Study on the Difference of Gene Expression Between Left and Right Colon Cancer and the Mechanism of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix-Sargentodoxae Caulis-Scutellariae Barbatae Herba Based on TCGA / 广州中医药大学学报

Abstact:Objective To investigate the gene expression differences between left-sided colon cancer and right-sided colon cancer and the mechanism differences between the colorectal cancer core drug pairs of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix-Sargentodoxae Caulis-Scutellariae Barbatae Herba acting on left-sided and right-sided colon cancer.Methods The transcriptome data of 134 patients with left-sided colon cancer and 194 patients with right-sided colon cancer from The Cancer Genome Atlas(TCGA)were downloaded,and the R software was applied to realize the differential gene analysis of the two groups and the enrichment analysis of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes(KEGG)pathway;the BATMAN-TCM database was used to obtain the active ingredients and targets of the drug pair of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix-Sargentodoxae Caulis-Scutellariae Barbatae Herba,and based on the different genes of the left-and right-sided colon cancers,KEGG enrichment analysis of the drug pair-left/right-sided colon cancers was performed respectively,and the protein-protein-interaction(PPI)network was constructed to compare the differences of the biosignaling pathways enriched by the drug pairs for the treatment of left-and right-sided colon cancers,as well as the differences of the key target points.Results There were 6 051 differentially expressed genes common to left-and right-sided colon cancers relative to normal paracancerous tissues,1958 differentially expressed genes specific to left-sided colon cancer,and 1739 differentially expressed genes specific to right-sided colon cancer;14 KEGG-enriched pathways specific to left-sided colon cancer,and 23 KEGG-enriched pathways specific to right-sided colon cancer.There were 85 active compounds in the drug-pair of Sophorae Flavescentis Radix-Sargentodoxae Caulis-Scutellariae Barbatae Herba,corresponding to a total of 469 targets.The drug-pair-left-sided colon cancer targets were enriched in 10 KEGG signaling pathways,with the key targets being DRD2,CACNA1C,HTR3A,COMT,and TH;and the drug-pair-right-sided colon cancer targets were enriched in 1 KEGG signaling pathway,with the core targets being HTR3A,DRD2 TH,AGT,GRIN2B.Conclusion There are gene expression differences between left-and right-sided colon cancers:left-sided colon cancer is associated with abnormal immune function,abnormal AMPK signaling pathway and other mechanisms,and right-sided colon cancer is associated with neutrophil extracellular trap formation,alcoholism,abnormal Hippo signaling pathway and other mechanisms.In addition to regulating cell cycle and essential amino acid metabolism and other mechanisms,Sophorae Flavescentis Radix-Sargentodoxae Caulis-Scutellariae Barbatae Herba drug pairs have specific effects on regulating the intestinal endocrine function of the left-sided colon cancer,inhibiting inflammatory response of the right-sided colon cancer,and may also have mood-regulating effects on patients with colon cancer.

Development and application of key nursing technique training platform for nuclear,chemical and biological rescue / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To design a key nursing technique training platform for emergency response caregivers of nuclear,chemical and biological rescue.Methods The platform designed with B/S architecture used C# language for developing the server,HTML5 technology for building the user interface and JavaScript language for writing the logic of interaction,which was composed of three functional modules for video classroom,post-test and simulation training.Results The platform deve-loped realized training and assessment of key nursing techniques for nuclear,chemical and biological rescue without the restriction by time,space and teacher,and was of significance for enhancing the training efficacy.Conclusion The platform developed meets the needs of emergency response caregivers for key nursing techniques of nuclear,chemical and biological rescue.[Chinese Medical Equipment Journal,2024,45(1):37-41]

Mechanism of Fufang Congrong Yizhi Capsules in treatment of mild cognitive impairment based on network pharmacology / 中国药理学通报

