Serum metabolic profiling of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome / 中西医结合学报

OBJECTIVE@#The clinical symptoms of diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) can be effectively improved by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment, based on the usage of specific therapies for different TCM syndromes. However, in the stage of diagnosis, the standard criteria for the classification of TCM syndrome were still deficient. Through serum metabolic profiling, this study aimed to explore potential biomarkers in IBS-D patients with different TCM syndromes, which can assist in diagnosis of the disease.@*METHODS@#Serum samples were collected from healthy controls (30 cases), IBS-D patients with Liver-Stagnation and Spleen-Deficiency syndrome (LSSD, 30 cases), Yang Deficiency of Spleen and Kidney syndrome (YDSK, 11 cases) and Damp Abundance due to Spleen-Deficiency syndrome (DASD, 22 cases). Serum metabolic profiling was conducted by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. The potential biomarkers were screened by orthogonal partial least square-discriminate analysis, while metabolic pathways undergoing alterations were identified by pathway enrichment analysis in MetaboAnalyst 4.0.@*RESULTS@#Overall, 34 potential biomarkers were identified in LSSD group, 36 in YDSK group and 31 in DASD group. And the 13 metabolites shared by three groups were determined as the potential biomarkers of IBS-D. Glycerophospholipid metabolism was disturbed significantly in IBS-D patients, which may play a role in IBS-D through inflammation. What's more, three TCM syndromes have the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism.@*CONCLUSION@#The serum metabolomics revealed that different TCM syndrome types in IBS-D may have different metabolic patterns during disease progression and glycerophospholipid metabolism was one of the pathways, whose metabolism was disturbed differently among three TCM syndromes in IBS-D. Therefore, the specific potential biomarkers in glycerophospholipid metabolism of three TCM syndromes in IBS-D can serve as the objective indicators, which can facilitate the TCM-syndrome objective classification of IBS-D.

Involvement of Src kinase in the down-regulation of ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K(+)current induced by tumor necrosis factor-α in cardiomyocytes / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To investigate whether inflammatory factor tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is involved in the electrical remodeling of cardiomyocytes by regulating ultra-rapid delayed rectifier K(+) current (I(kur)) and the role of Src kinase. Methods: H9c2 cells, embryonic cardiomyocytes of rat, were cultured in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and atrium-derived HL-1 cells were cultured in Claycomb medium. Both H9c2 and HL-1 cells were cultured at 37 ℃ with 5% CO(2). Cells cultured in normal conditions without additional treatment served as control group. Experimental groups were treated with different concentration of TNF-α (25 or 50 or 100 ng/ml) for 24 hours. To study whether Src specific inhibitor PP1 could abrogate the effect of TNF-α, cells were pre-treated with 10 μmol/L PP1 for 1 hour, followed by TNF-α (100 ng/ml) for 24 hours. Western blot and the whole cell patch clamp technique were used to detect the protein expression of Kv1.5 and Src and I(kur) in each group. Results: (1) In H9c2 cells, high concentration of TNF-α treatment (100 ng/ml) significantly reduced the Kv1.5 protein expression compared with control group and TNF-α 25 ng/ml group (both P<0.05). Compared with control group, the expression of p-Src protein was higher in 25 ng/ml, 50 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml TNF-α group (all P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in the expression of Src protein among groups (P>0.05). In addition, the current density of I(kur) was decreased in 50 ng/ml, 100 ng/ml TNF-α group (both P<0.05). Furthermore, the expression of Kv1.5 protein and the current density of I(kur) were increased in PP1+TNF-α group compared with TNF-α 100 ng/ml group (both P<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the expression of Kv1.5 protein and the current density of I(kur) between the control group and PP1+TNF-α group (both P>0.05). (2) In atrium-derived HL-1 cells, the expression of Kv1.5 protein was reduced in 100 ng/ml TNF-α group compared with control group and TNF-α 25 ng/ml group (both P<0.01). In addition, the expression of p-Src protein was increased in TNF-α 100 ng/ml group compared with control group (P<0.05), but there was no statistical difference in the protein expression of Src among groups (P>0.05). The expression of Kv1.5 protein was increased in PP1+TNF-α group compared with TNF-α 100 ng/ml group (P<0.05). Conclusion: TNF-α is involved in the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation, probably via decreasing I(kur) current density in atrium-derived myocytes through the activation of Src kinase.

