The Brain Structure Volume Estimation Based on Synthetic MRI in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia / 中山大学学报(医学科学版)

ObjectiveCentral nervous system （CNS） infiltration commonly occurs in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia （ALL）. Early subclinical CNS infiltration in pediatric ALL is hard to detect with conventional methods. This study aimed to investigate the changes of brain structure volume parameters based on Synthetic MRI （SyMRI） in pediatric ALL without clinically diagnosed CNS infiltration. MethodsThirty-six ALL and twenty-nine typically developing （TD） children were prospectively collected and all underwent SyMRI. The Synthetic MR software was used to obtain brain volumetric parameters including total white matter volume （WMV）， gray matter volume （GMV）， cerebrospinal fluid （CSF） volume， etc. and their within-group differences were assessed by analysis of covariance. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between biological characteristics and statistically significant brain volume parameters. ResultsALL children showed increased CSF volume （PFDR-corrected = 0.009） and decreased GMV （PFDR-corrected = 0.027） when compared to TD children. We also found a moderately negative association between GMV/intracranial volume and risk classification in pediatric ALL （rs = -0.380， P = 0.022）. ConclusionsPediatric ALL without clinically diagnosed CNS infiltration presented with accumulation of CSF and reduction of gray matter. The brain volumetric changes in subclinical CNS infiltration of pediatric ALL provides a new attempt for exploring the underlying mechanism and early detection of CNS infiltration in pediatric ALL.

Activity and mechanism of palbinone against hepatic fibrosis and inflammation / 药学学报

The study aims to investigate the anti-hepatic fibrosis and anti-inflammatory activities of palbinone, and to explore the internal regulatory mechanism, so as to lay an active foundation for its development as an anti-non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) candidate. First, sulforhodamine B (SRB) method was used to detect the effect of palbinone on the proliferation of human hepatic stellate cells LX-2 and rat hepatic stellate cells HSC-T6. Following, in the in vitro hepatic fibrosis cell model that activated by transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) and Western blot were used to detect the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of palbinone on the transcription level and protein expression level of hepatic fibrosis markers. And the regulating mechanism of palbinone on fibrosis-related genes was analyzed at the same time. In addition, in the inflammatory cell model that induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and nigericin, ELISA was used to detect the effect of palbinone on the released interleukin-1β (IL-1β) level. At the same time, Western blot was used to detect the effect of palbinone on the related proteins of inflammatory pathway. The results showed that palbinone could significantly inhibit the proliferation activity of LX-2 and HSC-T6, and their half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values ​​were (375.11 ± 55.45) and (260.27 ± 36.81) nmol·L-1, respectively. In addition, palbinone showed a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on the expression levels of TGF-β1-induced fibrosis-related genes, including collagen type Ⅰ α 1 (COL1A1), TGF-β1, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 (TIMP1). Mechanism study showed that palbinone may decrease the expression level of Yes-associated protein (YAP), thereby weakening its activation effect on the downstream fibrosis pathway. In addition, palbinone also exerted an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the activity of nuclear factor kappa-B (NF-κB) signaling pathway and reducing inflammatory factors cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-1 (caspase-1) and IL-1β release. In conclusion, palbinone can not only inhibit the proliferation and activation of hepatic stellate cells by inhibiting the expression of YAP, but also inhibit the expression and release of inflammatory factors at the same time. All these studies provide theoretical support for the development of palbinone as an anti-nonalcoholic steatohepatitis drug.

Determination of purity of a new anti-fatty liver drug IMH by differential scanning calorimetry method and uncertainty evaluation / 药学学报

The purity of 4,4′-dimethoxy-5,6,5′,6′-bis (methylenedioxy)-2′-morpholine methylenebiphenyl-2-methyl formate methanesulfonate (IMH), a new drug for fatty liver treatment, was determined through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Analysis of two-factor non repeatability method was performed in the investigation the effects of two factors (heating rate and sample weight) on purity determination. The DSC experimental parameters were optimized as follows: heating rate was 10 ℃·min-1, temperature range was 150-300 ℃, sample weight was 2.0-4.1 mg, and N2 flow rate was 80 mL·min-1. The linear correlation coefficient (r) of this DSC method was 0.999 8. The RSD value (n = 6) of precision was 0.03%. The standard value and uncertainty of the purity results of the multiple batches of IMH drugs were (99.74 ± 0.29)%, (99.91 ± 0.28)%, (99.90 ± 0.28)%, and (99.81 ± 0.28)% with inclusion factor (K) of 2 and confidence probability (P) of 0.95. The results were basically consistent with the results of the mass balance method. The DSC mehod is a simple, rapid and accurate method, and provides a new reference method for determining the purity of IMH drugs, improves the accuracy and reliability of purity determination.

