HIV infection status in male outpatients in sexually transmitted disease clinics in Tianjin, 2016-2020 / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective: To understand the HIV infection status in male outpatients in sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Tianjin from 2016 to 2020. Methods: According to the sentinel surveillance protocol, continuous cross-sectional studies were conducted between April and June during 2016-2020 to collect the information about the awareness of AIDS related knowledge, related sex behaviors, HIV infection, syphilis prevalence and HCV infection of male STD outpatients in Tianjin with a sample seize of 400 in each sentinel clinic. Results: From 2016 to 2020, a total of 4 000 male STD outpatients were surveyed. The HIV positive rate increased from 1.13% (9/800) to 2.25% (18/800) (trend χ2=14.22, P<0.001), the positive rate of syphilis increased from 9.38% (75/800) to 13.00% (104/800) (trend χ2=7.30, P=0.007) in this population during this period. The overall HCV positive rate was 0.45% (18/4 000). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that compared with those who were unmarried, had registered residence in Tianjin, had no temporary sexual behavior in the past 3 months, had no anal sex and had negative syphilis test result, the risk factors of HIV infection in the male STD outpatients included cohabitation (aOR=7.53, 95%CI:2.13-26.62), being from other provinces (aOR=3.64,95%CI:1.58-8.38), having temporary sexual behavior in the past 3 months (aOR=2.24,95%CI:1.03-4.89), having homosexual anal sex (aOR=85.99,95%CI:38.76-190.74) and suffering from syphilis (aOR=6.06,95%CI:3.18-11.56). Conclusion: The detection rates of HIV infection and syphilis in male STD outpatients in Tianjin showed upward trends from 2016 to 2020. Having temporary sexual behavior and anal sex, and suffering from syphilis were the main risk factors of HIV infection in male STD outpatients.

Peripheral blood circular RNA circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in pancreatic cancer / 中国医师杂志

Objective:To clarify the clinical significance, diagnostic and prognostic values of circular RNA circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 in peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer, and analyze their impact on the biological function of pancreatic cancer cells.Methods:The peripheral blood samples of 97 pancreatic cancer patients and 71 healthy controls were collected, and the expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 was analyzed by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The relationships between the expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 and clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of pancreatic cancer were analyzed by chi-square test, K-M survival curves and Cox proportional hazards regression model. The area under curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer were analyzed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. The effects of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 on the proliferation, migration, invasion and epithelial mesenchymal transformation (EMT) of Bxpc-3 cells were analyzed by methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) method, cell scratch test, Transwell invasion and Western blot.Results:The expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 in peripheral blood of pancreatic cancer patients was higher than those of healthy controls (all P<0.05). High expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 was associated with higher clinical stage, lymph node metastasis and venous invasion, and were independent risk factors for poor prognosis in pancreatic cancer (all P<0.05). The overall survival rate of patients with high expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 was significantly lower than that of patients with low expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 (all P<0.05). The AUC of circ_0141633, circ_0008234, the combination of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234, CA19-9 in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was 0.70, 0.67, 0.88 and 0.82, with sensitivity of 64.32%, 60.79%, 78.22% and 73.97%, respectively. The specificity was 68.54%, 65.46%, 81.65% and 79.41%, respectively. The diagnostic efficiency of combination was superior to CA19-9, circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 alone (all P<0.05). Interfering with circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 alone could inhibit the proliferation, migration, invasion and EMT of Bxpc-3 cells, and the above inhibitory effect was more obvious after interfering with both of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 (all P<0.05). Conclusions:The high expression of circ_0141633 and circ_0008234 in peripheral blood could be used as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of pancreatic cancer, and could promote the progression of pancreatic cancer.