The Relationship between Japanese Encephalitis and Environmental Factors in China Explored Using National Surveillance Data / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a serious public health issue. This study was undertaken to better understand the relationship between JE distribution and environmental factors in China. JE data from 2005 to 2010 were retrieved from National Notifiable Disease Report System. ArcGIS, remote sensing techniques, and R software was used to exhibit and explore the relationship between JE distribution and environmental factors. Our results indicated that JE cases were mostly concentrated in warm-temperate, semitropical and tropical zones with annual precipitation > 400 mm; Broad-leaved evergreen forest, shrubs, paddy field, irrigated land, dryland, evergreen coniferous forest, and shrubland were risk factors for JE occurrence, and the former five were risk factors for counties with high JE incidence. These findings will inform the effective allocation of limited health resources such as intensive vaccination, surveillance and training in areas with high environmental risk factors.

Follow-up observation of catch-up growth of preterm infants after discharge and risk factors for extrauterine growth retardation / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the catch-up growth of preterm infants within a corrected age of 6 months and the risk factors for extrauterine growth retardation (EUGR).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 321 preterm infants who were discharged after treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit and had regular follow-up documents with complete follow-up records were enrolled. According to the Prenatal Health Care Norms in 2015, these infants were divided into low-risk group with 69 infants and high-risk group with 252 infants. The Z-score method was used to evaluate body weight, body length, and head circumference, and the catch-up growth of the preterm infants within a corrected age of 6 months was analyzed. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors for EUGR at the corrected age of 6 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The percentage of preterm infants with Z scores of body weight, body length, and head circumference of < -2 (not reach the standard for catch-up growth) in both groups decreased gradually with increasing corrected age. At the corrected age of 6 months, the percentages of preterm infants whose body weight, body length, and head circumference did not reach the standard for catch-up growth in the low-risk group were reduced to 1.4% (1/69), 2.9% (2/69), and 1.4% (1/69) respectively, while in the high-risk group, these percentages were reduced to 1.2% (3/252), 1.6% (4/252), and 3.6% (9/252) respectively. The high-risk group had a significantly higher incidence rate of EUGR at the corrected age of 6 months than the low-risk group (28.2% vs 15.9%, P=0.039). The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that multiple birth (OR=2.68, P=0.010), low birth weight (<1 000 g: OR=14.84, P<0.001; 1 000-1 499 g: OR=2.85, P=0.005), and intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) (OR=11.41, P<0.001) were risk factors for EUGR at the corrected age of 6 months, while nutritional enhancement after birth (OR=0.25, P<0.001) reduced the risk of EUGR.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Most preterm infants can achieve catch-up growth at the corrected age of 6 months. High-risk preterm infants have a high incidence rate of EUGR at the corrected age of 6 months. Multiple birth, low birth weight, and IUGR are risk factors for EUGR, while rational nutritional enhancement after birth can reduce the incidence rate of EUGR in preterm infants.</p>

Methods to establishment of serum induced syndrome of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency cell model / 中国中药杂志

To explore the method of establishing a cell model of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes, HepG2 cells were induced by human serum of liver-depression and spleen-deficiency syndrome(LDSDS) to establish a cell model of LDSDS in this research. The concentration of cells, the content of human serum in culture medium and the growth characteristics of model-cell (cell growth curve, the survival rate and apparent morphology were investigated by MTT assay and microscopy. Evaluation of syndrome cell model: metabolomics was used to analyze the human serum of normal individuals and patients with LDSDS, and cell models induced by these serums, respectively. We obtained the difference metabolites from serums and cell models of LDSDS, respectively; then compared the biomarkers from two metabolomics and their metabolic pathways, to verify that the reliability and applicability of the model. Metabolomics data were collected by UPLC-Q-TOF-MS, and then all data were analyzed by multivariate statistical (PCA，OPLS-DA). The results showed that, model cells have the characteristics of normal growth, slow proliferation and stable morphological structure inducted by 10% serum of LDSD in 24-72 h. There were the same 19 difference metabolites which from the human serum of normal individuals and patients with LDSDS, and cell models induced by these serums; including 9 metabolic pathways that play an important role in maintaining normal physiological activities of the human body, such as lipids, amino acids, nucleotides, and energy metabolism etc. It was shown that the established syndrome cell model can reflect the biological basis of LDSDS to some extent. This research provides a reference method for the establishment of TCM syndrome cell model.