An outbreak of school influenza complicated with mycoplasma pneumoniae infection / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To describe the clinical features, causal agent and transmission mode of a fever outbreak in a school in Shanghai.@*Methods@#Field epidemiological approaches including case definition development, searching for contacts, distribution of diseases description, environmental sampling and laboratory testing.@*Results@#A total of 16 influenza like cases were included, all concentrated in the one class of grade two, including 15 students and 1 teacher. Among student cases, the incidence rate was 36.59% (15/41), the average age was 7.4 years, the incidence rate was 36.84%(7/19) for boys, 36.36%(8/22) for girls. The clinical course was 5-15 days, with the median of 9 days, and 18.75%(3/16) of the cases stayed studying while sick. The nasopharyngeal swab specimens in 16 cases all tested positive for influenza B, of which 11 tested positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae and 1 case also tested positive for coronavirus OC43. Body temperature, number of mononuclear cells, and treatment time of patients infected with Influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae were higher than those of patients infected with influenza B alone( P <0.05). The outbreak lasted for 12 days, all sick students were treated and discharged from hospital, with no severe cases or death, and the outbreak was effectively controlled.@*Conclusion@#This campus cluster outbreak caused by influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae. Patients with influenza B with mycoplasma pneumoniae have severe symptoms and a long course of illness, suggesting the importance of early management of the epidemic.

Genome-wide identification of CsCCD gene family in tea plant (Camellia sinensis) and expression analysis of the oolong tea processing with supplementary LED light / 生物工程学报

Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase (CCD) family is important for production of volatile aromatic compounds and synthesis of plant hormones. To explore the biological functions and gene expression patterns of CsCCD gene family in tea plant, genome-wide identification of CsCCD gene family was performed. The gene structures, conserved motifs, chromosome locations, protein physicochemical properties, evolutionary characteristics, interaction network and cis-acting regulatory elements were predicted and analyzed. Real time-quantitative reverse transcription PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to detect the relative expression level of CsCCD gene family members under different leaf positions and light treatments during processing. A total of 11 CsCCD gene family members, each containing exons ranging from 1 to 11 and introns ranging from 0 to 10, were identified. The average number of amino acids and molecular weight were 519 aa and 57 643.35 Da, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis showed the CsCCD gene family was clustered into 5 major groups (CCD1, CCD4, CCD7, CCD8 and NCED). The CsCCD gene family mainly contained stress response elements, hormone response elements, light response elements and multi-factor response elements, and light response elements was the most abundant (142 elements). Expression analysis showed that the expression levels of CsCCD1 and CsCCD4 in elder leaves were higher than those in younger leaves and stems. With the increase of turning over times, the expression levels of CsCCD1 and CsCCD4 decreased, while supplementary LED light strongly promoted their expression levels in the early stage. The expression level of NCED in younger leaves was higher than that in elder leaves and stems on average, and the expression trend varied in the process of turning over. NCED3 first increased and then decreased, with an expression level 15 times higher than that in fresh leaves. In the late stage of turning over, supplementary LED light significantly promoted its gene expression. In conclusion, CsCCD gene family member expressions were regulated by mechanical force and light. These understandings may help to optimize tea processing techniques and improve tea quality.

Analysis of acupoint-symptom relationship in CHENG Dan-an's Note About Treatise on Cold-Attack based on complex network / 中国针灸

Acupoint-symptom relationship in CHENG Dan-an's Note About Treatise on Cold-Attack was analyzed based on complex network, acupoint names and indications were extracted from the book, which provided ideas and methods for promoting the modernization of acupuncture and moxibustion by using complex network technology. A total of 112 acupoints in 201 acupuncture prescriptions were included, and the total frequency of acupoints was 880 times, forming 42 034 acupoint pairs. In terms of network indexes, compared with the complex network of comprehensive acupuncture books, such as Meridian and Acupoint Science, Zhenjiu Dacheng, Acupuncture A and B Meridians formed based on the same mathematical method, the complex network model for CHENG Dan-an's Note About Treatise on Cold-Attack shows more typical small world effect, which is characterized by higher network density (6.762) and shorter average path length (1.064). This phenomenon may be related to the tongue and pulse which added the link between acupoints. For the node indexes, the analysis of topological indexes such as Page Rank shows that acupoints represented by Dazhui (GV 14) has higher compatibility value in the treatment of exogenous diseases, which further demonstrates the clinical value of eigenvector centrality in guiding intelligent compatibility of points.