Analysis on the application of infectious diseases automated-alert and response system in Tianjin during the 13th Five-Year Plan period / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To analyze the epidemiological characteristics of automatic warning signals of infectious diseases received in Tianjin during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and to provide reference for the function optimization of automatic warning system of infectious diseases during the 14th Five-year Plan period． Methods The data of infectious disease automatic early warning signals in Tianjin from 2016 to 2020 were downloaded from the China infectious diseases automated-alert and response system (CIDARS). The characteristics and response of early warning signals were analyzed by descriptive method. Results During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, 23,660 early warning signals were received in Tianjin, involving 39 kinds of infectious diseases, with 100% response rate and 1.10% positive rate of early warning signals. The median response time of warning signal was 0.53 hours (P25-P75: 0.19-1.17h). 95.74% of signals were responded within 2 hours and 98.47% of signals were responded within 24 hours. COVID-19, other infectious diarrhea diseases, dysentery, measles, and scarlet fever were the top five diseases with early warning signals. Conclusion During the 13th Five-Year, the automatic early warning system of infectious diseases in Tianjin runs well and has a high response rate, but the positive rate of early warning signal is low. During the 14th Five-Year，further research is needed to improve the early warning threshold according to the prevention and control needs and epidemic characteristics of different diseases, and to improve early warning positive rate.

Analysis of driver gene mutations in colorectal cancer by using next-generation sequencing / 中华老年医学杂志

Objective:To investigate the characteristics of gene mutations in colorectal cancer(CRC)patients by using next-generation generation sequencing(NGS).Methods:Blood and tissue samples were collected from 90 CRC patients admitted to Beijing Hospital between August 5, 2016 and December 29, 2020.Analysis of driver gene mutations was performed by using a 1021-gene NGS panel.Results:There were 43 tissue samples and 83 blood samples.Also, 36 patients had both tissue and blood samples.The frequency rates of KRAS and BRAF mutations were 51.2%(22/43)and 20.9%(9/43)in tissue samples, and 3 rare concomitant KRAS/ BRAF mutations were detected.The frequency rates of KRAS and BRAF mutations were 26.5%(22/83)and 10.8%(9/83)in blood samples.In patients with tissue and blood samples, the rates of KRAS and BRAF mutations were 52.8%(19/36)and 10.8%(8/36). Conclusions:The rate of KRAS mutations in tissue samples from colorectal cancer patients is similar to rates reported in the literature, but the rate of BRAF mutation and the rate of rare KRAS and BRAF co-mutations are higher than those reported from other countries.

Changes of multimodality therapeutic patterns of care study for resectable gastric cancer / 中华放射肿瘤学杂志

Objective:To investigate and analyze the current status of multimodality therapy for resectable gastric cancer, aiming to provide reference for optimizing the multimodality treatment strategy for gastric cancer.Methods:Clinical data of patients diagnosed with gastric adenocarcinoma undergoing radical gastrectomy in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University were retrospectively analyzed. Clinical characteristics, preoperative medical comorbidities, pathological features, surgical and perioperative status and clinical efficacy were recorded. The gap between the diagnosis and treatment procedures and the standard guidelines was analyzed. The changes in the multimodality treatment patterns for gastric cancer were understood.Results:A total of 265 patients were included in this study. All patients were divided into two cohorts: early[2008] and late[2013] cohorts. In the early cohort, 127 patients were assigned, and 138 cases in the late cohort. In the early cohort, 67 patients (52.8%) underwent D 2 lymph node dissection, significantly less than 83 patients (60.1%) in the late cohort ( P<0.01). In the early and late cohorts, the proportion of patients with the number of lymph node dissection of ≥15 was 5.5% and 52.8%( P<0.01). The median number of lymph node dissection was increased from 6 to 16. The proportion of patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the early and late cohorts was 2.4% and 3.6%( P=0.55). In the early cohort, the proportion of patients treated with postoperative chemotherapy and postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy was 62.6% and 2.4%, significantly higher compared with 58.0% and 8.0% in the late cohort ( P=0.04). In addition, the proportion of patients receiving postoperative chemotherapy in the early cohort was 62.2%( n=79) and 58.0%( n=80) in the late cohort ( P=0.48). Conclusions:Although the level of radical gastrectomy has been continuously improved and standardized in China, which still lags behind the standard D 2 radical gastrectomy in Japan and South Korea. Adjuvant therapies including postoperative adjuvant radiotherapy can bring clinical benefits. However, the proportion of patients receiving adjuvant therapy is still low, and the multimodality therapy of gastric cancer should be widely applied.

