Research progress on pathogenesis and treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy / 药学学报

Epilepsy is a chronic nervous system disease, which affects more than 70 million people all over the world. Although more than 30 kinds of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) have been on the market, about one third of the patients with epilepsy fail to respond to medical treatment, who become drug-resistant epilepsy patients. Identifying the mechanism and developing effective treatment methods for drug-resistant epilepsy have become a hot area in the field of epilepsy research. This review discussed resent advance on the pathogenesis of drug-resistant epilepsy from the transporter hypothesis, neural network hypothesis and target hypothesis, and we also summarized the existing potential treatment methods and research progress of drug-resistant epilepsy, such as surgical resection, deep brain stimulation, ketogenic diet, precise treatment, and traditional Chinese medicine treatment. Our review may provide useful clues for the mechanisms research and clinical treatments of drug-resistant epilepsy.

Clinical efficacy and prognostic influencing factors of radical surgery for duodenal gastro-intestinal stromal tumor: a multicenter retrospective study / 中华消化外科杂志

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy and prognostic influencing factors of radical surgery for duodenal gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).Methods:The retrospective cohort study was conducted. The clinicopathological data of 741 duodenal GIST patients who under-went radical surgery in 17 medical centers, including 121 cases in Renji Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, 121 cases in Chinese PLA General Hospital, 116 cases in Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, 77 cases in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, 77 cases in West China Hospital, Sichuan University, 31 cases in Guangdong Provincial People′s Hospital, 24 cases in Fujian Cancer Hospital, 22 cases in Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, 25 cases in Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 19 cases in Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 23 cases in Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, 17 cases in Liaoning Cancer Hospital＆Institute, 17 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, 15 cases in Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, 14 cases in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, 14 cases in Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University and 8 cases in General Hospital of Chinese People′s Liberation Army Air Force, from January 2010 to April 2020 were collected. There were 346 males and 395 females, aged 55(range, 17?86)years. Observation indicators: (1) neoadjuvant treatment; (2) surgical and postoperative situations; (3) follow-up; (4) stratified analysis. Follow-up was conducted using outpatient examination or telephone interview. Patients were followed up once every 3?6 months during neoadjuvant therapy and once every 6?12 months after radical surgery to detect tumor recurrence and survival of patient up to April 2022. Measurement data with normal distribution were represented as Mean± SD. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M(range), and comparison between groups was conducted using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were described as absolute numbers or percentages, and comparison between groups was conducted using chi-square test or Fisher exact probability. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to draw survival curves and calculate survival rates. Log-rank test was used for survival analysis. The COX regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analyses. Propensity score matching was done by the 1∶1 nearest neighbor matching method, and the matching tolerance was 0.02. Results:(1) Neoadjuvant therapy. Of the 741 patients, 34 cases received neoadjuvant therapy for 8(range, 3?44)months. Cases assessed as partial response, stable disease and progressive disease before the radical surgery of the 34 cases were 21, 9, 4, respectively. The tumor diameter of the 34 patients before the neoadjuvant therapy and before the radical surgery were 8.0(range, 3.0?26.0)cm and 5.3(range, 3.0?18.0)cm, with the regression rate as 31.9%(range, ?166.7% to 58.3%). (2) Surgical and postoperative situations. Of the 741 patients, 34 cases underwent radical surgery after receiving neoadjuvant therapy, and 707 cases underwent radical surgery directly. All the 741 patients underwent radical surgery successfully, in which 633, 102 and 6 cases received open surgery, laparoscopic surgery and endoscopic treatment, respectively. Of the 633 cases receiving open surgery and the 102 cases receiving laparoscopic surgery, cases with surgical resection range as pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) was 238, and cases with surgical resection range as duodenal limited resection, including duodenal wedge resection, distal gastrectomy, segmental duodenal resection, local resection of duodenal tumor or segmental duodenum combined with subtotal gastrectomy, was 497, 226, 55, 204, 12. Of the 741 patients, 131 cases had post-operative complications including 113 cases with grade Ⅰ?Ⅱ complications and 18 cases with ≥ grade Ⅲ complications of the Clavien-Dindo classification. The duration of postoperative hospital stay of the 741 patients was 13(range, 4?120)days. Of the 707 patients receiving direct radical surgery, 371 cases were evaluated as extremely low risk, low risk, medium risk of the modified National Institutes of Health (NIH) risk classification after surgery, and 336 cases were evaluated as high risk in which 205 cases receive postoperative adjuvant imatinib therapy with the treatment time as 24(range, 6?110)months. (3) Follow-up. All the 741 patients were followed up for 58(range, 7?150)months. During the follow-up, 110 patients had tumor recurrence and metastasis. The 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates and 1-, 3-, 5-year disease-free survival rates of the 741 patients were 100.0%, 98.6%, 94.5% and 98.4%, 90.9%, 84.9%, respectively. The 1-, 3-, 5-year overall survival rates and 1-, 3-, 5-year disease-free survival rates of the 707 patients receiving direct radical surgery were 100.0%, 98.5%, 94.3% and 98.4%, 91.1%, 85.4%, respectively. (4) Stratified analysis. ① Analysis of prognostic factors in patients undergoing radical surgery directly. Results of univariate analysis showed that primary tumor location, tumor diameter, mitotic count, modified NIH risk classification and tumor gene information were related factors affecting the overall survival of 707 patients with primary duodenal GIST who underwent direct radical surgery ( hazard ratio=0.43, 0.18, 0.22, 0.06, 0.29, 95% confidence intervals as 0.20?0.93, 0.09?0.35, 0.10?0.50, 0.03?0.12, 