties, nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) and mass spectrometry(MS) data as stachyotannin A(1), epicatechin-(2β→O→7,4β→8)-epiafzelechin-(4β→8)-catechin(2), cinnamtannin D1(3), cinnamtannin B1(4), epicatechin-(2β→O→7,4β→8)-epiafzelechin-(4α→8)-epicatechin(5), gambiriin C(6), proanthocyanidin A1(7), proanthocyanidin A2(8), aesculitannin B(9), proanthocyanidin A4(10), and procyanidin B5(11). Compound 1 is a new compound. Compounds 2-11 were isolated from Indigofera for the first time. Furthermore, compounds 1, 2, and 4-11 showed inhibitory effects on thrombin-induced ATP release in platelets.

Occluding dentin tubules with monetite paste / 华西口腔医学杂志

OBJECTIVES@#This study was performed to evaluate the occlusion of monetite paste on dentine tubule and provide a new potential method for treating dentine hypersensitivity.@*METHODS@#Calcium oxide, strontium chloride, and polyethylene glycol phosphate were mixed in a certain proportion and ground in a planetary ball mill. The reaction was carried out by adjusting the pH to obtain monetite and hydroxyapatite paste. The morphological characteristics of the paste were observed through scanning electron microscope (SEM). The structure and composition were analyzed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR). The extracted third molar was selected to undergo demineralization to establish the @*RESULTS@#XRD and FTIR showed that the composition of the paste was mainly monetite, and the composition of hydroxyapatite paste was mainly composed of hydroxyapatite. SEM revealed that the size of the crystal particles of the synthesized paste was tens to hundreds of nanometers. Monetite and hydroxyapatite paste could produce a thicker mineralization layer on the dentin surface, and the mineralization of the dentin tubules of monetite was deeper than that of hydroxyapatite paste. The microhardness of the monetite paste group was significantly less than those of the hydroxyapatite paste groups (@*CONCLUSIONS@#Monetite paste could effectively block the exposed dentin tubules and be used for treating dentin hypersensitivity.

Survey on situation and cognition of influenza and pneumonia vaccination in patients with pneumoconiosis and pneumoconiosis comorbided with COPD in Hunan Province / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To understand the current status and influencing factors of influenza and pneumonia vaccination in patients with pneumoconiosis and pneumoconiosis comorbided with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Hunan Province, and provide a basis of vaccination planning strategies for the patients.Methods:Inpatients pneumoconiosis and completed 1-year follow-up in the Hunan Prevention and Treatment Institute for Occupational Disease in May 2019 were selected as the research objects, and the data of their age, gender, education level, medical insurance type, number of hospitalization, smoking status, and comorbidity of COPD were collected retrospectively. They were followed up for 1-year of the vaccination status of influenza and pneumonia, and the main factors influencing vaccination decision. Unconditional logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing vaccination.Results:A total of 474 hospitalized pneumoconiosis patients were included, of which 96 were comorbided with COPD; the follow-up results showed that the awareness rate of pneumoconiosis patients with influenza and pneumonia vaccine was 13.1%, and the vaccination rate within one year was 7.6%. The vaccination rate of pneumoconiosis patients with COPD within one year was 8.3%. The positive correlation factors of the vaccination were multiple hospitalization, residence of >3 people and comorbided with COPD. The route of vaccination is mainly by doctors' recommendation.Conclusions:The vaccination rate of influenza and pneumonia in pneumoconiosis and pneumoconiosis patients with COPD in Hunan Province is low; the main way for patients to learn is doctor education, so it is necessary to strengthen the health education of pneumo-coniosis doctors and patients to improve the vaccination rate.