Monitoring results of individual doses to medical radiation workers in Jiangxi province from 2014 to 2018 / 中华放射医学与防护杂志

Objective:To analyze the levels of individual doses to radiation workers receiving medical radiation exposure in hospitals in Jiangxi province, so as to provide reference for radiation protection.Methods:The radiation workers of different types in medical institutions in Jiangxi were investigated from 2014 to 2018, involving diagnostic radiology, radiotherapy, nuclear medicine and interventional radiology. Statistical analyses were made of the individual doses to medical radiation workers in the province.Results:The total number of monitored workers were 23 833 with average annual individual effective dose of 0.316 mSv. NR1 and NR5, the ratios of the number of workers receiving annual individual doses exceeding 1 and 5 mSv to the total monitored workers were 4.32% and 0.10%, respectively. During the five-year period, the average annual individual effective dose showed a upward and then downward trend, with peak appearing in 2017. A total of 17 909 diagnostic radiologists were monitored, accounting for 75.14% of the total number of monitored workers. The average annual individual effective dose received by workers was 0.329 mSv, the highest, in interventional radiology, followed by diagnostic radiology 0.318 mSv, nuclear medicine 0.283 mSv, and radiotherapy 0.269 mSv, respectively. There were statistically significant differences among radiation workers of different types ( χ2=489.39, P<0.001). Conclusions:The average annual individual effective dose to the radiation workers in medical institutions in Jiangxi province meets the relevant national standards, but with an upward trend in nuclear medicine. The higher levels of individual doses to radiation workers are seen in primary and secondary hospitals. It should be strengthen the oversight of radiation workers in nuclear medicine and in primary and secondary hospitals.

Early detection of subclinical myocardial dysfunction assessed by cardiac MR feature tracking in hypertensive heart disease patients / 中华放射学杂志

Objective:To evaluate the value of cardiac MR feature tracking (CMR-FT) on the early assessment of left ventricular subclinical myocardial dysfunction in patients of hypertensive heart disease (HHD).Methods:From October 2018 to November 2019, 16 HHD patients with left ventricular hypertrophy (HHD-LVH), 24 HHD patients without left ventricular hypertrophy (HHD-nonLVH) and 24 age-and gender-matched normotensive controls who underwent 3.0 T CMR examination were retrospectively enrolled. Imaging protocol included cine sequence and late gadolinium enhancement. Left ventricular function variables were measured using Argus software, mainly including left ventricular end-diastolic volume index (LVEDVI), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), left ventricular maximal wall thickness (LVMWT), the ratio of left ventricular mass to left ventricular end-diastolic volume (M/V). CMR-FT was performed using commercial software CVI 42, with parameters including global radial, circumferential, longitudinal strains (GRS, GCS, GLS), peak systolic radial, circumferential, longitudinal strain rate (SRSR peak, SCSR peak, SLSR peak) and peak diastolic radial, circumferential, longitudinal strain rate (DRSR peak, DCSR peak, DLSR peak) derived. One-way analysis of variance with scheffe correction or Kruskal-Wallis test was performed for multiple comparisons. Pearson or Spearman analysis was used for linear or monotonic nonlinear correlations. Results:HHD-LVH group had higher LVEDVI, LVMI, LVMWT and M/V than HHD-nonLVH group and control group ( P<0.05). Compared with control group, GRS, GCS and GLS were statistically impaired in HHD-LVH group, and DRSR peak, DCSR peak and DLSR peak were statistically reduced in HHD-LVH group and HHD-nonLVH group(all P<0.05). Correlation analysis showed that LVMI correlated linearly with GRS ( r=-0.384, P=0.002), GCS ( r=0.392, P=0.001) and GLS ( r=0.491, P<0.0001),LVMWT correlated nonlinearly with GRS ( r=-0.362, P=0.003), GCS ( r=0.384, P=0.002) and GLS ( r=0.422, P=0.001), LVEDVI correlated nonlinearly with GRS ( r=-0.295, P=0.018) and GCS ( r=0.264, P=0.035). Conclusion:CMR-FT derived left ventricular strain parameters could be served as early indicators for the assessment of subclinical myocardial dysfunction in HHD patients, which have great potential in guiding appropriate intervention therapy and improving cardiac remodeling.

Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis of α/β Complex Thalassemia by Next Generation Sequencing / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the application value of next generation sequencing (NGS) in preimplantation genetic diagnosis of α/β complex thalassemia couple.@*METHODS@#The coding regions of α-globin genes (HBA1, HBA2) and β-globin gene (HBB) were selected as the target regions. The high-density and closely linked single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites were selected as the genetic linkage markers in the upstream and downstream 2M regions of the gene. After NGS, the effective SNP sites were selected to construct the haplotype of the couple, and the risk chromosome of the mutation carried by the couple was determined. The NGS technology was used to sequence the variations of HBA1, HBA2 and HBB directly and construct haplotype linkage analysis for preimplantation genetic diagnosis.@*RESULTS@#Direct sequencing and haplotype linkage analysis of HBA1, HBA2 and HBB showed that two of the six blastocysts were α/β complex thalassemia, one was β-thalassemia heterozygote, two were α-thalassemias heterozygotes, and one was intermediate α-thalassemia. A well-developed embryo underwent preimplantation genetic diagnosis was implanted into the mother's uterus, and a healthy infant was born at term.@*CONCLUSION@#Preimplantation genetic diagnosis can be carried out by NGS technology in α/β complex thalassemia couples, and abortion caused by aneuploid embryo selection can be avoided.

Pelvic membrane anatomy and surgery with network preservation of autonomic nervous system for rectal cancer / 中华胃肠外科杂志

The principle of total mesorectal excision (TME) standardizes the resection range and surgical dissection plane in radical rectal cancer surgery, reduces the local recurrence rate and improves the long-term survival. TME is the "gold standard" in radical rectal cancer surgery. However, with the progress of laparoscopic surgical instruments and techniques in recent years, further understanding of pelvic membrane anatomy and autonomic nervous system has been gained, which makes the surgical plane of TME more accurate and the autonomic nervous system better preserved. According to anatomical discovery and histological confirmation, there is a fascia between the mesorectal fascia and pelvic parietal fascia, called pre-hypogastric nerve sheath, in which autonomic nervous system courses, including the superior hypogastric plexus, left and right hypogastric nerves, pelvic plexus and the neurovascular bundles, from the abdominal to the pelvic cavity behind the mesorectal fascia. It fuses with the end of the mesorectum at the superior border of musculi puborectalis, and goes around the mesorectum to join with Denonvillier fascia. On the basis of anatomical studies and empirical anatomical observations, we put forward the concept of network preservation of the autonomic nervous system: the main trunk as well as the nerve branches of the pelvic autonomic nervous system and accompanying blood vessels should be preserved to ensure the integrity of the nerve reflex arc. The concept allows the radical resection of rectal cancer to follow the principle of TME, and meanwhile, protect patient's urination function and sexual function to the greatest extent, improving the quality of life of patients after surgery.

Combined transperineal and transpubic urethroplasty for patients with complex male pelvic fracture urethral distraction defect / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To evaluate the clinical effects and characteristics of combined transperineal and transpubic urethroplasty for patients with complex pelvic fracture urethral distraction defect (PFUDD).@*METHODS@#We retrospectively reviewed the clinical data of 17 male patients with complex posterior PFUDD from January 2010 to December 2019. The complications included urethrorectal fistulas in 2 patients (11.8%), urethroperineal fistula in 1 patient (5.9%). Ten patients had undergone previous treatments: dilatation in 3 patients (17.6%), internal urethrotomy in 1 patient, failed urethroplasty in 6 patients (35.3%), of whom 2 patients had two times of failed urethroplasties. All the patients were performed with urethroplasty by combined transperineal and transpubic approach with removing the entire pubic bone followed by the anastomosis.@*RESULTS@#The mean age of the patients included in this study was 35.5 (range: 21-62) years. The mean length of stricture was 5.5 (range: 4.5-7.0) cm, the mean follow-up was 27 (range: 7-110) months, the mean time of operation was 190 (range: 150-260) min, the mean evaluated blood loss was 460 (range: 200-1 200) mL. There were 5 patients who needed blood transfusion intraoperatively or postoperatively. Wound infection was seen in 4 out of 17 patients and thrombosis of lower extremities in 1 out of 17 patients. The last follow-up showed that the mean postoperative maximum urinary flow rate was 22.7 (range: 15.5-40.7) mL/s. After removing the catheter, one patient presented with decreased urinary flow and symptoms of urinary infection. Cystoscopy showed the recurrent anastomotic stricture, which was cured by internal urethrotomy. In our series, the success rate of the combined transperineal and transpubic urethroplasty was 94.1% (16/17).@*CONCLUSION@#Combined transperineal and transpubic urtheroplasty can achieve a tension free anastomosis after removing the entire wedge of pubis in some patients with complex PFUDD. However, this procedure should be completed in a regional referral hospital due to the complexity of the operation and the high percentage of complications.