Isolation and Characterization of Extracellular Vesicle from Mesenchymal Stem Cells of the Epidural Fat of the Spine

Methods@#In this study, we isolated the exosomes using the tangential flow filtration (TFF) system with exosome-depleted fetal bovine serum and performed the characterization tests via western blotting, reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction, nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA), and transmission electron microscopy. @*Results@#In transmission electron microscopy, the exosome had a diameter of approximately 100–200 nm and had a spherical shape, whereas in the NTA, the exosome had an average diameter of 142.8 nm with a concentration of 1.27×1010 particles/mL. The flow cytometry analysis showed the expression of CD63 and CD81. The western blotting analysis showed the positive markers. @*Conclusions@#These findings showed that isolating the exosomes via TFF resulted in high-quality EF-MSC exosome yield. Further studies with exosomes from EF-MSC are needed to evaluate the function and role of the EF tissue.

Retrospective cohort study on prognosis impact of preoperative obstruction in colorectal cancer / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the effect of obstruction on the prognosis and possible mechanisms in colorectal cancer patients.Methods:Among 1574 cases of colorectal cancer who were treated in Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2003 to December. 2014, 194 cases had preoperative intestinal obstruction. Firstly, described the clinical characteristics of 194 patients with obstruction, then COX multivariate regression analysis was performed on the 1574 colorectal cancer cohort to confirm whether the preoperative obstruction was independent predictor for the overall survival. Finally, propensity score matching method was used to match obstruction and non-obstruction cases, then compared overall survival difference.Results:In 194 cases of obstructive colorectal cancer, 60.3% and 37.1% of the tumors were located in the left and right respectively. The 55.7% of the patients had tumors larger than 5 cm in diameter, the median survival time was 39.7 months (95% CI: 28.3-60.4). Multivariate COX analysis, after adjusted for related confounding factors, found that preoperative obstruction is still an independent risk factor for poor prognosis ( HR=1.41, 95% CI: 1.01-1.97). After propensity score matching, 140 and 560 patients were included in the obstructive group and the non-obstructive group. The two groups were more balanced in most baseline characteristics. The median survival time of the two groups was 42.4 and 116.3 months ( P<0.001), the overall survival of obstructive patients was significantly worse than that of non-obstructive patients. Conclusions:Preoperative obstruction is an independent risk factor for poor prognosis of colorectal cancer. This may be due to the difficulty of surgery and low radical cure rate for obstructive colorectal cancer.

Analysis of A Pedigree with Hereditary Coagulation Factor Ⅻ Deficiency Caused by Compound Heterozygous Mutations / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To analysis clinical phenotype and potential genetic cause of a family affected with hereditary coagulation factor Ⅻ deficiency.@*METHODS@#The prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (FIB), D-Dimer (D-D), coagulation factor Ⅻ activity (FⅫ:C) and coagulation factor Ⅻ antigen (FⅫ:Ag) were determined for phenotype diagnosis of the proband and his family members(3 generations and 5 people). Targeted capture and whole exome sequencing were performed in peripheral blood sample of the proband. Possible disease-causing mutations of F12 gene were obtained and further confirmed by Sanger sequencing. The corresponding mutation sites of the family members were analyzed afterwards. The online bioinformatics software AutoPVS1 and Mutation Taster was used to predict the effects of mutation sites on protein function.@*RESULTS@#The APTT of the proband was significantly prolonged, reaching 180.9s. FⅫ:C and FⅫ:Ag of the proband was significantly reduced to 0.8% and 4.17%, respectively. The results of whole exome sequencing displayed that there were compound heterozygous mutations in F12 gene of the proband, including the c.1261G＞T heterozygous nonsense mutation in exon 11 (causing p.Glu421*) and the c.251dupG heterozygous frameshift mutation in exon 4 (causing p.Trp85Metfs*53). Both mutations are loss of function mutations with very strong pathogenicity, leading to premature termination of the protein. AutoPVS1 and Mutation Taster software predicted both mutations as pathogenic mutations. The results of Sanger sequencing revealed that c.1261G＞T heterozygous mutation of the proband was inherited from his mother, for which his brother and his daughter were c.1261G＞T heterozygous carriers. Genotype-phenotype cosegregation was observed in this family.@*CONCLUSION@#The c.1261G＞T heterozygous nonsense mutation in exon 11 and the c.251dupG heterozygous frameshift mutation in exon 4 of the F12 gene probably account for coagulation factor Ⅻ deficiency in this family. This study reports two novel pathogenic F12 mutations for the first time worldwide.