Aim To predict the mechanism of Fufang Congrong Yizhi Capsules (FCYC) in the treatment of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) by network pharmacology method, and further validate it in combination with cellular experiments. Methods TCMSP, Gene-Cards, OMIM and TTD databases, Chinese Pharmacopoeia and related literature were used to screen the active ingredients of FCYC and the targets of MCI treatment. The TCM-compound-target-disease network and PPI of intersection targets were constructed, and the GO and KEGG analysis were performed by the Ehamb bioinformation platform. GO and KEGG analysis were performed through Yihanbo biological information platform. Cell model of MCI was established by PC-12 injury induced by Aβ

Clinical significance of detecting group B Streptococcus from midstream urine culture / 中国感染控制杂志

Objective To explore the clinical significance and antimicrobial resistance of group B Streptococcus(GBS)isolated from midstream urine culture,aiming to provide a basis for the diagnosis and treatment of clinical urinary tract infection(UTI).Methods Information about GBS strains isolated from midstream urine culture of in-patients and outpatient in a hospital in Nanjing from February 2020 to December 2022 were retrieved through labora-tory information system,strains with complete data were screened out.Case data,urine routine,and antimicrobial susceptibility testing results were reviewed.Results A total of 9 081 non-repetitive bacterial strains were detected from midstream urine culture,including 425 GBS strains,accounting for 4.7％,ranking sixth.Strains with incom-plete data were excluded,a total of 365 patients were included in the study.169(46.3％)were males and 196(53.7％)were females,with an average age of(55.4±15.2)years.365 patients who were detected GBS were from 17 de-partments,with the highest proportion being department of urology(n=237,64.9％).The underlying diseases of patients mainly included hypertension(n=136),diabetes(n=95),urolithiasis(n=120)and urinary tumors(n=98).211 patients underwent urological surgery,all were treated with antimicrobial agents before surgery,and 205 patients underwent indwelling urinary catheters after surgery;9 patients were detected GBS from urine during the middle and advanced stage of pregnancy.36.4％(n=133),38.9％(n=142)and 24.7％(n=90)patients had GBS colony count ≤104 CFU/mL,104-105 CFU/mL,and ≥105 CFU/mL,respectively.Patients with symptoms of UTI accounted for 24.9％(n=91),and asymptomatic bacteriuria accounted for 75.1％(n=274).The incidence of UTI symptoms in males was lower than that in females(19.5％vs 29.6％,P＜0.05).As the GBS colony count in urine culture increased,the proportion of patients with symptoms of UTI showed an upward trend(P＜0.05).On the day of urine culture,the positive rates of urine routine white blood cells,leukocyte esterase,and nitrite were 53.2％,50.1％,and 3.8％,respectively.The positive rates of urine occult blood,leukocyte esterase,white blood cells,and urine protein in patients with symptomatic UTI were all higher than those with asymptomatic bacteriuria patients(all P＜0.05).No GBS were found to be resistant to penicillin,ampicillin,vancomycin,linezolid,and tigecycline.The resistance rate to levofloxacin and moxifloxacin was about 40％,and resistance rate to tetracycline and clindamycin was over 60％.Conclusion GBS isolated from urine is more common in non-pregnant adults,and only a small percentage have symptoms of UTI.The results of urine culture and urine routine should be comprehen-sively judged based on patient's clinical symptoms and signs.GBS in urine is susceptible to multiple antimicrobial agents,and clinical medication should be adopted rationally based on antimicrobial susceptibility testing result.

Medical diagnosis of lung nodules by fusing CT image feature extraction and improved SVM algorithm / 医疗卫生装备