0.09?0.95, P<0.05). The primary tumor location, tumor diameter, mitotic count, modified NIH risk classification were related factors affecting the disease-free survival of 707 patients with primary duodenal GIST who underwent direct radical surgery ( hazard ratio=0.65, 0.25, 0.25, 0.10, 95% confidence intervals as 0.41?1.03, 0.17?0.37, 0.15?0.42, 0.07?0.15, P<0.05). Results of multivariate analysis showed that primary tumor located at the horizontal segment of duodenum, mitotic count >5/50 high power field, tumor gene KIT exon 9 mutation were independent risk factors affecting the overall survival of 365 patients with primary duodenal GIST after removing 342 patients without tumor gene information who underwent direct radical surgery ( hazard ratio=2.85, 2.73, 3.13, 95% confidence intervals as 1.12?7.20, 1.07?6.94, 1.23?7.93, P<0.05). Tumor diameter >5 cm and mitotic count >5/50 high power field were independent risk factors affecting the disease-free survival of 707 patients with primary duodenal GIST who underwent direct radical surgery ( hazard ratio=3.19, 2.98, 95% confidence intervals as 2.05?4.97, 1.99?4.45, P<0.05). ② Effect of postoperative adjuvant therapy on prognosis of high-risk patients of modified NIH risk classification. Of the 336 patients evaluated as high risk of the modified NIH risk classification, the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate were 94.6% and 77.3% in the 205 cases with postoperative adjuvant therapy, versus 83.2% and 64.4% in the 131 cases without postoperative adjuvant therapy, showing significant differences between them ( χ2=8.39, 4.44, P<0.05). Of the 205 patients evaluated as high risk of the modified NIH risk classification who received postoperative adjuvant therapy, there were 106 cases receiving postoperative adjuvant therapy <36 months, with the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate were 87.1% and 58.7%, and there were 99 cases receiving post-operative adjuvant therapy ≥36 months, with the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate were 100.0% and 91.5%. There were significant differences in the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate between the 106 patients and the 99 patients ( χ2=13.92, 29.61, P<0.05). ③ Comparison of clinical efficacy of patients with different surgical methods. Before propensity score matching, cases with primary tumor located at bulb, descending, horizontal, ascending segment of duodenum, cases with tumor diameter ≤5 cm and >5 cm were 95, 307, 147, 34, 331, 252, in the 583 patients receiving open surgery with complete clinical data, versus 15, 46, 17, 5, 67, 16 in the 83 patients receiving laparoscopic surgery with complete clinical data, showing no significant difference in the primary tumor location ( χ2=0.94, P>0.05), and a significant difference in the tumor diameter ( χ2=17.33, P<0.05) between them. After propensity score matching, the above indicator were 16, 39, 20, 8, 67, 16 in the 83 patients receiving open surgery, versus 15, 46, 17, 5, 67, 16 in the 83 patients receiving laparoscopic surgery, showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=1.54, 0.00, P>0.05). Cases with postoperative complications, cases with grade Ⅰ?Ⅱ complica-tions and ≥grade Ⅲ complications of the Clavien-Dindo classification, duration of postoperative hospital stay, the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate were 17, 12, 5, 11(range, 5?120)days, 92.0%, 100.0% in the 83 patients receiving open surgery, versus 9, 7, 2, 11(range, 5?41)days, 91.6%, 97.3% in the 83 patients receiving laparoscopic surgery, showing no signi-ficant difference in postoperative complications, duration of postoperative hospital stay, the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate ( χ2=2.91, Z=3 365.50, χ2=3.02, 1.49, P>0.05) between them. There was no significant difference in complications of the Clavien-Dindo classification between them ( P>0.05). ④ Comparison of clinical efficacy of patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent surgery with different surgical resection scopes. Before propensity score matching, cases with tumor diameter ≤5 cm and >5 cm, cases with tumor located at opposite side of mesangium and mesangium were 71, 85, 28, 128 in the 156 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent PD with complete clinical data, versus 92, 41, 120, 13 in the 133 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent duodenal limited resection with complete clinical data, showing significant differences between them ( χ2=16.34, 150.10, P<0.05). After propensity score matching, the above indicator were 28, 13, 16, 25 in the 41 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent PD with complete clinical data, versus 28, 13, 16, 25 in the 41 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent duodenal limited resection with complete clinical data, showing no significant difference between them ( χ2=0.00, 0.00, P>0.05). Cases with postopera-tive complications, cases with grade Ⅰ?Ⅱ complications and ≥grade Ⅲ compli-cations of the Clavien-Dindo classification, duration of postoperative hospital stay, the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate were 13, 11, 2, 15(range, 9?62)days, 94.2%, 64.3% in the 41 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent PD with complete clinical data, versus 9, 8, 0, 15(range, 7?40)days, 100.0%, 78.8% in the 41 patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum who underwent duodenal limited resection with complete clinical data, showing no significant difference in post-operative complica-tions, the 5-year overall survival rate and 5-year disease-free survival rate ( χ2=0.99, 0.34, 1.86, P>0.05) between them. There was no significant difference in complications of the Clavien-Dindo classification ( P>0.05) and there was a significant difference in duration of postopera-tive hospital stay ( Z=614.50, P<0.05) between them. Conclusions:The clinical efficacy of radical surgery for duodenal GIST are ideal. Primary tumor located at the horizontal segment of duodenum, mitotic count >5/50 high power field, tumor gene KIT exon 9 mutation are independent risk factors affec-ting the overall survival of patients undergoing direct radical surgery and tumor diameter >5 cm and mitotic count >5/50 high power field are independent risk factors affecting the disease-free survival of patients. There is no significant difference in the short-term efficacy and long-term prognosis between patients undergoing open surgery and laparoscopic surgery. For patients with primary tumor located at the descending segment of duodenum, the duration of postoperative hospital stay is longer in patients undergoing PD compared with patients undergoing duodenal limited resection. For patients evaluated as high risk of the modified NIH risk classification, posto-perative adjuvant therapy and treatment time ≥36 months are conducive to improving the prognosis of patients.