Effect of neuromuscular training on femoroacetabular impingement / 中国康复理论与实践

ObjectiveTo observe the effect of neuromuscular training on femoroacetabular impingement. MethodsFrom January, 2017 to November, 2021, 27 patients with femoroacetabular impingement in Beijing Rehabilitation Hospital were randomly divided into control group (n = 13) and observation group (n = 14). The control group accepted routine rehabilitation training, and the observation group accpeted neuromuscular training in addition. They were assessed with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain, peak torque (PT) of hip flexion and extension, Y-balance test (YBT) and simplified International Hip Outcome Tool (iHOT-12) before and after treatment. ResultsThe VAS score, PT, YBT score and iHOT-12 score improved in the observation group after treatment (|t| > 3.628, P < 0.01), while the VAS score and PT improved in the control group (|t| > 3.409, P < 0.01). After treatment, the VAS score, PT, YBT score and iHOT-12 score were better in the observation group than in the control group (|t| > 2.067, P < 0.05). ConclusionNeuromuscular training can relieve the pain of patients with femoroacetabular impingement, and improve the muscle strength and function of hip joint.

Tumor-targeted/reduction-triggered composite multifunctional nanoparticles for breast cancer chemo-photothermal combinational therapy

Breast cancer has become the most commonly diagnosed cancer type in the world. A combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy (PTT) has emerged as a promising strategy for breast cancer therapy. However, the intricacy of precise delivery and the ability to initiate drug release in specific tumor sites remains a challenging puzzle. Therefore, to ensure that the therapeutic agents are synchronously delivered to the tumor site for their synergistic effect, a multifunctional nanoparticle system (PCRHNs) is developed, which is grafted onto the prussian blue nanoparticles (PB NPs) by reduction-responsive camptothecin (CPT) prodrug copolymer, and then modified with tumor-targeting peptide cyclo(Asp-d-Phe-Lys-Arg-Gly) (cRGD) and hyaluronic acid (HA). PCRHNs exhibited nano-sized structure with good monodispersity, high load efficiency of CPT, triggered CPT release in response to reduction environment, and excellent photothermal conversion under laser irradiation. Furthermore, PCRHNs can act as a photoacoustic imaging contrast agent-guided PTT. In vivo studies indicate that PCRHNs exhibited excellent biocompatibility, prolonged blood circulation, enhanced tumor accumulation, allow tumor-specific chemo-photothermal therapy to achieve synergistic antitumor effects with reduced systemic toxicity. Moreover, hyperthermia-induced upregulation of heat shock protein 70 in the tumor cells could be inhibited by CPT. Collectively, PCRHNs may be a promising therapeutic way for breast cancer therapy.

Predictive value of visceral adipose for early major complications after rectal cancer surgery / 国际外科学杂志