Methodology of Differentiation of Bone Marrow Cells into Megakaryocytes in Vitro / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the method for inducing the differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes in vitro so as to use for evaluating the activity of traditional Chinese medicines.@*METHODS@#The bone marrow cells were separated from femurs and tibias of mice. The experiments were divided into 4 groups: control (no adding cytokines), TPO (adding 50 ng/ml TPO), TPO+SCF (50 ng/ml+50 ng/ml) and TPO+SCF+IL-6+IL-9 (50 ng/ml+50 ng/ml+20 ng/ml+20 ng/ml). The bone marrow cells in 4 groups were cultured in vitro for 6 d. Then the cell growth status was observed by the inverted microscopy, and the cell count was detected by using the automatic cell counter. The ratio and absolute count of megakaryocytes were detected by flow cytometry.@*RESULTS@#Compared with control, three induction methods could stimulate the differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes in vitro. TPO could slightly enhance the differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes. Both the combination of TPO and SCF, and the combination of TPO, SCF, IL-6 and IL-9 could intensively stimulate proliferation of bone morrow cells and promote the differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes. The addition of IL-6 and IL-9 could decrease the proliferation of non-megakaryocytes, but promote the differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes.@*CONCLUSION@#The optimized differentiation of bone marrow cells into megakaryocytes has been completed by co-induction regimen of TPO, SCF, IL-6 and IL-9, which can be used to screen and evaluate traditional Chinese medicines promoting formation of platelets.

Values of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient and Fractional Anisotropy in the Diagnosis of Brucella Spondylitis / 中国医学科学院学报

To compare the differences in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and fractional anisotropy (FA) between brucella spondylitis (BS) groups at different stages before treatment and the normal control group and to evaluate the change trend of ADC value and FA value at different time points before and after treatment. Totally 53 patients suspected of BS by conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and later confirmed as BS patients by serological tests were enrolled in this study. These patients underwent conventional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging scans,and the ADC value and FA value were measured. Independent sample test was used to compare the ADC value and FA value between the BS group and the control group,the ADC value and FA value between the BS group at each stage. Repeated measurement ANOV was used to compare the ADC values and FA values at different time points before and after treatment. FA imaging showed that the color code of BS was different from that of the normal control group,and the color code of FA imaging showed increased singal. The ADC values of BS in the acute,subacute,and chronic stages [(1.45±0.02)×10 mm /s,(1.35±0.03)×10 mm /s,(1.26±0.05)×10 mm /s,respectively] were significantly higher than those in the control group [(1.06±0.09) ×10 mm /s](=2.538,=0.009;=1.998,=0.032;=1.575,=0.004),and the FA value (0.55±0.02,0.65±0.03,0.71±0.04,respectively) were significantly lower than those of the control group (0.78±0.02) (=2.440,=0.012; =1.847,=0.041;=2.102,=0.003). Repeated measurement analysis showed that there were statistically significant differences in ADC values and FA values at different time points before and after treatment in the acute,subacute,and chronic stages (ADC:=12.100,<0.001;=8.439,=0.005;=9.704,=0.004,respectively;FA:=7.080,=0.002;=6.607;=0.003;=8.868,=0.001,respectively). The ADC values at different time points after treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment or at a previous time point after treatment (=332.14,<0.001),and the FA values were significantly higher than those before treatment or at a previous time point after treatment (=134.26,<0.001). FA color code can intuitively display differences in BS and normal vertebral bodies and show change of color code before and after treatment. Also,the ADC values and FA values can quantitatively reveal differences between BS and normal vertebral body in different time points and quantify BS vertebral lesion changes before and after treatment. In particular,in BS patients who are recovering from treatment,it can quantify microscopic edema. Therefore,diffusion tensor imaging may be useful objective indicator in evaluating the effectiveness of a specific treatment for BS.

Elimination of a disulfide bond in the light chain of coagulation factor VIII improves secretion of a BDD-FVIII variant with an engineered inter-chain disulfide / 药学学报