Objective To propose a lung nodule diagnosis method based on CT image feature extraction and improved support vector machine(SVM)algorithm to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of automatic identification of lung nodules.Methods A cascade feature extraction method combining deep learning-based feature extraction and traditional manual extraction was used for CT image feature extraction,and the extracted features were input into an improved SVM algorithm to complete automated identification of lung nodules,using a multiple kernel learning support vector machine(MKL-SVM)algorithm and a particle swarm optimization(PSO)algorithm that integrated simulated annealing(SA)algorithm for parameter optimizing.The performance of cascade features was tested by comparing traditional feature extraction,deep learning-based feature extraction and cascade feature extraction.Comparison tests were performed using single kernel functions(RBF kernel,Sigmoid kernel and polynomial kernel functions)to validate the performance of the MKL-SVM algorithm.Tests were carried out using SVM functions with Sigmoid kernel to compare the fitness curves of the PSO algorithm and the PSO-SA algorithm for optimization to validate the effectiveness of the PSO-SA algorithm.Comparison analyses were conducted with the existing computer aided diagnosis(CAD)models of lung under the same dataset to verify the diagnostic efficacy of the proposed model of cascade features combined with improved MKL-SVM(cascade features with improved MKL-SVM,CF with MKL-SVM).Results The performance test results showed that cascade feature extraction had the F value with a mean value of 0.934 1,a maximum value of 0.957 3,a minimum value of 0.919 5 and a median value of 0.939 7,which behaved better in accuracy than manual feature extraction and deep learning-based feature extraction.The kernel function comparison test results indicated that the MKL-SVM algorithm had the best diagnostic performance with the mean value of F value of 0.924 3,the maximum value of 0.935 0 and the AUC value of 0.987 3.The Sigmoid kernel comparison test results found that PSO-SA al-gorithm had the best fitness value of 0.943 7,which gained advantages over the PSO algorithm.The model comparison test revealed that compared with the lung CAD model,the CF+MKL-SVM model had advantages in generalization ability,AUC value(0.9845),the values of all the indexes(all higher than 0.9),specificity and precision.Conclusion The proposed method can be used for automatic recognition of lung cancer and enhances the accuracy for detecting lung cancer.

Research Progress in the Regulation of Follicle Development by Melatonin / 中国医学科学院学报

Melatonin,an endocrine hormone synthesized by the pineal gland,plays an important role in the reproduction.The growth and development of follicles is the basis of female mammalian fertility.Follicles have a high concentration of melatonin.Melatonin receptors exist on ovarian granulosa cells,follicle cells,and oocytes.It regulates the growth and development of these cells and the maturation and atresia of follicles,affecting female fertility.This paper reviews the protective effects and regulatory mechanisms of melatonin on the development of ovarian follicles,granulosa cells,and oocytes and makes an outlook on the therapeutic potential of melatonin for ovarian injury,underpinning the clinical application of melatonin in the future.

20-Hydroxyecdysone Improves Neuronal Differentiation of Adult Hippocampal Neural Stem Cells in High Power Microwave Radiation-Exposed Rats / 生物医学与环境科学（英文）

Objective@#The hippocampus is thought to be a vulnerable target of microwave exposure. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) acted as a fate regulator of adult rat hippocampal neural stem cells (NSCs). Furthermore, we investigated if 20E attenuated high power microwave (HMP) radiation-induced learning and memory deficits.@*Methods@#Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: normal controls, radiation treated, and radiation+20E treated. Rats in the radiation and radiation+20E treatment groups were exposed to HPM radiation from a microwave emission system. The learning and memory abilities of the rats were assessed using the Morris water maze test. Primary adult rat hippocampal NSCs were isolated in vitro and cultured to evaluate their proliferation and differentiation. In addition, hematoxylin & eosin staining, western blotting, and immunofluorescence were used to detect changes in the rat brain and the proliferation and differentiation of the adult rat hippocampal NSCs after HPM radiation exposure.@*Results@#The results showed that 20E induced neuronal differentiation of adult hippocampal NSCs from HPM radiation-exposed rats via the Wnt3a/β-catenin signaling pathway in vitro. Furthermore, 20E facilitated neurogenesis in the subgranular zone of the rat brain following HPM radiation exposure. Administration of 20E attenuated learning and memory deficits in HPM radiation-exposed rats and frizzled-related protein (FRZB) reduced the 20E-induced nuclear translocation of β-catenin, while FRZB treatment also reversed 20E-induced neuronal differentiation of NSCs in vitro.@*Conclusion@#These results suggested that 20E was a fate regulator of adult rat hippocampal NSCs, where it played a role in attenuating HPM radiation-induced learning and memory deficits.