Analysis of myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19 and association between concomitant cardiovascular diseases and severity of COVID-19 / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective: To evaluate the cardiovascular damage of patients with COVID-19, and determine the correlation of serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP） and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI） with the severity of COVID-19, and the impact of concomitant cardiovascular disease on severity of COVID-19 was also evaluated. Methods: A cross-sectional study was designed on 150 consecutive patients with COVID-19 in the fever clinic of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan from January 19 to February 13 in 2020, including 126 mild cases and 24 cases in critical care. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the correlation of past medical history including hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD）, as well as the levels of serum NT-proBNP and cTnI to the disease severity of COVID-19 patients. Results: Age, hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and serum creatinine levels of the patients were higher in critical care cases than in mild cases(all P<0.05). Prevalence of male, elevated NT-proBNP and cTnI, hypertension and coronary heart disease were significantly higher in critical cases care patients than in the mild cases(all P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, male, elevated NT-proBNP, elevated cTnI, elevated hs-CRP, elevated serum creatinine, hypertension, and CHD were significantly correlated with critical disease status(all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated cTnI(OR=26.909，95%CI 4.086-177.226，P=0.001) and CHD (OR=16.609，95%CI 2.288-120.577，P=0.005) were the independent risk factors of critical disease status. Conclusions: COVID-19 can significantly affect the heart function and lead to myocardial injury. The past medical history of CHD and increased level of cTnI are 2 independent determinants of clinical disease status in patients with COVID-19.

Organ function support in patients with coronavirus disease 2019: Tongji experience / 医学前沿

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease and a serious threat to human health. COVID-19 can cause multiple organ dysfunction, such as respiratory and circulatory failure, liver and kidney injury, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and thromboembolism, and even death. The World Health Organization reports that the mortality rate of severe-type COVID-19 is over 50%. Currently, the number of severe cases worldwide has increased rapidly, but the experience in the treatment of infected patients is still limited. Given the lack of specific antiviral drugs, multi-organ function support treatment is important for patients with COVID-19. To improve the cure rate and reduce the mortality of patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19, this paper summarizes the experience of organ function support in patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19 in Optical Valley Branch of Tongji Hospital, Wuhan, China. This paper systematically summarizes the procedures of functional support therapies for multiple organs and systems, including respiratory, circulatory, renal, hepatic, and hematological systems, among patients with severe- and critical-type COVID-19. This paper provides a clinical reference and a new strategy for the optimal treatment of COVID-19 worldwide.

Investigation and analysis on characteristics of a cluster of COVID-19 associated with exposure in a department store in Tianjin / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective@#To describe the epidemiological characteristics of a cluster of COVID-19 cases reported in Baodi district of Tianjin as of 18 February, 2020, which might be associated with the exposure in a local department store, and provide suggestions for prevention and control strategy development.@* Methods@#The basic characteristics, time and area distributions, clinical manifestations, epidemiological history and transmission mode of the COVID-19 cases associated with the department store exposure were analyzed.@* Results@#A total of 40 COVID-19 cases were associated with the department store exposure, accounting for 75.47% of the total confirmed cases (53 cases) reported in Baodi district. The cases were mainly at the age of 60 years or older (35.00%) and farmers (40.00%). The main clinical manifestations included fever (95.00%), cough (35.00%), and diarrhea (15.00%). The proportion of confirmed severe cases was 32.50%. The incidence curve showed that the incidence peak occurred on 31 January, 2020. Among the 40 cases, 6(15.00%) were department store employees, 19(47.50%) were customers and 15(37.50%) were close contacts (secondary cases). The first case occurred on 21 January, 2020, this case was a department store employee who had a purchasing history at whole sale markets in other provinces and cities before the onset, and 3 employees were still on duty after symptom onsets. The median of the incubation period of customer cases was 6 days, and the median of the interval between onset and medical treatment of customer cases was 7 days.@* Conclusion@#This was a cluster epidemic of COVID-19, which might be associated with the exposure in the department store. By now, the current prevention and control measures have achieved satisfied effects.