The coagulation VIII factor (FVIII) contains eight pairs of disulfide bonds, which are involved in maintaining its structure and function. It has been demonstrated that the disulfide bond between Cys1899/Cys1903 of the A3 domain in the light chain impedes secretion. In our previous work, an engineered inter-chain disulfide in the B domain-deleted FVIII (BDD-FVIII) promoted heterodimer assembly and secretion of separately expressed heavy and light chains. In this study, we constructed two BDD-FVIII variants, one of which contains an engineered inter-chain disulfide bond (F8C) between Met662 > Cys and Asp1828 > Cys mutations and another contains an endogenous A3 domain with a disrupted disulfide bond from F8C (F8CG) by replacement of Cys1899 and Cys1903 with Gly in F8C. We explored their function and secretion. By transducing F8C and F8CG into HEK293 and COS-7 cells, the formation of disulfide bonds and the secretion and coagulation activity of the two variants in the culture media and their binding affinity for von Willebrand factor (vWF) could be observed. The results show that variants F8C and F8CG are mainly the disulfide bonded heavy and light chain dimer, while the wild type BDD-FVIII (F8) is dominated by the easily dissociated heavy and light chain dimer. The secretion and activity of F8C was significantly higher than that of F8, while the secretion and activity of F8CG was significantly higher than that of F8C. The vWF binding of the two variants is similar to F8. This indicates that the BDD-FVIII variant F8CG may be attractive molecule for protein replacement and as a transgene in gene-therapy strategies. These findings are encouraging for future studies targeting disulfide bond elimination for further enhancement of FVIII secretion.

A new macrocyclic phenolic glycoside from Sorghum vulgare root / 中国中药杂志

Eleven compounds were isolated and purified from Sorghum vulgare root extract, through column chromatography over silica gel, MCI gel, and preparative HPLC. Their structures were established by MS, 1 D NMR and 2 D NMR data as sorgholide A(1), β-sitosterol(2), stigmastero(3), daucosterol(4), 4-methoxycinnamic acid(5), taxiphyllin(6), chlorogenic acid(7), p-hydroxybenzaldehyde(8), succini acid(9), trans-p-hydroxycinnamic acid(10), obtusalin(11). Compounds 4,5 and 9-11 were reported from this species for the first time, and compound 1 is the first 24 ring dimeric double lactonol glycoside formed by reverse polymerization of p-hydroxyphenylacetate glucoside, named sorgholide A.

Association of adenylate cyclase-associated protein 2 expression with histopathology and long-term prognosis of gastric cancer / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore association of the expression levels of adenylate cyclase-associated protein 2 (CAP2) in gastric cancer tissues with the histopathology and long-term prognosis of the malignancy.@*METHODS@#This study was conducted among a total of 105 patients with gastric cancer undergoing radical gastrectomy in our hospital between January, 2010 and October, 2013. Immunohistochemistry was used to quantitatively assess the expression of CAP2 in gastric cancer tissues and the adjacent tissues. Based on the median relative expression level of CAP2 of 3.5, the patients were divided into low CAP2 expression group (=52) and high CAP2 expression group (=53). The Cox regression model was used to analyze the effect of CAP2 expression on the 5-year survival rate of the patients, and ROC curve analysis was used to assess the predictive value of CAP2 expression for the patients' long-term survival.@*RESULTS@#Immunohistochemical analysis showed that the expression levels of CAP2 ( < 0.01) and Ki67 ( < 0.01) were significantly higher in gastric cancer tissues than in the adjacent tissues, and the expression level of CAP2 was positively correlated with Ki67 ( < 0.01), peripheral blood CEA ( < 0.01) and CA19-9 ( < 0.01). The percentages of patients with CEA≥5 μg/L, CA19-9≥37 kU/L, pathological grade of G3-G4, T stage of 3-4, and N stage of 2-3 were significantly higher in patients with high CAP2 expression than in those with low CAP2 expression ( < 0.05). Kaplan- Meier survival analysis showed that the 5-year survival rate was significantly lower in patients with a high CAP2 expression ( < 0.01). A high expression level of CAP2, CEA≥5μg/L, CA19-9≥37 and pathological grades G3-G4 were all independent risk factors for shortened 5-year survival after radical gastrectomy ( < 0.01). With the relative expression level of 3.45 as the cut-off value, the sensitivity of CAP2 was 70.15% for predicting death 5 years after the surgery, with a specificity of 71.05% and an area under the curve of 0.779 ( < 0.01).@*CONCLUSIONS@#CAP2 is highly expressed in gastric cancer tissues in close relation with the tumor progression. CAP2 is an independent risk factor for 5-year survival rate after radical gastrectomy for gastric cancer and can be of clinical value in prognostic evaluation of the patients.