Quality evaluation of Polygonatum cyrtonema based on HPLC fingerprint and multi-component quantitative analysis / 中国中药杂志

The medicinal and edible Polygonatum cyrtonema is one of the original species of Polygonati Rhizoma. In this study,HPLC fingerprints for 25 batches of P. cyrtonema from 6 provinces were established. A total of 14 common peaks were identified and the similarities of the fingerprints were in the range of 0. 939-0. 999. In additon, the partial least squares-discriminant analysis(PLSDA) demonstrated that the samples had low discriminability except for JX-1 and most components of them had no significant correlation with environmental factors such as longitude, latitude, and altitude. Thus, chemical composition specificity of P. cyrtonema in natural distribution areas had no obvious regularity and their variation might be induced by the local environment. This conclusion explained the lack of records about Dao-di area of Polygonati Rhizoma. However, JX-1 boasted significantly higher content of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural(HMF) and 4',5,7-trihydroxy-6,8-dimethylhomoisoflavone( HIF), thick and long inflorescence and rhizome, and extremely high yield. Therefore, excellent variety of P. cyrtonema might have great potential to improve the quality and yield of Polygonati Rhizoma. Moreover, three components of HMF, polygonalline A(PA), and HIF were identified in the fingerprint. Among them, HMF has the activities of blood rheology improvement, antioxidation, and anti-myocardial ischemia and PA is an indolizine alkaloid with potential anti-inflammatory activity. HIF, the characteristic homoisoflavone in Polygonatum, has the pharmacological activities of regulating blood glucose and anti-tumor. A quantitative analysis method can provide a theoretical basis for the improvement of the quality evaluation of Polygonati Rhizoma.

Clinical features of vestibular syncope associated with tumarkin attacks in delayed endolymphatic hydrops / 中华耳鼻咽喉头颈外科杂志

Objective: To analyze the clinical characteristics of vestibular syncope (VS) associated with drop attacks (DA) in delayed endolymphatic hydrops (DEH). Methods: DEH cases with complete data were retrospectively analyzed, including three DEH cases with DA and VS (VS group), and six DEH cases without DA or VS (control group). The clinical profile, the results of neurotological examinations [such as pure tone audiometry, electrocochleography (EcochG), caloric test, vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), and video head impulse test (vHIT)] and treatment outcomes were analyzed. Results: (1) In the VS group, there were three cases of ipsilateral DEH; in the control group, there were six cases of ipsilateral type. One case in each group had a history of migraine. (2) The prevalence of abnormal results in caloric test, vHIT, cervical VEMP, and ocular VEMP in the VS group was 3/3, 1/3, 2/2, and 2/2, respectively, and in the control group was 3/6, 0/3, 1/6, and 4/6, respectively. Two cases in each group underwent EcochG, and no identifiable waveform was elicited on the affected side, and-SP/AP ratio of unaffected side was less than 0.4. (3) Patients in both groups were initially treated with conservative medication. Two cases in the VS group subsequently received intratympanic injections of dexamethasone. No DA or VS occurred during a follow-up period lasting over one year. All patients achieved good control of vertigo during the follow-up period. Conclusions: VS may occur in the patients with DEH. The differential diagnosis of syncope in patients with otogenic vertiginous disease can help improve clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Current and future drug combination strategies based on programmed death-1/programmed death-ligand 1 inhibitors in non-small cell lung cancer / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

In recent years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made breakthroughs in the field of lung cancer and have become a focal point for research. Programmed death-1 (PD-1) or programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) inhibitor monotherapy was the first to break the treatment pattern for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, owing to the limited benefit of ICI monotherapy at the population level and its hyper-progressive phenomenon, it may not meet clinical needs. To expand the beneficial range of immunotherapy and improve its efficacy, several research strategies have adopted the use of combination immunotherapy. At present, multiple strategies, such as PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors combined with chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic therapy, cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 inhibitors, and radiotherapy, as well as combined treatment with new target drugs, have been evaluated for clinical practice. To further understand the current status and future development direction of immunotherapy, herein, we review the recent progress of ICI combination therapies for NSCLC.