Expression of Toll-like receptor 8 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and its clinical significance / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and its correlation with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients.Methods:The data in the Oncomine database was used to analyze the difference of TLR8 mRNA expression between DLBCL tumor tissues and normal lymphocytes, and the result was verified in two independent subsets GSE 25638 and GSE 32018 of the NCBI-GEO database. The OSDLBCL online survival analysis tool was used to analyze the correlation of TLR8 mRNA relative expression level with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of DLBCL patients. Gene ontology bioprocess (GO_BP) enrichment analysis was performed by using GSEA software. The correlation of TLR8 mRNA expression with tumor immune cell infiltration degree and immune checkpoint-related molecule expression was analyzed by TIMER online tool website. A total of 53 DLBCL patients who underwent lymph node biopsy in Yancheng No. 1 People's Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were selected. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of TLR8 protein, and its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients was analyzed.Results:The analysis result of data from Oncomine and GEO databases showed that the relative expression levels of TLR8 mRNA in tumor tissues of patients with DLBCL or activated B cell-like DLCBL were higher than those in normal lymphocytes (all P < 0.001). The results of OSDLBCL online survival analysis indicated that the OS ( P = 0.020) and PFS ( P = 0.004) in DLBCL patients with high TLR8 mRNA expression were worse than those in patients with low TLR8 mRNA expression. The level of TLR8 was related to the abnormal function of immune response, cytokine metabolism and DNA damage monitoring; the result of TIMER online analysis showed that the expression level of TLR8 mRNA was positively related to the degree of neutrophil infiltration ( r = 0.78, P < 0.001) and the expression of immunosuppressive molecules [HAVCR2 ( r = 0.85, P < 0.001), LAG3 ( r = 0.63, P < 0.001), CD274 ( r = 0.77, P < 0.001), TIGIT ( r = 0.32, P = 0.037), and C10ORF54 ( r = 0.34, P = 0.029)]. Among 53 DLBCL patients, 29 patients (54.7%) had low expression of TLR8 protein and 24 patients (45.3%) had high expression of TLR8 protein. There were statistical differences in the expressions of TLR8 protein in DLBCL patients with different serum lactate dehydrogenase and β 2-microglobulin levels (both P < 0.05). Conclusions:TLR8 is highly expressed in DLBCL patients, and TLR8 may be a prognostic marker of DLBCL.

Establishment and application of a method for the determination of plasma protein binding rate of imatinib and its metabolite / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To establish a method for the determination of plasma protein binding rate of imatinib and its metabolite（N-desmethyl imatinib ）and apply it to patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor （GIST）.METHODS Using imatinib - d8 as the internal standard ，after being deproteinized methanol ，the sample was determined by equilibrium dialysis combined with liquid chromatography -tandem mass spectrometry . The free concentrations of imatinib and its metabolites in plasma of GIST patients were detected by the same method . RESULTS The protein binding rates of imatinib with albumin ，α1-acid glycoprotein and globulin at 120 ng/mL and 4 000 ng/mL were （92.5±1.0）% and（91.7±0.4）%，（56.6±2.0）% and（62.6±2.6）%，（56.3±3.1）% and （68.0±8.6）% ，respectively. The protein binding rates of N-desmethyl imatinib with albumin ，α1-acid glycoprotein and globulin at 60 ng/mL and 2 000 ng/mL were （90.6±3.5）% and（91.3±1.5）%，（54.1±5.1）% and（63.7±1.3）%，（56.2±7.6）% and（67.5±7.3）%，respectively. Compared with the low concentration group of imatinib （120 ng/mL）and its metabolite （60 ng/mL），the plasma protein binding rate of high concentration of imatinib （4 000 ng/mL）and its metabolite （2 000 ng/mL）with α1-acid glycoprotein and globulin was significantly increased （P＜ Δ基金项目 国家自然科学基金资助项目（No.81503160）；江苏省 0.05），but there was no signifi -cant difference with albumin 卫生健康发展研究中心 2021年度开放课题（No.JSHD2021004）；江苏 （P＞0.05）. In blank plasma ，the protein binding rates of imatinib（4 000 ng/mL）at high concentration and its metabolites（2 000 ng/mL）were significantly lower than those of low （120， 60 ng/mL） and medium （750， 375 ng/mL）concentration （P＜0.01）. Average protein binding rates of imatinib and its metabolite in plasma of GIST patients were （99.0±0.3）% and（99.2±0.3）%，respectively；the correlation coefficients between the concentrations of imatinib and its metabolites and the protein binding rates were －0.298 5 and －3.332 3，respectively（all P＜0.05）. CONCLUSIONS The method for determining the plasma protein binding rates of imatinib and its metabolites is successfully established . The plasma protein binding rates of imatinib and its metabolites in patients with GIST are negatively correlated with drug concentration .