Research on pharmacometabolomics / 中国中药杂志

Pharmacometabolomics is a new and rapidly growing field in life science, which use metabolomics for studying drug effects and variation in drug response. Recently, it has been widely used in individualized medicine research. The research process of pharmacometabolomic can be divided into three parts: metabolomic study of baseline samples, drug response analysis after drug administration and statistical analysis. By combining the baseline information on metabotype of an individual with the drug response phenotype after drug exposure, pharmacometabolomic method can be used to predict the efficacy and toxicity of drugs, which providing the theoretical basis for individualized medical treatment. In this paper, we give an overview of present studies in the application of pharmacometabolomics for predicting the individualized drug response. Besides, we also summarized the specific research processes and pharmacometabolomic methods.

Simultaneous content determination of 14 components in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma by high performance liquid chromatography method / 中国中药杂志

To establish an HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) method for the simultaneous content determination of gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (－)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate, isolindleyin, 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, emodin, chrysophanol, physcion, aloe-emodin, rhein, lindleyin, 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone-4'-O-β-D-(2″-O-galloyl-6″-O-cinnamoyl)-glucopyranoside, sennoside A and sennoside B in Rhei Radix et Rhizoma. The analysis was performed on Agilent Zorbax SB-C₁₈ (4.6 mm×150 mm, 5 μm) with 0.05% phosphoric acid solution (A) - acetonitrile (B) as mobile phase for gradient elution. The flow rate was 1 mL•min⁻¹, with column temperature of 40 ℃ and the wavelength was set at 268 nm. All calibration curves showed good linearity (r > 0.999 9) within the concentration range. Both the intra- and inter-day precision for 14 analytes was less than 3.1%, with the mean recovery at the range of 91.80%-104.1%. Meanwhile, quantitative determination was carried out for 10 qualified samples from Rheum palmatum and 10 qualified samples from R. tanguticum, respectively. It was found that the content of 4-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone and aloe-emodin were higher in the R. tanguticum and R. palmatum, respectively, and the content of all the compounds was different in each sample. The established HPLC method for simultaneous content determination of 14 compounds from Rhei Radix et Rhizoma could be used for quantitative assessment and quality control of Rhei Radix et Rhizoma.

Application of humidified high-flow nasal cannula in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome and pulmonary hypertension after extubation / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the clinical value of humidified high-flow nasal cannula (HHFNC) as a respiratory support after extubation by comparing it with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (NCPAP) in neonates with meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS) and persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 78 neonates with MAS and PPHN were randomly administered with HHFNC or NCPAP immediately after extubation. The following indices were compared between the two groups: blood gas parameters, duration of noninvasive ventilation, rate of extubation failure, and incidence of complications, such as nasal damage, abdominal distension, and intraventricular hemorrhage.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There were no significant differences in the rate of extubation failure, PaO, PCO, and PaO/FiOratio at one hour after NCPAP or HHFNC, duration of noninvasive ventilation, time to full enteral feeding, length of hospital stay, and incidence of intraventricular hemorrhage between the two groups (P>0.05). The HHFNC group had significantly lower incidence of nasal damage (5.0% vs 31.6%; P<0.05) and incidence of abdominal distension (7.5% vs 34.2%; P<0.05) than the NCPAP group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Both NCPAP and HHFNC can be used as the sequential therapy for neonates with MSA and PPHN after extubation, and they both have a definite effect. As a new strategy of respiratory support, HHFNC is better tolerated, and has fewer side effects than NCPAP.</p>

Metabolic fingerprint analysis of RAW264.7 inflammatory cell model by using UPLC-Q-TOF/MS / 中国中药杂志

In order to reveal the properties of polar metabolome in inflammatory cells, we selected LPS-induced RAW264.7 inflammatory cell models as the carrier for the research of metabolic fingerprint analysis. In this study, an ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MS)-based metabolomics protocol was optimized for the extraction of polar metabolites from RAW264.7 cell line. Then orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to process the metabolic data, and finally, a total of 17 metabolites were selected and identified. The results showed that MeOH-CHCl3-H2O (8∶1∶1) was chosen as the optimal extraction solvent to achieve higher number of chromatographic peaks, with the best relative extraction efficiency and stability. Comparing with the normal cells, the inflammatory cells presented an abnormal metabolism in protein, carbohydrate, nucleotide and phospholipids. In this study, a UPLC-Q-TOF/MS-based metabolomics protocol for the polar metabolites from RAW264.7 cell line was developed, which may provide important information for the study of mechanism of inflammation and the anti-inflammatory drugs.