Survival of children with recurrent medulloblastoma undergoing sequential therapy: an analysis of 101 cases / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features of children with recurrent medulloblastoma (MB) and treatment regimens.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed on 101 children with recurrent MB who were admitted to the hospital from August 1, 2011 to July 31, 2017. The children were followed up to July 31, 2020. The Kaplan-Meier method was used for survival analysis. The Cox regression model was used for multivariate regression analysis.@*RESULTS@#Of the 101 children, 95 underwent remission induction therapy, among whom 51 had response, resulting in a response rate of 54%. The median overall survival (OS) time after recurrence was 13 months, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 50.5%±5.0%, 19.8%±4.0%, and 10%±3.3% respectively. There was no significant difference in the 5-year OS rate between the children with different ages (< 3 years or 3-18 years), sexes, pathological types, or Change stages, between the children with or without radiotherapy before recurrence or re-irradiation after recurrence, and between the children with different times to recurrence (< 12 months or ≥ 12 months after surgery) (@*CONCLUSIONS@#As for the recurrence of MB, although remission induction therapy again can achieve remission, such children still have a short survival time. Only reoperation can significantly prolong survival time, and therefore, early reoperation can be considered to improve the outcome of children with recurrent MB.

Investigation on reproductive characteristics of Polygonatum cyrtonema / 中国中药杂志

The study is aimed to investigate the reproductive biology characteristics of Polygonatum cyrtonema, especially including phenology, flower bud differentiation, flowering timing, floral traits, pollen vigor and stigma receptivity. The results showed that P. cyrtonema forms inflorescence before the leaves spread. In the wild, P. cyrtonema is mainly pollinated by insects such as bumblebees, with a seed setting rate of 65.12%. The seed setting rate of indoor single plant isolation or self-pollination enclosed by parchment paper bag is 0, indicating that it is self-incompatible. In Lin'an city, seedlings begin to emerge from mid-March to early April(the temperature is higher than 7.5 ℃), buds begin to emerge from the end of March to mid-April, and then undergo the full bloom stage from mid-to-late April, and the final flowering stage from the end of April to mid-May. The whole flowering period lasts 36 to 45 days. There are obvious differences in the phenology of different provenances. The flowers come into bloom from the base to the top along the aboveground main axis, which usually contain 4-22 inflorescences with(2-) 4-10(-21) flowers per inflorescence. The flowering pe-riod for a single plant is 26-38 days. The single flower lasts about 20-25 days from budding to opening and withers 2 days after pollination, and then the ovary will gradually expand. If unpollinated, it will continue to bloom for 3-5 days and then wither. Flower development period is significantly related to pollen vigor and stigma remittance. The pollen viability is the highest when the flower is fully opened with anthers gathering on the stigma, and the receptivity is the strongest when the stigma protrudes out of the perianth and secretes mucus. The fruits and seeds ripen in October, and proper shading can ensure the smooth development and maturity of the seeds. This study provides a basis for the hybrid breeding and seed production of P. cyrtonema.