Bile acid coordinates microbiota homeostasis and systemic immunometabolism in cardiometabolic diseases

Cardiometabolic disease (CMD), characterized with metabolic disorder triggered cardiovascular events, is a leading cause of death and disability. Metabolic disorders trigger chronic low-grade inflammation, and actually, a new concept of metaflammation has been proposed to define the state of metabolism connected with immunological adaptations. Amongst the continuously increased list of systemic metabolites in regulation of immune system, bile acids (BAs) represent a distinct class of metabolites implicated in the whole process of CMD development because of its multifaceted roles in shaping systemic immunometabolism. BAs can directly modulate the immune system by either boosting or inhibiting inflammatory responses via diverse mechanisms. Moreover, BAs are key determinants in maintaining the dynamic communication between the host and microbiota. Importantly, BAs via targeting Farnesoid X receptor (FXR) and diverse other nuclear receptors play key roles in regulating metabolic homeostasis of lipids, glucose, and amino acids. Moreover, BAs axis per se is susceptible to inflammatory and metabolic intervention, and thereby BAs axis may constitute a reciprocal regulatory loop in metaflammation. We thus propose that BAs axis represents a core coordinator in integrating systemic immunometabolism implicated in the process of CMD. We provide an updated summary and an intensive discussion about how BAs shape both the innate and adaptive immune system, and how BAs axis function as a core coordinator in integrating metabolic disorder to chronic inflammation in conditions of CMD.

A Network Pharmacology-Based Study on Antidepressant Effect of Salicornia europaea L. Extract with Experimental Support in Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Model Mice / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the pharmacodynamic material basis, mechanism of actions and targeted diseases of Salicornia europaea L. (SE) based on the network pharmacology method, and to verify the antidepressant-like effect of the SE extract by pharmacological experiments.@*METHODS@#Retrieval tools including Chinese medicine (CM), PubMed, PharmMapper, MAS 3.0 and Cytoscape were used to search the components of SE, predict its targets and related therapeutic diseases, and construct the "Component-Target-Pathway" network of SE for central nervous system (CNS) diseases. Further, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) function annotation of depression-related targets were analyzed to predict the antidepressant mechanism of SE. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) model was used to construct a mouse model with depression-like symptoms. And the animals were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10) including the normal group (nonstressed mice administered with distilled water), the CUMS group (CUMS mice administered with distilled water), the venlafaxine group (CUMS mice administered with venlafaxine 9.38 mg/kg), SE high-, medium-, and low-dose groups (CUMS mice administered with SE 1.8, 1.35 and 0.9 g/kg, respectively). Then some relevant indicators were determined for experimental verification by the forced swim test (FST), the tail suspension test (TST) and open-field test (OFT). Dopamine (DA) concentration in hippocampus and cerebral cortex, IL-2 and corticosterone (CORT) levels in blood, and nuclear factor E2 related factor 2 (Nrf2), kelch-like epichlorohydrin related protein 1 (Keap1), NAD(P) H dehydrogenase [quinone] 1 (NQO1) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) levels in mice were measured by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot respectively to explore the possible mechanisms.@*RESULTS@#The "target-disease" network diagram predicted by network pharmacology, showed that the potential target of SE involves a variety of CNS diseases, among which depression accounts for the majority. The experimental results showed that SE (1.8, 1.35 g/kg) significantly decreased the immobility period, compared with the CUMS group in FST and TST in mice after 3-week treatment, while SE exhibited no significant effect on exploratory behavior in OFT in mice. Compared with CUMS group, the SE group (0.9 g/kg) showed significant differences (P<0.05) in DA levels in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex. In addition, compared with CUMS control group, SE (1.8 g/kg) group showed a significant effect on decreasing the activities of CORT (P<0.05), and serum IL-2 level with no statistical significance. Finally, Western blot results showed that compared with the model group, Nrf2, Keap1, NQO1 and HO-1 protein expressions in SE group (1.8 g/kg) were up-regulated (all P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#The SE extract may have an antidepressant effect, which appeared to regulate Nrf2-ARE pathway and increased levels of DA and CORT in the hippocampus and cortex.

Effect of "Natural Polypill", Xuezhikang on Serum Cholesterol Metabolism Markers in Early Menopausal Women with Hypercholesterolemia / 中国结合医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the effect of Xuezhikang on the markers of the serum lipid levels of cholesterol synthesis and absorption in early menopausal women with hypercholesterolemia, and preliminarily explore its lipid-lowering mechanism.@*METHODS@#A total of 90 early menopausal women with hypercholesterolemia were enrolled from December, 2014 to May, 2016 from Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Capital Medical University, who were randomly allocated to receive Xuezhikang (1200 mg/d, orally) or atorvastatin (10 mg/d, orally) according to a random number table. Serum levels of some related biomarkers, including cholesterol synthesis markers (squalene, dihydrocholesterol, dehydrocholesterol, and lathosterol), and absorption markers (campesterol, stigmasterol, and sitosterol) as well as safety indices were obtained at baseline and after 8 weeks of the intervention.@*RESULTS@#Eight weeks after treatment, both Xuezhikang and atorvastatin significantly reduced the levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low density cholesterol compared to baseline (all P<0.01). Xuezhikang significantly reduced the levels of squalene, dehydrocholesterol and lathosterol compared to baseline (all P<0.01), but atorvastatin only significantly reduced the level of squalene (P<0.01), compared to baseline. All cholesterol absorption markers showed no significant differences before and after treatment (P>0.05), however, a more obvious downward trend was shown in the Xuezhikang group. In addition, all the safety indices showed no significant differences between the two groups. Although the creatinekinase level in the Xuezhikang group was significantly higher, it remained within the safe range.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Xuezhikang may have more comprehensive effects on the markers of cholesterol synthesis and metabolism in early menopausal women with hypercholesterolemia through ergosterol and flavonoids in its "natural polypill."