Systematic review of Kudiezi injection drug safety / 中国中药杂志

To systematically evaluate the safety of Kudiezi injection. Databases such as Cochrane library, Medline, EMbase, Web of Science, Clinical Trials, CBM, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang and Chinese Clinical Trial Register were searched to collect the literature on all the study types of Kudiezi injection. Two researchers screened literature, assessed quality and extracted data according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. All studies were assessed by using internationally recognized methodological quality assessment tools or reporting quality evaluation criteria; Meta-analysis of adverse drug reaction/adverse events (ADR/AE) of Kudiezi injection was performed by using Stata 12.0 software. There were 411 clinical studies included, out of which 315 studies were analyzed finally. 18 072 patients in total used kudiezi injection, and there were 330 cases with ADRs and 13 cases with AEs. The most common ADR related system was the central and peripheral nervous system, with a weighted incidence of 2.9% [95%CI(0.022, 0.036)]. From the current evidence, the overall safety of Kudiezi injection was acceptable. Although data could be collected from all kinds of published reports, there are lack of mechanism experiments or observational studies with large samples of Kudiezi injection. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out further research on the safety of Kudiezi injection. Meanwhile, off label use of Kudiezi injection is common, so it is urgent for relevant governmental departments to formulate drug use specifications and provide better guidance for clinical drug use.

Rapid analysis on phenolic compounds in Rheum palmatum based on UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE combined with diagnostic ions filter / 中国中药杂志

Diagnostic ions filter method was used to rapidly detect and identify the phenolic compounds in Rheum palmatum based on ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE). The representative authentic standards of phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, (+)-catechin, (－)-epicatechin, (－)-epicatechin-3-O-gallate and procyanidin B2, were subjected to analysis by UPLC-Q-TOF/MSE system with negative ion mode. Fragmentation patterns of each standard were summarized based on assigned fragment ions. The prominent product ions were selected as diagnostic ions. Subsequently, diagnostic ions filter was employed to rapidly recognize analogous skeletons. Combined with retention time, accurate mass, characteristic fragments and previous literature data, the structures of the filtered compounds were identified or tentatively characterized. A total 63 phenolic compounds (36 phenolic acid derivatives, 8 flavonoid derivatives and 19 tennis derivatives) in R. palmatum were identified, including 6 potential new compounds. The method of diagnostic ions filter could rapidly detect and identify phenolic compounds in R. palmatum This study provides a method for rapid detection of phenolic compounds in R. palmatum and is expected to complete the material basis of rhubarb.

A Centralized Report on Pediatric Japanese Encephalitis Cases from Beijing Children's Hospital, 2013 / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Fifteen pediatric cases of suspected Japanese encephalitis (JE) were reported in Beijing Children's Hospital during the late summer of 2013. The clinical manifestations in most cases included high fever, seizures, and abnormal magnetic resonance imaging findings. Twelve of 15 cases were laboratory-confirmed as JE cases by pathogen identification. Epidemiological investigations showed that five of the 12 laboratory-confirmed patients had an incomplete JE vaccination history. Follow-up investigations after discharge indicated that seven laboratory-confirmed JE patients without JE vaccinations had relatively poor prognoses, with an average Modified Rankin Scale (MRS) score of 2.6 when compared with the other five laboratory-confirmed, JE-vaccinated patients with an average MRS score of 0.5. The observation of pediatric JE cases among those with a history of JE vaccination warrants further attention.

Risk factors for congenital anal atresia / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia in neonates.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 70 neonates who were admitted to 17 hospitals in Foshan, China from January 2011 to December 2014 were enrolled as case group, and another 70 neonates who were hospitalized during the same period and had no anal atresia or other severe deformities were enrolled as control group. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to investigate the risk factors for the development of congenital anal atresia.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The univariate analysis revealed that the age of mothers, presence of oral administration of folic acid, infection during early pregnancy, and polyhydramnios, and sex of neonates showed significant differences between the case and control groups (P<0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that infection during early pregnancy (OR=18.776) and male neonates (OR=9.304) were risk factors for congenital anal atresia, and oral administration of folic acid during early pregnancy was the protective factor (OR=0.086).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Infection during early pregnancy is the risk factor for congenital anal atresia, and male neonates are more likely to develop congenital anal atresia than female neonates. Supplementation of folic acid during early pregnancy can reduce the risk of congenital anal atresia.</p>