Rapid discovery and identification of the anti-inflammatory constituents in Zhi-Shi-Zhi-Zi-Chi-Tang / 中国天然药物

The anti-inflammatory active ingredients of Zhi-Shi-Zhi-Zi-Chi-Tang (ZSZZCT), a traditional Chinese medicine formula, were predicted and identified using an approach based on activity index, LC-MS, semi-preparative LC and NMR. Firstly, the whole extract of ZSZZCT was analyzed using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time of flight-mass spectrometry (LC-Q-TOF-MS) and liquid chromatography - ion trap mass spectrometry (LC-IT-MS), 79 constituents were detected and 39 constituents were identified unambiguously or tentatively. Subsequently, the whole extract of the formula was separated into multiple components and the activity index method was used to calculate index values of the 79 constituents by integrating the chemical and pharmacological information of multiple components. Four polymethoxyl flavones were predicted as the major active constituents according to the activity index values. Furthermore, three polymethoxyl flavones were prepared using the strategy with semi-preparative LC guided by LC-MS, and their anti-inflammatory activities were validated. The results show that three polymethoxyl flavones with higher positive index values, i.e., 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 3', 4'-heptamethoxyflavone, 3-hydroxynobiletein and tangeretin had significant anti-inflammatory effects. In conclusion, the predicted results indicated that the activity index method is feasible for the accurate prediction of active constituents in TCM formulae.

Analysis on the specificity of the relevant points along the governor vessel in chronic gastritis based on tenderness reaction and tenderness threshold / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the specificity of the relevant points along the governor vessel in chronic gastritis through the synchronous observation of the tenderness reaction and tenderness threshold on the back along the governor vessel in the volunteers with chronic gastritis and make the comparison with healthy volunteers.@*METHODS@#A chronic gastritis group and a healthy volunteer group were prepared, 30 cases in each one. Using synchronous comparison, the tenderness reaction at the point inferior to each of the spinous processes from T to L along the governor vessel was observed. The mechanical pressure pain threshold was determined.@*RESULTS@#Regarding the tenderness reaction at the point inferior to each spinous process on the back along the governor vessel, the occurrence rate was different significantly between the chronic gastritis group and the healthy volunteer group (0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#The point inferior to the spoinous process of T on the governor vessel, Shendao (GV 11, T) and Lingtai (GV 10, T) are the points with the high specificity in chronic gastritis, which provides the reference to clinical treatment with acupuncture and moxibustion. The occurrence rate of high tenderness reaction and the low tenderness threshold may be the important manifestation of the point specificity on the back along the governor vessel in chronic gastritis.

Three-dimensional Medical Electronic Laparoscope System / 中国医疗器械杂志

This paper presents a three-dimensional electronic laparoscopy system, including three-dimensional laparoscope pipe and medical video system. The three-dimensional laparoscope pipe adopts a dual-optical structure, which can collect three-dimensional information of the surgical region. By selecting a reasonable initial structure, the MTF curve of the objective lens is close to the diffraction limit, and the distortion is less than 25%. The medical video system also achieved high-definition image with 1 080 P, 30 Hz by GPU. At the mean time, the three-dimensional electronic laparoscope has achieved quantitative production and has been tested in a number of animals, which has broad application prospects and significant clinical application value.