Anti-inflammatory Effect of Gentiopicroside in Adjuvant-induced Arthritis Rats / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To study the therapeutic and inflammatory effects of gentiopicroside(GPS) on adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) rats. Method::The 36 male SD rats were randomly divided into six groups, namely the model group, GPS groups (low, medium and high dose), and the methotrexate (MTX) group, with six rats in each group. AA rats were induced through intradermal injection with 0.1 mL complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) into the right hind paw, except the normal group. After modeling, rats in each group were treated with drugs for 7 days, once a day. The doses were 30, 60, 120 mg·kg-1 in the GPS groups, and 0.2 mg·kg-1 in the MTX group. The normal group and the model group were intragastrically treated with the same volume of normal saline. During the experiment, the paw thickness and paw volume of rats were recorded everyday by the digital vernier calipers and the toe volume measuring instrument. On the seventh day, X-ray and histopathological examination of the ankle joints were performed by the small animal living imaging instrument and hematoxylin eosin stain. Blood samples were collected from the abdominal aorta at the end of the experiment to determine the levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α in serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) kits. The mRNA levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in synovial tissues were determined by Real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction(Real-time PCR). Result::Compared with the normal group, the results of each index in the model group were significantly different (P<0.01). Compared with the model group, the results of paw volume and paw thickness decreased significantly (P<0.01), TNF-α level decreased significantly (P<0.01), and IL-6 and TNF-α mRNA levels decreased significantly (P<0.05, P<0.01) in drug treated groups. The results of X-ray and histopathological examinations indicated that GPS had a protective effect on the ankle joints of AA rats. Conclusion::GPS has the therapeutic effect on AA rats by inhibiting levels of proinflammatory cytokines in serum and relevant mRNA levels in synovial tissues.

HPLC Fingerprint Analysis of Baidianfeng Capsule / 中国药学杂志

OBJECTIVE: To establish an HPLC chromatographic fingerprint analysis method for the quality evaluation of Baidianfeng capsule and study the differences of products from different manufacturers. METHODS: The chromatographic separation was performed on an XBridge@Shield RP18 column(4.6 mm×250 mm, 5 μm), with the mixture of methanol and 0.15% formic acid as mobile phases in gradient elution mode.The detection wave length was set at 300 nm, the flow rate was 1.0 mL•min-1 and the column temperature was maintained at 35 ℃. The similarity was evaluated with Similarity Evaluation System for Chromatographic Fingerprint of Traditional Chinese Medicine (version 2008). Common peaks were identified by HPLC-MS through the comparison with the references and literature. RESULTS: The precision, repeatability and stability of the established method can meet the requirements of fingerprint chromatography analysis.There were 18 common peaks were identified in the HPLC fingerprint.The similarity of 10 batches of samples ranged from 0.723 to 0.900, indicating greater differences in the qualities among the samples. CONCLUSION: The developed method could provide the comprehensive information about the chemical components in Baidianfeng capsule in a rapid reliable and convenient manner.It could be used in quality evaluation of the drug. It provides scientific basis for improving its quality standard.

Clinical effect of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children with central primitive neuroectodermal tumor and prognostic analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJCTIVE@#To study the clinical effect of surgery combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy in children with central primitive neuroectodermal tumor (cPNET), as well as the risks factors for poor prognosis.@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 42 children who were diagnosed with cPNET from June 2012 to September 2018.@*RESULTS@#The 42 children had a median overall survival (OS) time of 2.0 years and a median event-free survival (EFS) time of 1.3 years; the 1-, 3-, and 5-year OS rates were 76.2%±6.6%, 41.4%±8.7%, 37.3%±8.8% respectively, and the 1-, 3-, and 5-year EFS rates were 64.3%±7.4%, 32.7%±8.0%, 28.0%±8.1% respectively. The univariate analysis showed that there were significant differences in the OS and EFS rates among the children with different patterns of surgical resection, chemotherapy cycles, and risk grades (P<0.05), and there was also a significant difference in the OS rate between the children receiving radiotherapy and those not receiving radiotherapy (P<0.05). The multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that chemotherapy cycles and risk grade were independent influencing factors for EFS and OS rates (P<0.05). The EFS and OS rates increased with the increase in chemotherapy cycles and the reduction in risk grade.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Multimodality therapy with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy is an effective method for the treatment of cPNET in children. Early diagnosis and treatment and adherence to chemotherapy for as long as possible may improve EFS and OS rates.