Objective:To investigate the predictive value of visceral adipose for early major complications after rectal cancer surgery by CT scan.Methods:A retrospective case-control study method was used to recruit a total of 135 patients with rectal cancer who underwent radical resection at Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University from January 2017 to June 2018. There were 89 males and 46 females, aged from 30 to 88 years, with a median age of 63 years. The patients were divided into complication group ( n=16) and control group ( n=119) according to whether serious complications occurred within 30 days after operation. Measurement data with normal distribution were expressed as Mean±SD, and comparison between groups was analyzed by using independent sample t-test. Measurement data with skewed distribution were represented as M ( Q1, Q3) and analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney U test. Count data were expressed as constituent ratio, and analyzed using the chi-square test or Fisher exact test. Logistic regression model was used to analyze the factors affecting the occurrence of early severe complications after radical resection of rectal cancer. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) was used to analyze the predictive ability of the model for early severe complications after radical resection of rectal cancer. Results:Univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in intraoperative blood loss [100 (62, 187) mL vs 50 (40, 100) mL, Z=-2.038, P=0.042], operation time [(325 (212, 375) min vs 260 (180, 310) min, Z=-2.04, P=0.041)], preoperative blood glucose [4.67 (4.44, 5.09) mmol/L vs 5.20 (4.80, 5.72) mmol/L, Z=-3.33, P=0.001] and visceral fat area/subcutaneous fat area (V/S) (1.23±0.54 vs 0.96±0.40, t=-2.39, P=0.018) between the complication group and the control group. Multivariate Logistic regression model showed that V/S ratio ( OR=3.978, 95% CI: 1.160-13.636, P=0.028) and preoperative blood glucose level ( OR=0.168, 95% CI: 0.055-0.512, P=0.002) were independent risk factors for early major complications after radical resection of rectal cancer. Conclusions:Visceral fat and preoperative blood glucose level are independent risk factors for early major complications after radical resection of rectal cancer, V/S is expected to be a predictor of early major complications after radical resection of rectal cancer.

Epidemiological investigation on a visceral leishmaniasis case in Zhengzhou City of Henan Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To perform an epidemiological investigation on a case with visceral leishmaniasis in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, and to identify the source of infection, so as to illustrate the transmission chain and assess the risk of local leishmaniasis transmission. Methods The medical data were collected from a case with visceral leishmaniasis in Zhengzhou City, and the patient’s bone marrow smears were detected by microscopy. Serum anti-Leishmania antibody test and PCR assay were performed among high-risk residents and all dogs in the village where the patient lived. Sandflies were captured using light traps and artificial traps, and the captured female Phlebotomus chinensis was subjected to PCR assay. The internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) gene was amplified with a nested PCR assay using the genomic DNA extracted from visceral leishmaniasis patients, positive dogs and sandflies, and the sequences were aligned with those download from NCBI. In addition, a phylogenetic tree was created based on the ITS1 gene. Results The visceral leishmaniasis patient had recurrent irregular fever, reduced complete blood counts, low hemoglobin, and a large number of Leishmania amastigotes in bone marrow smears, and was therefore diagnosed as visceral leishmaniasis. Both rk39 rapid diagnostic test and PCR assay tested negative among 324 residents living neighboring the patient’s residence, while 21.39% (43/201) dogs were positive for rk39 rapid diagnostic test and 13.93% (28/201) positive for PCR assay. There were 17 female Ph. chinensis tested positive for Leishmania (0.82%) by PCR assay, and the ITS gene sequences from visceral leishmaniasis patients, positive dogs and sandflies shared a 100% homology with L. infantum. The Leishmania species was therefore characterized as L. infantum. Conclusions L. infantum infection occurs in visceral leishmaniasis patients, dogs and sandflies in Zhengzhou City, indicating a complete transmission chain and a high transmission risk of visceral leishmaniasis by L. infantum. Intensified control measures are required to prevent local transmission of leishmaniasis in Zhengzhou City.

Susceptibility of Anopheles sinensis to insecticides in Puyang City, Henan Province / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the susceptibility of Anopheles sinensis to malathion, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin in Puyang City, Henan Province, so as to provide the scientific basis for local malaria vector control. Methods An. sinensis was captured from Puyang County, Puyang City of Henan Province in September 2018 and July 2020, and the susceptibility of field captured An. sinensis to malathion, deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin was tested using the filter-paper bioassay recommended by WHO. The insecticide resistance level was assessed based on the WHO criteria. Results In 2018 and 2010, the half knock-down times (KT50) of malathion were 91.08 min and 40.95 min for An. sinensis, with knock-down rates of 37.50% and 60.87% 60 min post-exposure to malathion and 24-hour mortality rates of 90.91% and 100%, respectively, and the insecticide resistance levels were moderately resistant (M) and susceptible (S). The KT50 of deltamethrin were 415.56 min and 341.19 min for An. sinensis in 2018 and 2020, with knock-down rates of 22.92% and 16.98% 60 min post-exposure to malathion and 24-hour mortality rates of 22.92% and 16.98%, and the insecticide resistance levels were all resistant (R). The KT50 of lambda-cyhalothrin were 164.22 min and 236.22 min for An. sinensis in 2018 and 2020, with knock-down rates of 30.39% and 38.30% 60 min postexposure to malathion and 24 h mortality rates of 19.60% and 21.28%, respectively, and the insecticide resistance levels were all R. Conclusion An. sinensis is relatively susceptible to malathion but has developed high-level resistance to deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin in Puyang City, Henan Province..