Investigation on the scientific research background and occupational cognition of MD-PhD program enrollees / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To explore the differences and current situation of scientific research background and occupational cognition of enrollees in MD-PhD programs.Methods:A questionnaire survey was conducted among 158 students (40 males and 118 females) who were enrolled in MD-PhD programs in a medical college during 2017 to 2020. SPSS 24.0 and Fisher’s exact test were used for statistical analysis.Results:Over 50% of enrollees in 2019 and 2020 had at least 2-year experience in basic medical research before enrollment. The research background of MD-PhD program enrollees was continuously improving from 2018 to 2020, and Fisher's exact chi-square P value was 0.02. Since 2018, the proportion of enrollees who planned to seek for administrative or education-related jobs in medical institutions had reduced year by year ( P=0.01). Conclusion:In view of the scientific research problems and professional cognitive tendencies of the new students of the MD-PhD programs, certain relevant guidance suggestions are put forward in this study.

Familial Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia: report of 6 cases and review of literature / 白血病·淋巴瘤

Objective:To investigate the familial inheritances, clinical features, treatments and outcomes of familial Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) patients.Methods:The clinical manifestations, laboratory examinations, diagnosis and treatments, and follow-up data of 6 familial WM patients who were admitted to Yancheng No.1 People's Hospital from June 2002 to July 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, and the literature was reviewed.Results:Among 6 WM patients, 4 patients had dizziness and fatigue at the onset, 1 patient had recurrent low-grade fever and abnormal sweating as the first manifestations, 1 patient was hospitalized due to pulmonary infection, and WM was found later. Two brothers of the patients were diagnosed with WM, another 2 brothers of the patients had IgM-type monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) during the physical examination. All the 6 patients were middle-aged/elderly men, with a median age of 63 years old (51-70 years old). The median follow-up time were 71.5 months (4-217 months), and by the end of the follow-up (June 2020), 2 cases died of pulmonary infection, and 1 of them developed acute myeloid leukemia; the other 4 cases were in regular chemotherapy. Two IgM-MGUS patients were followed up without symptoms.Conclusions:WM patients have familial aggregation, and their clinical manifestations are highly heterogeneous. Patients with family history may have poor prognosis. It is necessary to strengthen the awareness of WM and family history screening.

Value of lymphocyte subsets in assessing the prognosis of adult hemophagocytic syndrome / 中华检验医学杂志

Objective:To explore the prognostic value of lymphocyte subsets in adult hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS).Methods:A total of 172 adult HPS patients diagnosed in 8 medical centers from January 2013 to August 2020 were selected for the study, of whom 87 were male (50.6%, 87/172), and 85 were female (49.4%, 85/172), with 68 survivors and 104 deaths. The clinical data were summarized, and variables such as lymphocyte subsets, immunoglobulin characteristics and fibrinogen were retrospectively analyzed, and the correlation between the mentioned variables and patient prognosis was analyzed. The optimal cut-off values of continuous variables were calculated by MaxStat, and the prognostic factors of HPS patients were screened based on the Cox proportional hazard regression model.Results:The median age of HPS patients was 56 (42, 66) years old, and the 5-year cumulative survival rate was 37.4% (37.4/100). The median age, platelet and albumin were 48 (27, 63) years, 84×10 9/L and 32.3 g/L in the survival group, and 59 years, 45.5×10 9/L, and 27.3 g/L in the death group, respectively. The differences between the two groups was statistically significant ( Z=?3.368, P=0.001; Z=?3.156, P=0.002; Z=?3.431, P=0.001). Patients with differentiated cluster 8+(CD8+)<11.1%, CD3+<64.9%, CD4+>51%, and CD4/CD8 ratio>2.18 had poor prognosis (χ 2=7.498, P=0.023; χ 2=4.169, P=0.041; χ 2=4.316, P=0.038; χ 2=9.372, P=0.002). Multivariable analysis showed that CD4/CD8 ratio, age, fibrinogen and hemoglobin were independent prognostic factors in HPS patients ( HR=2.435, P=0.027; HR=5.790, P<0.001; HR=0.432, P=0.018; HR=0.427, P=0.018). Conclusion:Peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets can be used to evaluate the prognosis of patients with HPS; CD4/CD8 ratio, age, fibrinogen, and hemoglobin are independent prognostic factors in HPS patients.

Analysis of risk factors of Budd-Chiari syndrome associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who underwent endovascular recanalization / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the risk factors of Budd-Chiari syndrome (BCS) associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who underwent endovascular recanalization.Methods:The data of 340 patients with BCS who underwent endovascular recanalization at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University between January 2015 and June 2021 were retrospectively collected. Using propensity score matching, a total of 57 patients (40 males and 17 females) were enrolled into this study, with the age of (50.4±8.7) years. Patients were divided into the hepatocellular carcinoma group ( n=19) and the control group ( n=38) according to whether occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after cardovascular recanalization. Preoperative indicators including gender, age, BCS type, and model for end-stage liver disease (MELD) score, and postoperative indicators including alpha fetoprotein, intrahepatic nodule formation, vascular restenosis, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were compared between the two groups after propensity score matching. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the risk factors of BCS associated with after endovascular recanalization in these patients. Results:There were no significant differences in gender, age, BCS type, MELD score and other preoperative data between the two groups (all P>0.05). The proportions of patients with postoperative alpha fetoprotein>9.0 μg/L, AST>40 U/L, ALT>50 U/L, intrahepatic nodules and vascular restenosis after endovascular treatment in the hepatocellular carcinoma group were significantly higher than those in the control group (all P<0.05). Multivariate analysis showed postoperative alpha fetoprotein >9.0 μg/L ( OR=46.778, 95% CI: 3.310-661.140), AST>40 U/L ( OR=36.307, 95% CI: 1.317-1 001.009), intrahepatic nodule formation ( OR=66.254, 95% CI: 4.225-1 038.974) and vascular restenosis ( OR=16.276, 95% CI: 1.712-154.773) to have an increased risk of being associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in these BCS patients (all P<0.05). Conclusion:Postoperative alpha fetoprotein>9.0 μg/L, AST>40 U/L, intrahepatic nodule formation and vascular restenosis were independent risk factors of BCS associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in patients who underwent endovascular recanalization.