Influencing factors for positive duration of viral nucleic acid in patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 / 第二军医大学学报

Objective To analyze the positive duration of viral nucleic acid in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients and to explore its influencing factors, so as to understand the virus clearance state and provide evidence for treatment and management. Methods The clinical data of 41 patients with severe COVID-19 were retrospectively collected; the patients were hospitalized in Sino-French New City Branch of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei Province from Feb. 10 to Mar. 28, 2020. The detection results of viral nucleic acid, clinical information and laboratory findings in oropharyngeal secretion were collected. The time from onset to negative of viral nucleic acid was defined as the positive duration of viral nucleic acid. Multivariate Cox regression analysis was used to explore the influencing factors affecting the positive duration of viral nucleic acid in severe COVID-19 patients. Results Among 41 patients with severe COVID-19, 20 (48.8%) were males and 21 (51.2%) were females, with a median age of 68.0 (58.5, 74.0) years. The average positive duration of viral nucleic acid was (28.98±11.71) d in the patients. Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that diabetes mellitus, lymphocyte count and use of high dose of glucocorticoid (total hormone≥300 mg) were associated with the positive duration of viral nucleic acid (all P0.05). Conclusion Positive duration of viral nucleic acid is longer in severe COVID-19 patients. Comorbidity of diabetes mellitus, decreased lymphocyte count and use of high dose of glucocorticoid (total hormone≥300 mg) are independent risk factors for positive duration of viral nucleic acid.

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of CSLA gene family of Dendrobium catenatum / 中国中药杂志

Glucomannan is the key active ingredient of Dendrobium catenatum, and CSLA family is responsible for glucomannan biosynthesis. In order to systematically evaluate the CSLA family members of D. catenatum, the bioinformatics methods were performed for genome-wide identification of DcCSLA gene family members through the genomic data of D. catenatum downloaded from the NCBI database, and further analyses of their phylogenetic relationship, gene structure, protein conserved domains and motifs, promoter cis-elements and gene expression profiles in response to stresses. The results showed that D. catenatum contains 13 CSLA members, all of which contain 9-10 exons. In the evolutionary relationship, CSLA genes were clustered into 5 groups, DcCSLA genes were distributed in all branches. Among which the ancestral genes of groupI existed before the monocot-dicot divergence, and groupⅡ-Ⅴ only existed in the monocot plants, indicating that group Ⅰ represents the earliest origin group. CSLA proteins are characteristic of the signature CESA_CaSu_A2 domain. Their promoter regions contain cis elements related to stresses and hormones. Under different stress treatments, low temperature induces the expression of DcCSLA5 and inhibits the expression of DcCSLA3. Infection of Sclerotium delphinii inhibits DcCSLA3/4/6/8/9/10 expression. Under the treatment of jasmonic acid, DcCSLA11 expression was significantly up-regulated, and DcCSLA2/5/7/12/13 were significantly down-regulated. These results laid a foundation for further study on the function of DcCSLA genes in glucomannan biosynthesis and accumulation.

Main nutrients and functional ingredients in shoots of Polygonatum cyrtonema / 中国中药杂志

In order to reveal the main nutrients and functional ingredients in the shoots of Polygonatum cyrtonema, the polysaccharides, proteins, amino acids, and total phenols were determined. The tested samples cultured in Ma'nijiaonong, Hengtang village, Tianmushan town, Lin'an, Zhejiang, which were collected from three provenances(Pan'an and Longquan in Zhejiang and Qingyang in Anhui). The results showed that the polysaccharide content of the shoots varied from 2.34% to 12.73%, roughly one-third of rhizomes. The protein content varied from 107.75 to 192.49 mg·g~(-1), nearly 5.50 times more than rhizomes. Moreover, the average of total amino acid content was 193.13-248.74 mg·g~(-1), approximately 4.16 times of rhizomes. And the essential amino acids account for 35.57%-39.44% of the total amino acids content, which was close to the standard of the ideal protein proposed by FAO/WHO(the essential amino acid/total amino acid is about 40%). In addition, the taste amino acids(TaAA) changed from 160.12 to 208.29 mg·g~(-1), revealing the material basis of "shoots were extremely delicious" in Chinese ancient herbal medicine. Additionally, the total phenols varied from 51.21-58.76 mg·g~(-1), about 2.96 times of rhizomes. The DPPH free radical scavenging rate of tested shoots was over 95%, which obviously superior to rhizomes. Therefore, the shoots of P. cyrtonema is a very high-quality vegetable and functional food with good development potential. Furthermore, the main nutrients and functional substances in P. cyrtonema shoots are closely related to the provenances and harvesting seasons. It is important to improve the quality and yield of the shoots by strengthening the variety of breeding and cultivation techniques.