Utility of Next-Generation Sequencing for Deciphering Intratumor Heterogeneity in Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer has long been considered a disease with a heterogeneous phenotype. The intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) may affect diverse phenotypes such as treatment response, drug resistance, and overall clinical outcomes. Despite technical advances over the past decade, we have an incomplete understanding of the extent and effects of ITH in prostate cancer progression. We present here a comprehensive review of the various studies dealing with ITH in prostate cancer. We discuss the advanced next-generation sequencing analyses including single cell sequencing and circulating cell-free DNA sequencing that have the impact of heterogeneity on clinical decision making.

Clinical Significance of Tfh/Tfr Cell Imbalance in Patients with B-Cell Lymphoma / 中国实验血液学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the role of follicular helper T cell (Tfh)/ follicular regulatory T cell (Tfr) imbalance in B-cell lymphoma (BCL).@*METHODS@#Sixteen BCL patients who were admitted to the Department of Hematology of The First People's Hospital of Yichang and 20 healthy people from December 2019 to November 2020 were enrolled and respectively divided into observation group and control group. The levels of Tfh and Tfr in peripheral blood were detected by flow cytometry. The changes of Tfh, Tfr, and Tfh/Tfr ratio were compared and the relationship between Tfh/Tfr ratio and efficacy, prognosis was analyzed.@*RESULTS@#Compared with the healthy controls, Tfh and Tfh/Tfr ratio in peripheral blood of the BCL patients increased (P<0.05, P<0.01), while levels of Tfr was decreased (P<0.01). After chemotherapy, Tfh and Tfh/Tfr ratio in peripheral blood of the BCL patients decreased significantly than before chemotherapy (P<0.01), but Tfr was no significant difference. Multivariate analysis showed that Tfh and Tfh/Tfr ratio were positively correlated with international prognostic index (IPI) score and Ann Arbor stage (r=0.626, 0.564, 0.573, 0.608, respectively), while Tfr negatively (r=－0.504, －0.542, respectively). According to the average value of Tfh/Tfr ratio at initial diagnosis, BCL patients were divided into Tfh/Tfr high ratio group and low ratio group. It was found that the complete remission (CR) rate, overall response rate (ORR), and survival time in the high ratio group were significantly lower than the low ratio group (P<0.01).@*CONCLUSION@#There is an imbalance of Tfh/Tfr ratio in peripheral blood of the BCL patients, and those with a high Tfh/Tfr ratio have lower CR, ORR and shorter survival time.

Traditional medicinal knowledge in Lancang-Mekong River:a case study in Lancang Lahu autonomous county / 中国中药杂志

Lancang Lahu autonomous county, where the Lancang-Mekong River flows by, was selected as the case site to investigate the traditional medicinal knowledge(TMK). A comparison of TMK between Lancang county and other places in the Lancang-Mekong sub-region was conducted. Research on TMK has been seldom reported although there are abundant medicinal resources in this sub-region. The key informant interview and other methods have been adopted in the field surveys in the past six years. The investigation revealed that there was rich TMK and various herbal medicine resources in Lancang county. A total of 220 folk prescriptions have been collected, which were normally simple with easy processing methods and usages, and most raw materials were freshly used. As for medicinal plants, 121 species in 67 families have been documented. Other findings included that TMK in Lancang county was remained at the level of medication based on experience only. The processing methods of herbal medicines were simple and the bioactive ingredients were not clear. Without text and cultural support for self-teaching, coupled with conservative inheritance, it resulted in massive losses of TMK. The folk doctors have accumulated their factions based on self-study or ancestral experience. There was different treatment experience among folk doctors, but the safety and effectiveness should be paid attention to. The folk doctors used various herbal medicines, but there was a lack of standards or specifications for quality control. Given the problems existing in inheritance and development, conservation strategies were proposed in the present study.