Reform and thinking of undergraduate teaching of Pharmaceutical Analysis / 中华医学教育探索杂志

Objective:To analyze the current situation of the course of Pharmaceutical Analysis in the education and training of undergraduate students, explore the teaching reform and innovation to better accommodate the pharmacy education in the new era and build an advanced mode for training pharmaceutical talents with interdisciplinary expertise that meet the requirements and needs of job market. Methods:The first stage was to investigate the suggestions and needs of teaching reform; the second stage was to carry out the exploration and practice of the course reform; the third stage was to evaluate the teaching effect.Results:The demand survey showed that the teaching content, course design, and teaching methods of the Pharmaceutical Analysis need to be further optimized and expanded. Conclusion:By adjusting the teaching content, expanding teaching methods, innovating diversified teaching practices, and integrating the "curriculum ideology and politics" into the construction, the course reform has stimulated students' interest in learning and innovative spirit, strengthened their theoretical literacy and practical ability, and cultivated their international vision and lofty professional ethics.

Diagnosis and treatment for emphysematous pyelonephritis: analysis of 14 cases from a single centre / 中华外科杂志

Objective: To examine the modalities of treatment and clinical outcomes of emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN), in order to improve the survival rate of EPN patients. Methods: Totally 14 patients diagnosed as EPN between October 2011 and November 2020 at Department of Urology, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine were included in this article. Data collection including patient demographics, clinical manifestations, management and clinical outcomes were conducted by retrospective charts review, after receiving the institutional review board's approval. There were 11 females and 3 males with a median age of 59 years (range: 52 to 73 years). The lesions were located on the left side in 10 patients and right side in 4 patients. All the 14 patients suffered from fever, and present with severe sepsis or septic shock. The median time from symptom onset to admission to hospital was 3 days(range: 2 to 5 days). All cases had diabetes mellitus. Escherichia coli was the most common organism been cultured (11 cases), while Klebsiella pneumonia was the second (3 cases). CT scan showed bubbly or located gas in the renal parenchyma in 5 cases and presence of steaky or mottled gas in the renal parenchyma in 9 cases. All patients had been admitted to ICU for anti-septic shock therapy. Three patients had undergone percutaneous catheter drainage along with broad-spectrum antibiotics therapy while 3 patients had immediate nephrectomy, the other 8 cases had a combination of an initial percutaneous catheter drainage and second stage nephrectomy. Results: In this case series, 3 patients were died from EPN while the other 11 were survived. The median ICU stay time was 6 days (range: 3 to 11 days). Of the 3 patients died from EPN, 2 had undergone percutaneous catheter drainage along and 1 had received immediate nephrectomy. Among the 11 patients who were survived, only 1 had received percutaneous catheter drainage while the other 10 received nephrectomy (8 patients had staged nephrectomy). Follow-up was performed 6 months after discharge. Of the 11 surviving patients, 2 were lost to follow-up, and the remaining 9 patients had an creatine level of (118.4±29.4) μmol/L (range: 89 to 176 μmol/L). Conclusions: For patients coupled with diabetes who were initially diagnosed as acute pyelonephritis, the possibility of EPN should be considered when the disease progressed rapidly especially septic shock occurred. On the basis of empirical broad-spectrum antibiotics therapy and standardized anti-septic shock treatment, a combination of an initial percutaneous catheter drainage and second stage nephrectomy could be efficacious.

Casticin inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells by inhibition of TM7SF4 expression / 中华肿瘤杂志

Objective: To explore the effect and mechanism of Casticin (CAS) on the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer T24 cells. Methods: T24 cells were cultured in vitro and divided into control group, 5, 10, 20 μmol/L CAS groups, si-NC group, si-TM7SF4 group, CAS+ pcDNA group and CAS+ pcDNA-TM7SF4 group. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) was used to detect cell proliferation; Transwell was used to detect cell migration and invasion; western blot was used to detect the protein expressions of cyclin D1, p21, MMP-2, MMP-9 and TM7SF4, and real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the expression of TM7SF4 mRNA. Results: The inhibition rates of T24 cells in the 5, 10, 20 μmol/L CAS groups were (17.68±1.41)%, (33.54±3.16)% and (61.44±5.50)%, respectively, higher than (0.00±0.00)% of the control group (P<0.001), but the numbers of migration and invasion were 72.83±5.66, 59.13±4.27, 41.25±3.22 and 55.83±5.15, 42.19±3.06, 31.13±3.22, respectively, lower than 86.11±5.16 and 68.82±5.29 of the control group (P<0.001). The protein expression levels of cyclin D1, MMP-2, MMP-9, TM7SF4 and the expression levels of TM7SF4 mRNA in the 5, 10, and 20 μmol/L CAS groups were lower than the control group (P<0.001). However, the protein expression levels of p21 were 0.37±0.03, 0.51±0.04, and 0.66±0.06, respectively, higher than 0.25±0.03 in the control group (P<0.001). The inhibition rate of T24 cells in the si-TM7SF4 group was (50.35±4.67)%, higher than (6.31±0.58)% in the si-NC group (P<0.001), but the numbers of migration and invasion were 53.51±4.18 and 42.92±3.81, lower than 85.26±4.99 and 67.93±4.64 of the si-NC group (P<0.001). The protein expression levels of TM7SF4, CyclinD1, MMP-2, MMP-9 in the si-TM7SF4 group were lower than the si-NC group (P<0.001). However, the protein expression level of p21 in the si-TM7SF4 group was higher than the si-NC group (P<0.001). The inhibitory rate of T24 cells in the CAS+ pcDNA-TM7SF4 group was (21.45±2.46)%, lower than (64.06±4.49)% of the CAS+ pcDNA group (P<0.001), but the number of migration and invasion in the CAS+ pcDNA-TM7SF4 group were 75.66±6.57 and 59.35±5.40, higher than 40.43±3.85 and 30.25±3.32 in the CAS+ pcDNA group (P<0.001). The protein expression levels of TM7SF4, CyclinD1, MMP-2 and MMP-9 in the CAS+ pcDNA-TM7SF4 group were higher than the CAS+ pcDNA group (P<0.001), but the protein expression level of p21 was lower than the CAS+ pcDNA group (P<0.001). Conclusion: CAS may suppress the proliferation, migration and invasion of bladder cancer T24 cells by inhibiting the expression of TM7SF4.