Correlation between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in elderly men in different states of glucose metabolism / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation between plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D(25-OHVD)levels and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio in elderly men in different states of glucose metabolism.Methods Clinical data of 206 elderly male patients at the geriatrics department of our hospital from April 2011 to August 2017 were collected and retrospectively analyzed.There were 85 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus(T2DM),39 patients with impaired glucose tolerance(IGT) and 82 patients with normal glucose tolerance(NGT).Locally weighted regression and multivariate generalized linear regression models were used to analyze the correlation between plasma 25-OHVD levels and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio.Results There were significant differences in two-hour postprandial blood glucose and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance(HOMA-IR) between the NGT,IGT and T2DM groups (6.5 mmol/L,9.2 mmol/L vs.11.0 mmol/L,11.92 ± 10.57,16.46 ± 10.89 vs.32.67±7.39,respectively,P ＜0.01).Fasting plasma glucose and 2-hour postprandial insulin levels were higher in the IGT and T2DM groups than in the NGT group(5.1 mmol/L,6.3 mmol/L vs.4.9 mmol/L,440.5 nmol/L,367.8 nmol/L vs.255.4 nmol/L,P＜0.05).The haemoglobin A1c(HbA1c)level was higher in the T2DM group than in the NGT and IGT groups(7.1％ vs.5.5％ and 5.8％,P＜0.05).The 25-OHVD and CD4+ levels in the T2DM group were lower than those in the NGT and IGTgroups[11.6 μg/L vs.18.3 μg/L and 17.4 μg/L,(34.0±11.8)％ vs.(40.7±10.5)％ and (40.7±10.2)％,P＜0.01],but were not significantly different between the NGT and IGT groups(P ＞0.05).The CD4+/CD8+ ratios in the T2DM and IGT groups were not significantly different from each other(1.4 vs.1.6,P＞0.05),but were lower than that in the NGT group(2.7,P＜0.01).After adjusting for the influence of related confounders,CD4+/CD8+ increased by 0.4 on average with each standard deviation(7.62 μg/L)increase of 25-OHVD.Compared with 25-OHVD patients in the first quartile,CD4+/CD8+ in the second,third and fourth quartile increased by 0.7,0.9 and 1.1 respectively on average,showing a significant positive correlation and a significant linear trend in the level of 25-OHVD and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio(P＜0.01).Conclusions With the aggravation of glucose tolerance,plasma 25-OHVD levels and the CD4+/CD8+ ratio decrease by varying degrees in elderly men.The deficiency of plasma 25-OHVD may be an independent risk factor for a low CD4+ /CD8+ ratio.

Exogenous lipoid pneumonia induced by long-term usage of compound menthol nasal drops: a case report / 北京大学学报(医学版)

Here we reported a case of exogenous lipoid pneumonia from Peking University Third Hospital. A 62-year-old male presented with chronic cough and expectoration for 8 years, without chest pain, hemoptysis or short of breath. He was an ex-smoker. In his past medical history, the patient reported chronic rhinitis sicca for 20 years. Chest computed tomography (CT) showed patchy ground glass opacities in his bilateral lower lobe. In recent 3 years, his symptoms showed slowly deteriorative changes, as did his chest CT findings. No improvement of the patient's symptoms was observed, although he had been treated with many antibiotics. Then he was referred to our hospital for a detailed investigation for interstitial lung disease. On admission, the physical examination showed no abnormal findings except for inspiratory fine crackles in his bilateral lower lung field on auscultation. The results of the laboratory analysis, including complete blood cell count, biochemistry, arterial blood gas, urinalysis, antinuclear antibody (ANA), antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) and tumor markers were all within normal ranges. To exclude the possibility of infectious or malignant conditions, bronchoscopy was performed. Secretions from the left lower lobe bronchus were collected for bacterial, fungal and fast-acid cultures, which were all negative. A bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed in the left lower lobe with a 30% recovery. The total cell count of the BAL fluid was 6.5×104/mL, and the cellularity differential revealed increased neutrophils (20%) and lymphocytes (17%). The cytological examination in the BAL fluid showed no malignant cells. All the clinical data above did not reveal any conclusive information. However, the pathological findings of his transbronchial lung biopsy (TBLB) were highlighted with lipid-laden macrophages engulfed by large vacuoles occupying almost completely the cytoplasm of the cells, which were consistent with those of exogenous lipoid pneumonia. Given these findings, it emerged that the patient was taking twice daily inhalations of a compound menthol nasal drops (essential oil of camphor, menthol and liquid paraffin) for his chronic rhinitis sicca for at least 10 years. Then he discontinued oil nasal sprays and showed gradual improvement 3 months later without intensive treatment. The presenting case report emphasizes the fact that chronic inhalation of nasal sprays and decongestants containing mineral oils was a cause of exogenous lipoid pneumonia, and clinicians should bear it in mind.