Analysis of myocardial injury in patients with COVID-19 and association between concomitant cardiovascular diseases and severity of COVID-19 / 中华心血管病杂志

Objective@#To evaluate the cardiovascular damage of patients with COVID-19, and determine the correlation of serum N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and cardiac troponin-I (cTnI) with the severity of COVID-19, and the impact of concomitant cardiovascular disease on severity of COVID-19 was also evaluated.@*Methods@#A cross-sectional study was designed on 150 consecutive patients with COVID-19 in the fever clinic of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan from January to February in 2020, including 126 mild cases and 24 cases in critical care. Both univariate and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyze the correlation of past medical history including hypertension, diabetes and coronary heart disease (CHD) , as well as the levels of serum NT-proBNP and cTnI to the disease severity of COVID-19 patients.@*Results@#Age, hypersensitive C-reactive protein(hs-CRP) and serum creatinine levels of the patients were higher in critical care cases than in mild cases(all P<0.05). Prevalence of male, elevated NT-proBNP and cTnI, hypertension and coronary heart disease were significantly higher in critical cases care patients than in the mild cases(all P<0.05). Univariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, male, elevated NT-proBNP, elevated cTnI, elevated hs-CRP, elevated serum creatinine, hypertension, and CHD were significantly correlated with critical disease status(all P<0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that elevated cTnI(OR=26.909, 95%CI 4.086-177.226, P=0.001) and CHD (OR=16.609, 95%CI 2.288-120.577, P=0.005) were the independent risk factors of critical disease status.@*Conclusions@#COVID-19 can significantly affect the heart function and lead to myocardial injury. The past medical history of CHD and increased level of cTnI are two independent determinants of clinical disease status in patients with COVID-19.

Effect of quercetin on chondrocyte phenotype and extracellular matrix expression / 中国天然药物

Due to the poor repair ability of cartilage tissue, regenerative medicine still faces great challenges in the repair of large articular cartilage defects. Quercetin is widely applied as a traditional Chinese medicine in tissue regeneration including liver, bone and skin tissues. However, the evidence for its effects and internal mechanisms for cartilage regeneration are limited. In the present study, the effects of quercetin on chondrocyte function were systematically evaluated by CCK8 assay, PCR assay, cartilaginous matrix staining assays, immunofluorescence assay, and western blotting. The results showed that quercetin significantly up-regulated the expression of chondrogenesis genes and stimulated the secretion of GAG (glycosaminoglycan) through activating the ERK, P38 and AKT signalling pathways in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, in vivo experiments revealed that quercetin-loaded silk protein scaffolds dramatically stimulated the formation of new cartilage-like tissue with higher histological scores in rat femoral cartilage defects. These data suggest that quercetin can effectively stimulate chondrogenesis in vitro and in vivo, demonstrating the potential application of quercetin in the regeneration of cartilage defects.

Epidemiological investigation on a cluster epidemic of COVID-19 in a collective workplace in Tianjin / 中华流行病学杂志

Objective To investigate and analysis the epidemiological characteristics of a cluster epidemic of COIVD-19 in a collective workplace in Tianjin, evduate the prevention and control measures based on limited evidence and experience in early period of COVID-19 epidemic. Methods Descriptive research method was used to describe the distribution and other epidemiological characteristics of the cluster cases of COVID-19. Results Since the onset of the first index case on January 15, ten confirmed COVID-19 cases had occurred in the workplace, and the epidemic had spread from the workplace to 4 families, infecting 7 family members. The median age of 17 cases was 55 (19-79) years. All the 10 employee cases were males, and in 7 family cases, 3 were males and 4 were females. Of the employee cases, 8 worked in CW workshop and 2 worked in administrative office building. The median exposure-onset interval of all the cases was 4 (0-12) days, and the median exposure-onset interval was 4.5 days in the employee cases and 4 days in the family cases. The median onset-medical care seeking interval was 4 days in the non-isolated cases, 2.5 days in the cases with home isolation after onset, and 0.5 day in the cases with home isolation before onset. Conclusion The clustering of COVID-19 cases was observed in this workplace in Tianjin, which affected 4 families. In the early stage of the epidemic, accurate and rapid blocking and control measures can completely prevent the large-scale spread of COVID-19.