Clinical characteristics of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia: an analysis of 13 cases / 中华全科医师杂志

Objective:To analyze the clinical characteristics of pneumonia caused by Chlamydia psittaci (C. psitttaci). Methods:A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical data of 13 consecutive patients with C. psitttaci pneumonia admitted to the First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University from November 2018 to February 2021. Results:All 13 cases had symptoms of fatigue and 6 cases had headache. At consultation, the ΔSequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores of all patients were ≥2 points. According to the Pneumonia Severity Index (PSI) score, 2 patients were grade Ⅱ and the other 11 patients were grade Ⅳ or Ⅴ. Laboratory tests showed that C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) levels were elevated in all patients; CRP≥100 mg/L was found in 11 cases and PCT≥0.5 ng/ml was found in 9 cases.There were 12 cases with respiratory failure and 12 cases with elevated transaminase. Chest CT scans showed multiple patchy exudative shadow, focal consolidation and air bronchial sign; and the lesions were mainly in the lower lungs (8 cases). C. psitttaci infections were confirmed by metagenomics next-generation sequencing (mNGS) and the patients′ conditions improved rapidly after timely adjustment of doxycycline based drug treatment and active organ support. The lesions were completely absorbed without residual fibrous cord changes and the prognosis was good. Conclusions:Pneumonia caused by C. psitttaci usually presents sepsis, and the disease progresses rapidly. The mNGS is of value for the early diagnosis of C. psitttaci pneumonia. Timely adjustment of antibiotics treatment after etiological diagnosis can lead to a good prognosis.

Effect of information management mode based on WeChat platform on patients with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease / 中华健康管理学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effect of management mode based on WeChat platform on patients with mild to moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).Methods:A total of 100 patients with mild to moderate COPD treated in the outpatient or ward of the Respiratory Department of Shangqiu First People′s Hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were included. According to the randomization criteria singular number (observation group, control group), there were 50 cases in each group. The control group received routine outpatient treatment and health education follow-up, the observation group was enrolled into the WeChat management group of COPD based on the same treatment as the control group. Smoking cessation, eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS-8) score for inhaled drug compliance, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease assessment test (CAT) questionnaire score, 6 min walking distance (6MWD) and lung function [forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV 1) and FEV 1%pred] were compared between 2 groups before and after six months intervention. Results:After intervention, the intervention follow-up was completed in 46 patients in the observation group and 35 patients in the control group, the rate of loss to follow-up in the observation group was lower than that in the control group (8% vs. 30%) ( P<0.05); The success rate of smoking cessation, the score of MMAS-8, the score of CAT, the FEV 1 and FEV 1%pred in the observation group were higher than those in the control group [82.4% vs 53.6%, (5.17±1.06) vs (4.55±0.94) points, (6.72±4.29) vs (9.37±4.54) points, (1.87±0.44) vs (1.64±0.41) L, (69.48±10.97) vs (64.46±8.25)%] (all P<0.05). There was no significant difference in 6MWD between the observation group and the control group [(401.5±92.3) vs (382.9±79.7) m] ( P>0.05). Conclusion:Management intervention based on WeChat platform can improve the smoking cessation rate and medication compliance of patients with mild to moderate COPD, so as to reduce the symptoms of dyspnea and delay the decline of pulmonary function.

Efficacy of TIPS in treatment of recurrent portal hypertension after splenectomy and devascularization in patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding / 中华肝胆外科杂志

Objective:To study the efficacy, feasibility and safety of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) in treatment of recurrent portal hypertension after splenectomy and devascularization in patients presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding.Methods:Cirrhotic patients with recurrent portal hypertension after splenectomy and devascularization and presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding from August 2015 to December 2020 were studied. Thirty-nine patients were included in this study. There were 24 males and 15 females, with age of (51.56±9.08) years old. These patients were treated with TIPS by using the Viabahn stent. Intraoperative portal vein pressure, success operative rate, hemostasis rate after surgery, changes in hematological indicators and postoperative efficacy and complication rate were studied.Results:Thirty-eight of 39 patients successfully underwent TIPS shunt and 1 patient failed because of portal vein spongiosis. The success rate was 97.44%(38/39). Thirty-three patients underwent TIPS and variceal vein embolization, while 5 patients were treated with TIPS alone. Thirty-nine Viabahn stents with a diameter of 8 mm were implanted in 38 patients, of which 5 patients had the stent expanded to its nominal diameter of 8 mm. The remaining 33 patients (86.84%) had a shunt with a diameter of 6 mm. The hemostasis rate of postoperative gastrointestinal bleeding was 97.37% (37/38). The portal vein pressure and portal venous pressure gradient decreased from (31.28±6.24), (20.61±5.14) mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) to (19.58±4.69), (9.24±3.07) mmHg respectively, the differences were significant (all P<0.001). All patients were followed-up for 3 to 36 months, with a median follow-up of 12 months. The postoperative rebleeding rate was 6.90% (2/29). The incidence of hepatic encephalopathy was 13.79% (4/29), and the incidence of shunt disorder was 13.79% (4/29). Conclusion:TIPS was safe, effective and feasible in treating patients with recurrent portal hypertension after splenectomy and devascularization presenting with upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Most patients obtained good clinical outcomes with a 6 mm diameter shunt.