Study on mechanism for anti-hyperlipidemia efficacy of rhubarb through assistant analysis systems for acting mechanisms of traditional Chinese medicine / 中国中药杂志

Rhubarb is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), wildly used in treating the disease of hyperlipidemia. However, its components are complicated, so that it is still difficult to clear the specific roles of its various components in blood lipids regulation in. So we decide to systematically study the anti- hyperlipidemia mechanism of rhubarb. We integrated multiple databases, based on entity grammar systems model, constructed molecular interaction network between the chemical constituents of rhubarb and hyperlipidemia. The network includes 231 nodes and 638 edges. Thus we infer the interactions of active targets and disease targets to clarify the anti-hyperlipidemia mechanism. And find that rhubarb can promote excretion of cholesterol; inhibit clotting factors and improve blood circulation; inhibit the release of inflammatory cytokines and maintain fat metabolism balance; inhibit cholesterol and triglyceride synthesis; and other ways to achieve lipid-lowering effect. Thus this study provides reference for novel drug development and component compatibility, and also gives a new way for the systematically study of acting mechanism of traditional Chinese medicine.

Real-time RT-PCR Assay for the detection of Tahyna Virus / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

A real-time RT-PCR (RT-qPCR) assay for the detection of Tahyna virus was developed to monitor Tahyna virus infection in field-collected vector mosquito samples. The targets selected for the assay were S segment sequences encoding the nucleocapsid protein from the Tahyna virus. Primers and probes were selected in conserved regions by aligning genetic sequences from various Tahyna virus strains available from GenBank. The sensitivity of the RT-qPCR approach was compared to that of a standard plaque assay in BHK cells. RT-qPCR assay can detect 4.8 PFU of titrated Tahyna virus. Assay specificities were determined by testing a battery of arboviruses, including representative strains of Tahyna virus and other arthropod-borne viruses from China. Seven strains of Tahyna virus were confirmed as positive; the other seven species of arboviruses could not be detected by RT-qPCR. Additionally, the assay was used to detect Tahyna viral RNA in pooled mosquito samples. The RT-qPCR assay detected Tahyna virus in a sensitive, specific, and rapid manner; these findings support the use of the assay in viral surveillance.

The molecular mechanism between baicalin metal complexes and bovin serum album / 药学学报

In this paper, the new carbon nanotube modified glassy carbon electrode (F-CNTs/GCE) was prepared to establish a new method for studying the molecular interaction mechanism between baicalin metal complexes (BMC) and bovine serum album (BSA), and the principle of this method was discussed deeply. Under the physiological condition, the thermodynamics and kinetics properties of interaction between BMC and BSA were studied by cyclic voltammetry (CV) to inference their molecular effective mechanism. The results show that the presence of F-CNTs can accelerate the electron transfer, and better response signal was showed in the BMC/BMC-BSA system. The detection of interaction of BMC-BSA used new method show that BMC-BSA generates stable thermodynamically non-covalent compounds, and the obtained average binding sites of BMC-BSA were 1.7; the number of electron transfer in BMC/BMC-BSA reaction process was 2, and non electroactive supramolecular compounds of BMC-BSA were generated by this interacting reaction. The relevant research work provides a new way to study the molecular mechanism for the interaction of drugs with protein, and with a certain reference value for discussion on the non covalent interactions.