Progress of Historical Evolution of Processing，Chemical Compositions and Pharmacological Effects of Foeniculi Fructus / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Foeniculi Fructus is warm and spicy in nature and belongs to the liver, kidney, spleen and stomach meridians with the function of dispersing cold and relieving pain, regulating Qi-flowing and harmonizing stomach, and can be used as medicine and food. This article summarized the historical evolution of processing of Foeniculi Fructus by consulting the relevant books since the Han dynasty, the Chinese Pharmacopoeia as well as the processing norms of provinces and cities, and summarized the chemical compositions and pharmacological effects of Foeniculi Fructus by reviewing literatures at home and abroad, then it found that Foeniculi Fructus mainly contains essential oil, flavonoids, phenols and fatty acids, has certain effects on human visceral system, central nervous system, cardiovascular system, endocrine system, immune system and chemotherapy, including the functions of regulating gastrointestinal function, analgesia, anti-inflammatory, etc. Among them, the main chemical components that play the pharmacodynamic effect are volatile oil, flavonoids and phenols, and the chemical components and pharmacological effects in Foeniculi Fructus before and after processing will have corresponding changes, which can provide reference for the further study of Foeniculi Fructus in processing principle, pharmacodynamic substance basis and pharmacological mechanism.

Human Brain Slice Culture: A Useful Tool to Study Brain Disorders and Potential Therapeutic Compounds / 神经科学通报·英文版

Investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying brain disorders is a priority if novel therapeutic strategies are to be developed. In vivo studies of animal models and in vitro studies of cell lines/primary cell cultures may provide useful tools to study certain aspects of brain disorders. However, discrepancies among these studies or unsuccessful translation from animal/cell studies to human/clinical studies often occur, because these models generally represent only some symptoms of a neuropsychiatric disorder rather than the complete disorder. Human brain slice cultures from postmortem tissue or resected tissue from operations have shown that, in vitro, neurons and glia can stay alive for long periods of time, while their morphological and physiological characteristics, and their ability to respond to experimental manipulations are maintained. Human brain slices can thus provide a close representation of neuronal networks in vivo, be a valuable tool for investigation of the basis of neuropsychiatric disorders, and provide a platform for the evaluation of novel pharmacological treatments of human brain diseases. A brain bank needs to provide the necessary infrastructure to bring together donors, hospitals, and researchers who want to investigate human brain slices in cultures of clinically and neuropathologically well-documented material.

Research progress on the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and arousals / 中国基层医药

Obstructive sleep apnea(OSA) refers to apnea and hypopnea caused by repeated obstruction of upper respiratory tract collapse during sleep, accompanied by snoring and irregular snoring, daytime sleepiness and repeated arousal.Studies have shown that arousal is associated with daytime sleepiness and other symptoms and some complications in OSA patients.Based on literature review, this paper reviews the current research on OSA and arousal.

Outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting in patients under 45 years old with coronary artery disease combined insulin-treated diabetes mellitus / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective To investigate the outcomes of coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG) in insulin-treated diabetes mellitus(DM) patients with coronary artery disease(CAD) (age≤45 years old),and analyze the risk factors of major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events(MACCE) by logistic regression.Methods Data on 239 CAD patients combined with DM aged ≤45 who underwent CABG in our hospital were collected retrospectively from October 2007 to October 2016.There were 216 males and 23 females,the mean age was (42.15 ±2.59) years old.The mean LVEF was 0.59 ±0.09.43 patients (18.0％) had left main stenosis,and the average diseased vessel number was 3.20 ± 0.76.Results One patients (0.4％)in-hospital died of heart failure.Patients received (3.12 ±0.81) bypass grafts overall,12 patients (5.0％) were total artery revascularization.3 patients (1.3％) needed reoperation for bleeding and the perioperative atrial fibrillation rate was occured in 23 patients (9.6％).The follow-up rate was 95％ (226 cases),the median follow-up time was 5 years (1-9 years).8 patients (3.3％) died of all cause-mortality,and 183 patients (81.0％) were freedom from MACCE.The higher level of BMI、cholesterol and creatinine,LVEF ≤0.35,postoperative blood loss ≥ 1 000 ml and ventricular arrhythmia were the independent risk factors of MACCE.Conclusion CABG procedure in CAD patients under 45 years old accompanied DM is safety and reliable both in early and long-term outcomes.