Effectiveness and safety of the home-made umbrella-shaped Octoparms inferior vena cava filter in the prevention of pulmonary embolism / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the home-made umbrella-shaped Octoparms inferior vena cava filter in the prevention of pulmonary embolism.Methods:A multicenter, randomized, positive parallel controlled, non-inferiority clinical trial was conducted in ten hospitals in China from October 2017 to March 2019. A total of 188 subjects were enrolled according to the same inclusion and exclusion criteria in different institutes. The 188 subjects were randomly divided into the trial group or the control group according to 1∶1 by the central randomization system, with 94 cases in each group. Octoparms inferior vena cava filter was used in the trial group, and the Celect inferior vena cava filter in the control group. The primary effective index was clinical success rate,including the clinical success rate of filter placement and filter retrieval. The secondary index included the rate of manual success of the delivery sheath system,incidence of pulmonary embolism(within 6 months), incidence of filter fracture,migration (>20 mm),tilt(>15°) on insertion/retrieval,and the situation of inferior vena cava flow(within 6 months). Safety evaluation included the incidence of filter related complications and device-related adverse events immediately after surgery and during follow-up.Results:The success rate of implantation was 100% in 188 subjects. Filter retrieval was performed in 87 cases (92.55%) in the trial group and 91 cases (96.81%) in the control group. The clinical success rate of the trial group was 97.87%(92/94) and that of the control group 98.94%(93/94). There was no significant difference between the two groups (χ 2=0.77, P=0.380). The success rate of delivery sheath system was 96.81%(91/94) and 98.94%(93/94) in the trail group and the control group,respectively. There was no significant difference between the two groups( P=0.621). There was 1 case (1.22%) of new asymptomatic pulmonary embolism in the trial group after filter placement and 2 cases (2.44%) in the control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). No filter fracture or migration (>20 mm) occurred in either group. The tilting of filter (>15°) was found in 1 case (1.06%) in the test group and 1 case (1.06%) in the control group when the filter was placed. The tilting of filter (>15°) was found in 0 case in the test group and 2 cases (2.44%) in the control group when the filter was retrieved. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Inferior vena cava thrombosis before filter retrieval was found in 5 cases (5.75%) in trial group and 3 cases (3.30%) in control group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P=0.489). There were no immediate serious complications during filter placement/removal in either group. No filter obstruction,migration,deformation,penetration and occlusion of inferior vena cava. The incidence of device-related adverse events was low in both group. There was no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The home-made umbrella-shaped Octoparms inferior vena cava filter is effective and safe in preventing pulmonary embolism, and is not worse than Celect filter.

Study on preparation and formation mechanism of danazol-sodium caseinate composite nanoparticles / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To prepar e and characterize danazol （DAZ）-sodium caseinate （SC）composite nanoparticles ，and to study the mechanism of preparing nanoparticles in “bottom-up”technology. METHODS SC was used as a stabilizer for regulating nanoparticles，so that DAZ-SC composite nanoparticles were prepared by anti-solvent precipitation method. The particle size ， Zeta-potential，micro-morphology，stability，encapsulation efficiency ，drug loading and in vitro dissolution rate were characterized. Fluorescence spectra ，IR spectra ，FBRM and other methods were used to analyze the interaction mechanism between DAZ and SC. RESULTS The particle size of DAZ-SC composite nanoparticles was （223.7±12.5）nm，and the polydispersity index was 0.274± 0.012. Zeta-potential was －（17.81±1.63）mV（n＝3）. The stability of nano-suspension was good ，the solid properties of DAZ were greatly improved ，and the dissolution rate was significantly increased. SC was statically quenched under the action of DAZ and the secondary structures of SC were changed. The crystallization process of DAZ was controlled under the action of SC ，and the interaction between DAZ and SC was mainly hydrogen bond and van der Waals force. CONCLUSIONS In this study ，DAZ-SC composite nanoparticles are successfully prepared. In the “bottom-up”technology，the interaction between SC and DAZ caused by hydrogen bond and van der Waals force inhibits the growth and agglomeration of drug crystals .

Establishment of a mouse model of vascular endothelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation genetic tracing and its role in liver fibrosis studies / 临床肝胆病杂志

Objective To establish Cdh5-Cre ERT /Acta2-tdTomato-STOP floxed -eGFP knockin genetic tracing mice, and to investigate its application in studies on vascular endothelial cell transition in liver fibrosis. Methods Cdh5-Cre ERT mice were mated with Acta2-KI mice, and the Cdh5-Cre ERT /Acta2-KI genetic tracing mice were obtained and identified by PCR genotyping. Primary liver sinusoid endothelial cells (LSECs) were isolated and cultured, and a model of CCl 4 -induced liver fibrosis was established. LSECs and liver tissue were collected for immunofluorescent staining to observe the expression of the fluorescent proteins tdTomato and eGFP. Results After being induced by tamoxifen, LSECs and liver tissue of Cdh5-Cre ERT /Acta2-KI genetic tracing mice expressed eGFP under the conditions for epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation established in vivo and in vitro, while the control group without induction expressed tdTomato alone. Conclusion The successfully established Cdh5-Cre ERT /Acta2-KI genetic tracing mice can realize the effective labeling of epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation, which provides a genetic tracing basis for the diverse sources of mesenchymal myofibroblasts in liver fibrosis.