Systematic analysis on chemical constituents of Mori Cortex, mulberry root bark and its phellem layer based on HPLC-ESI-MS / 中国中药杂志

In this study, HPLC-ESI-MS and HPLC methods were established to explore the differences in the main chemical components and content of Mori Cortex with(mulberry root bark) and without(Mori Cortex) the phellem layer from both qualitative and quantitative aspects. The HPLC-ESI-MS method was used for quality analysis in positive and negative ion modes, and 33 compounds were identified in mulberry root bark, 22 compounds in Mori Cortex, and 26 compounds in phellem layer; mulberry root bark and Mori Cortex shared 22 components, and mulberry root bark has 11 unique compounds; Mori Cortex and its phellem layer shared 15 components, while Mori Cortex has 7 unique compounds. HPLC method was used to simultaneously determine 7 major constituents, including mulberroside A, chlorogenic acid, dihydromorin, oxyresveratrol, moracin O, kuwanon G, and kuwanon H, and the developed method showed good linearity(r>0.998 9) within the concentration range and the recoveries varied from 99.88% to 103.0%, and the RSD was 1.7%-2.9%. The HPLC results showed that the contents of the 7 compounds have great differences in 13 batches samples, compared with mulberry root bark, the contents of mulberroside A, chlorogenic acid, dihydromorin and moracin O of Mori Cortex were increased, while the contents of oxyresveratrol, kuwanon G and kuwanon H were decreased after peeling process. These results can provide a basis for the rationality and quality control of Mori Cortex required to remove the phellem layer.

Effect of Nrf2 in tumor progression and its inhibitors in cancer therapy / 中国中药杂志

Nrf2 is the key transcription factor mainly for regulating oxidative homeostasis and cytoprotective responses against oxidative stress. Nrf2/Keap1 pathway is one of the most important cellular defense mechanisms against endogenous or exogenous oxidative stress. With its activation, a wide range of stress-related genes is transactivated to restore the cellular homeostasis. Recent studies revealed that the aberrant activation of Nrf2 is related to the malignant progression, chemotherapeutic drug resistance and poor prognosis. Nrf2 plays a crucial role in cancer malignancy and chemotherapeutic resistance by controlling the intracellular redox homeostasis through the activation of cytoprotective antioxidant genes. Nrf2 inhibitor containing many natural products has been deemed as a novel therapeutic strategy for human malignancies. This article reviews the progress of studies of the Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, and its biological impact in solid malignancies and molecular mechanisms for causing Nrf2 hyperactivation in cancer cells. In conclusion, we summarized the deve-lopment of Nrf2 inhibitors in recent years, in the expectation of providing reference for further drug development and clinical studies.

Evaluation of blood pressure lowering effect by generic and brand-name antihypertensive drugs treatment: a multicenter prospective study in China / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

BACKGROUND@#Generic drugs are bioequivalent to their brand-name counterparts; however, concerns still exist regarding the effectiveness and safety of generic drugs because of small sample sizes and short follow-up time in most studies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term antihypertensive efficacy, cost-effectiveness and cardiovascular outcomes of generic drugs compared with brand-name drugs.@*METHODS@#In a multicenter, community-based study including 7955 hypertensive patients who were prospectively followed up for an average of 2.5 years, we used the propensity-score-matching method to match the patients using brand-name drugs to those using generic drugs in a ratio of 1:2, 2176 patients using brand-name drugs and 4352 patients using generic drugs.@*RESULTS@#There were no significant differences between generic drugs and brand-name drugs in blood pressure (BP)-lowering efficacy, BP control rate, and cardiovascular outcomes including coronary heart disease and stroke. The adjusted mean (95% confidence interval [CI]) of systolic BP (SBP)-lowering was -7.9 mmHg (95% CI, -9.9 to -5.9) in the brand-name drug group and -7.1 mmHg (95% CI, -9.1 to -5.1) in the generic drug group after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, number of antihypertensive drugs and traditionally cardiovascular risk factors. Among patients aged <60 years, brand-name drugs had a higher BP control rate (47% vs. 41%; P = 0.02) and a greater effect in lowering SBP compared with generic drugs, with the between-group difference of 1.5 mmHg (95% CI, 0.2-2.8; P = 0.03). BP control rate was higher in male patients using brand-name drugs compared with those using generic drugs (46% vs. 40%; P = 0.01). Generic drugs treatment yielded an average annual incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $315.4 per patient per mmHg decrease in SBP compared with brand-name drugs treatment.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Our data suggested that generic drugs are suitable and cost-effective in improving hypertension management and facilitating public health benefits, especially in low- and middle-income areas.