Synthesis and anti-tumor activity of baicalin-metal complex / 药学学报

Chelating ligand method has been used to synthesize baicalin-metal (Ni2+, Co2+, Cu2+) complexes (BMC). The composition and structure of BMC were characterized by the element analysis, ultraviolet spectrum (UV), infrared spectrum (IR), mass (MS) and thermal gravitational analysis (TGA). MTT was used to analyze the effects of BMC on SMMC-7721 cell proliferation. PI staining method and Annexin-V/FITC double staining method were used to analyze the effects of BMC on the cell cycle and apoptosis of SMMC-7721 cell. Fluorescence quantitative RT-PCR was used to analyze the expression of BMC on Bcl-2 gene and Bax mRNA, flow cytometry was used to analyze BMC on the expression of Bcl-2 protein and Bax protein. The antineoplastic activity and mechanism of action of BMC was explored comprehensively. The results showed that three new kinds of BMC (molar ratio of 2 : 1) were successfully prepared, the complexes molecular formula are: Na2Ni(C21H16O11)2 x 10H2O, Na2Co(C21H16O11)2 x 8H2O and Na2Cu(C21H16O11)2 x 8H2O. According to the results of cell cycle and apoptosis detection, BMC stopped cells at G0/G1 phase to S phase and G2/M phase. Gene and protein detection showed that under the given concentration and time, BMC can downregulate the expression of Bcl-2 gene in SMMC-7721 cells, and significantly decrease the expression of Bcl-2 protein, at the same time, with the increase of expression of Bax gene, the Bax protein's expression increased significantly. Which indicates that BMC restrain cell proliferation and cell apoptosis by stopping cell cycle, reducing the expression of Bcl-2 and increasing that of Bax; The anti-tumor activities of three kinds of complexes were: baicalin-copper (BC-Cu) > baicalin-cobalt (BC-Co) > baicalin-nickel (BC-Ni) > baicalin (BC), showing the dose-response relationship.

Managing esophageal fistulae by endoscopic transluminal drainage in esophageal cancer patients with superior mediastinal sepsis after esophagectomy / 癌症

The management of postoperative leaks into the mediastinum after esophagectomy remains a challenge. We describe our clinical management of this complication through endoscopic transluminal drainage. Between 2008 and 2011, 4 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) who underwent McKeown-type esophagectomy with two-field lymphadenectomy experienced complicated anastomotic fistulae in the presence of superior mediastinal sepsis. All 4 patients underwent endoscopic transluminal drainage, and all survived. The mean healing period was 50 days (range, 31 to 58 days), the mean stay in the intensive care unit was 7.3 days (range, 1 to 18 days), and the mean hospital stay was 64.5 days (range, 49 to 70 days). Endoscopically guided transluminal drainage should be considered for ESCC patients with superior mediastinal fistulae after esophagectomy.

Rapid recognition and identification of chemical constituents in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets by SPE-HPLC-ESI-MS(n) / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish a method for analyzing solid phase extraction-high performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-ESI-MS(n)), in order to recognize and identify the main chemical constituents in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>The possible structures of the compounds were determined according to the structure information of compounds observed from molecular ion peaks and fragment ions in HPLC-ESI-MS(n) negative ion mode and by comparing with literature data or control samples.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Through the comparative analysis on Qinghuo Zhimai Tablets and components of its formula, 39 chemical constituents were identified, including 7 caffeoylquinic acids, 7 iridoids, 6 diterpenoid lactones, 5 homoisoflavonoids, 13 steroidal saponins and 1 flavone glycoside.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>This study provides a simple and rapid method for identifying chemical components in Qinghuo Zhimai tablets.</p>

An outbreak of imported dengue fever from Myanmar to the border of China, with its viral molecular epidemiological features / 中华流行病学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To understand the epidemiologic characteristics of dengue fever, imported from Myanmar to the border of Yunnan province, China. Viral molecular epidemiologic features were also studied.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Questionnaires were used on each diagnosed, suspected dengue fever, case or unknown cases with fever when coming from Myanmar entering the port and hospitals in Ruili city of Yunnan province. Serum samples of these patients were collected to detect IgM antibody against dengue virus and RT-PCR assay. Homology and phylogenetic tree based on the whole nucleotide sequence of PrM-C and NS5 gene of dengue virus were further analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 103 sera were collected from patients at acute stage in Ruili city in July to November 2008. Among them, 49 cases were confirmed for dengue fever according to IgM and nucleic acid testings. Except one, other 48 cases were all imported into Ruili, from Myanmar. Of those, 18 patients were residents from Mujie city of Myanmar and hospitalized in Ruili and the rest 30 patients were Chinese citizens who had finished business and returned from Myanmar. Two isolates of serum samples from the imported cases were identified and both homology and phylogenetic analysis were performed, using the nucleotide sequences of PrM and NS5 genes. They were divided into dengue type 1 (RLB61) and dengue type 3 (RLC31) and were closer to the dengue virus strains isolated from Southeast Asia countries.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>It is confirmed that an epidemic of dengue fever which was imported from Myanmar to Ruili city of Yunnan province, China. Evidence also showed that both type I and III epidemic strains of dengue virus did exist in Mujie city of Myanmar in 2008.</p>