Main nutrients and functional ingredients in flowers of Polygonatum cyrtonema and P. filipes / 中国中药杂志

To reveal the main nutrients and functional ingredients in the flowers of Polygonatum cyrtonema and P. filipes, the content of the polysaccharides, saponins, amino acids, total phenols, mineral elements, and the DPPH free radical scavenging rates were determined. The flowers and rhizomes of P. cyrtonema were collected from Qingyang in Anhui and Qingyuan in Zhejiang, while the flowers and rhizomes of P. filipes were collected from Longyou in Zhejiang, respectively. The results showed that the polysaccharides content in flowers varied from 60.88 to 97.00 mg·g~(-1), about half of that in rhizomes. The saponins content in flowers varied from 32.55 to 40.93 mg·g~(-1), which was close to the content in rhizomes. The content of total phenols ranged from 40.79 to 50.95 mg·g~(-1), approximately 4.5 times of that in rhizomes. The total amino acids content in flowers was 111.85 to 131.03 mg·g~(-1), about 2.3 times of the content in rhizomes. The essential trace element content was abundant in flowers. The contents of heavy metal elements were all within the limits set by the standards. The DPPH free radical scavenging rate IC_(50) varied from 1.77 to 3.25 mg·mL~(-1), less than one-fifth of that in rhizomes, showing a significant superiority of antioxidant activity compared to rhizomes. The results initially revealed the fundamental of "the flowers exceed the rhizomes in effect", the common saying about the traditional Chinese medicinal herbs over the years, indicating a great developing potential of the flowers. Besides, as polysaccharides, saponins, amino acids, total phenols and other nutritive substances in flowers differ widely among species and provenances, it's important to develop variety breeding to improve the quality and yield of flowers.

Risk factors for recurrence within 2 years in children with medulloblastoma / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the risk factors for recurrence of medulloblastoma (MB) within 2 years and their influence on progression-free survival (PFS).@*METHODS@#A retrospective analysis was performed for the clinical data of 123 children with MB who were admitted from January to December, 2017. According to the presence or absence of recurrence, they were divided into recurrence group with 30 children and non-recurrence group with 93 children. The risk factors for recurrence within 2 years were analyzed, and PFS was compared between the children with different risk factors.@*RESULTS@#Large-cell/anaplastic type and M stage were risk factors for MB recurrence within 2 years. The risk of recurrence in the children with M+ MB was 3.525 times that in those with M0 MB, and the risk of recurrence in the children with large-cell/anaplastic MB was 3.358 times that in those with classic MB (P<0.05). The survival analysis showed that the median PFS time was 20 months in the children with M+ MB, and the 20-month PFS rate was 50% ± 11% in the children with M+ MB and 81% ± 5% in those with M0 MB (P<0.05). The 20-month PFS rate was 80% ± 5% in the children with classic MB, 65% ± 10% in those with desmoplastic/nodular MB, 86% ± 13% in those with MB with extensible nodularity, and 36% ± 20% in those with large-cell/anaplastic MB (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSIONS@#Recurrence is an important influencing factor for the prognosis of MB, and M+ stage and large-cell/anaplastic MB are risk factors for recurrence. Children with such risk factors tend to have a low PFS rate.