Perspective of Calcium Imaging Technology Applied to Acupuncture Research / 中国结合医学杂志

Acupuncture, a therapeutic treatment defined as the insertion of needles into the body at specific points (ie, acupoints), has growing in popularity world-wide to treat various diseases effectively, especially acute and chronic pain. In parallel, interest in the physiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture analgesia, particularly the neural mechanisms have been increasing. Over the past decades, our understanding of how the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system process signals induced by acupuncture has developed rapidly by using electrophysiological methods. However, with the development of neuroscience, electrophysiology is being challenged by calcium imaging in view field, neuron population and visualization in vivo. Owing to the outstanding spatial resolution, the novel imaging approaches provide opportunities to enrich our knowledge about the neurophysiological mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia at subcellular, cellular, and circuit levels in combination with new labeling, genetic and circuit tracing techniques. Therefore, this review will introduce the principle and the method of calcium imaging applied to acupuncture research. We will also review the current findings in pain research using calcium imaging from in vitro to in vivo experiments and discuss the potential methodological considerations in studying acupuncture analgesia.

Prediction of quality markers and medicinal value of sea buckthorn leaves based on network pharmacology, content determination, and activity evaluation / 中国中药杂志

The leaves of sea buckthorn(Hippophae rhamnoides), considered as common food raw materials, have records of medicinal use and diverse pharmacological activities, showing a potential medicinal value. However, the active substances in the sea buckthorn leaves and their mechanisms of action remain unclear. In addition, due to the extensive source and large variety variations, the quality evaluation criteria of sea buckthorn leaves remain to be developed. To solve the problems, this study predicted the main active components, core targets, key pathways, and potential pharmacological effects of sea buckthorn leaves by network pharmacology and molecular docking. Furthermore, ultra-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection(UPLC-DAD) was employed to determine the content of active components and establish the chemical fingerprint, on the basis of which the quality markers of sea buckthorn leaves were predicted and then verified by the enzyme activity inhibition method. The results indicated that sea buckthorn leaves had potential therapeutic effects on a variety of digestive tract diseases, metabolic diseases, tumors, and autoimmune diseases, which were consistent with the ancient records and the results of modern pharmacological studies. The core targets of sea buckthorn leaves included PTPN11, AKT1, PIK3R1, ESR1, and SRC, which were mainly involved in the PI3K-AKT, MAPK, and HIF-1 signaling pathways. In conclusion, the active components of sea buckthorn leaves are associated with the rich flavonoids and tannins, among which quercitrin, narcissoside, and ellagic acid can be used as the quality markers of sea buckthorn leaves. The findings provide a reference for the quality control and further development and utilization of sea buckthorn leaves as medicinal materials.

Heat-sensitive moxibustion for migraine without aura: a randomized controlled trial / 中国针灸

OBJECTIVE@#To compare the clinical effect between heat-sensitive moxibustion and mild moxibustion for migraine without aura.@*METHODS@#A total of 54 patients with migraine without aura were randomized into an observation group (27 cases, 2 cases dropped off) and a control group (27 cases, 2 cases dropped off). The basic western medication treatment was adopted in the two groups. In the control group, mild moxibustion was applied at Shuaigu (GB 8), Fengchi (GB 20) and Yanglingquan (GB 34) on the affected side. In the observation group, the frequent acupoint areas of the affected side i.e. Shuaigu (GB 8), Fengchi (GB 20), Taiyang (EX-HN 5), Taichong (LR 3), Yanglingquan (GB 34) were determined, 3 acupoints with strong heat-sensitive sensation were selected each time and mild moxibustion was adopted. The treatment was given once a day, 5 times of treatment was as one course and 2 courses were required in the two groups. Before and after treatment, the scores of migraine symptom, visual analogue scale (VAS), migraine specific quality of life questionnaire (MSQ) were observed, and the clinical efficacy was evaluated after treatment in the two groups.@*RESULTS@#After treatment, the scores of migraine symptom and VAS were decreased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01), while the MSQ scores were increased compared with those before treatment (P<0.01) in the two groups. After treatment, the scores of migraine symptom and VAS in the observation group were lower than those in the control group (P<0.05), while the MSQ score in the observation group was higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). The total effective rate was 92.0% (23/25) in the observation group, which was superior to 72.0% (18/25) in the control group (P<0.05).@*CONCLUSION@#Both heat-sensitive moxibustion and mild moxibustion can effectively alleviate the clinical symptoms, improve the headache degree and life quality in patients with migraine without aura, the clinical efficacy of heat-sensitive moxibustion is superior to that of mild moxibustion.

Lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor alleviates LPS/D-Gal-induced acute liver injury in mice / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the effect of lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor on LPS/D-Gal-induced acute liver injury in mice. Methods BALB/ C mice were divided into four groups:solvent control group, lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor NHI-2 group, lipopolysaccharide(LPS)/ D-galactosamine(D-Gal)group and LPS/D-Gal+NHI-2 group. To induce acute liver injury, mice were injected intraperitoneally with LPS(10 μg·kg-1)and D-Gal(700 mg·kg-1), NHI-2 was intraperitoneally injected 30 min before LPS/D-Gal exposure. Liver tissue and serum were harvested 1.5 or 6 h after LPS/D-Gal exposure, serum lactate, serum aspartate aminotransferase(ALT), serum alanine aminotransferase(AST), serum tumor necrosis factor alpha(TNF-α)liver malondialdehyde(MDA)and liver caspase-3/8/9 levels were determined. HE staining was used to evaluate the degree of liver injury. TUNEL staining was used to evaluate hepatocyte apoptosis. Survival curve was used to record survival situation of tested mice. Results Serum lactate level of model mice was significantly reduced after treatment with NHI-2. Compared with LPS/D-Gal group, level of serum TNF-α showed no significant difference, but serum ALT and AST level of LPS/D-Gal+NHI-2 group significantly decreased, injury of liver structure was remarkably attenuated, level of MDA and activity of caspase-3/8/9 in liver were significantly down-regulated, and the number of TUNEL-positive cells was significantly reduced. Treatment with NHI-2 also significantly improved the survival rate of LPS/D-Gal-insulted mice. Conclusion Lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor alleviates LPS/D-Gal-induced acute liver injury in mice.

Effect of helicid on osteoarthritis of joint instability model and its mechanism / 中国药理学通报

Aim To study the therapeutic effect of helicid on osteoarthritis (OA) of joint instability model, and explore the mechanism of helicid in the treatment of OA. Methods A rat knee model of OA was established by the medial meniscectomy (MMx) method. After treatment with helicid, HE and safranin O/fast green staining methods were used to observe the his-topathological changes of rat knee articular cartilage; Western blot was used to detect the protein expression level of Trpvl in rat synovial tissue. Immunohistochemical staining was used to examine the expression of Trpvl in rat knee articular cartilage and synovial tissues. Results Helicid significantly slowed down the degeneration of rat knee articular cartilage as shown by HE and safranin O/fast green staining. Western blot results showed that helicid down-regulated the expression of Trpvl in rat synovial tissue examined. Immunohistochemical results showed that helicid significantly reduced the expression of Trpvl in both of knee articular cartilage and synovial tissues. Conclusions Helicid prominently decreases MMx-induced articular cartilage damage and cartilage matrix loss, thereby exerting a therapeutic effect on OA.

Influence of antimicrobial peptide biofunctionalized TiO2 nanotubes on the biological behavior of human keratinocytes and its antibacterial effect / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective: To fabricate TiO2 nanotube material functionalized by antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and to explore its effects on biological behaviors such as adhesion and migration of human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and its antibacterial properties. Methods: The TiO2 nanotube array (NT) was constructed on the surface of polished titanium (PT) by anodization, and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37 was loaded on the surface of TiO2 nanotube (LL-37/NT) by physical adsorption. Three samples were selected by simple random sampling in each group. Surface morphology, roughness, hydrophilicity and release characteristics of LL-37 of the samples were analyzed with a field emission scanning electron microscope, an atomic force microscope, a contact angle measuring device and a microplate absorbance reader. HaCaT cells were respectively cultured on the surface of three groups of titanium samples. Each group had 3 replicates. The morphology of cell was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. The number of cell adhesion was observed by cellular immunofluorescence staining. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) assay was used to detect cell proliferation. Wound scratch assay was used to observe the migration of HaCaT. The above experiments were used to evaluate the effect of each group on the biological behavior of HaCaT cells. To evaluate their antibacterial effects, Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) was respectively inoculated on the surface of three groups of titanium samples. Each group had 3 replicates. The morphology of bacteria was observed by field emission scanning electron microscope. Bacterial viability was determined by live/dead bacterial staining. Results: A uniform array of nanotubes could be seen on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group, and the top of the tube was covered with granular LL-37. Compared with PT group [the roughness was (2.30±0.18) nm, the contact angle was 71.8°±1.7°], the roughness [(20.40±3.10) and (19.10±4.11) nm] and hydrophilicity (the contact angles were 22.4°±3.1° and 25.3°±2.2°, respectively) of titanium samples increased in NT and LL-37/NT group (P<0.001). The results of in vitro release test showed that the release of antimicrobial peptide LL-37 was characterized by early sudden release (1-4 h) and long-term (1-7 d) slow release. With the immunofluorescence, more cell attachment was found on NT and LL-37/NT than that on PT at the first 0.5 and 2.0 h of culture (P<0.05). The results of CCK-8 showed that there was no significant difference in the proliferation of cells among groups at 1, 3 and 5 days after culture. Wound scratch assay showed that compared with PT and NT group, the cell moved fastest on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group at 24 h of culture [(96.4±4.9)%] (F=35.55, P<0.001). A monolayer cells could be formed and filled with the scratch in 24 h at LL-37/NT group. The results of bacterial test in vitro showed that compared with the PT group, the bacterial morphology in the NT and LL-37/NT groups was significantly wrinkled, and obvious bacterial rupture could be seen on the surface of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group. The results of bacteria staining showed that the green fluorescence intensity of titanium samples in LL-37/NT group was the lowest in all groups (F=66.54,P<0.001). Conclusions: LL-37/NT is beneficial to the adhesion and migration of HaCaT cells and has excellent antibacterial properties, this provides a new strategy for the optimal design of implant neck materials.

Clinical features and long-term prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis in patients with past hepatitis B virus infection / 中华肝脏病杂志

Objective: To investigate the clinical features and long-term prognosis of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in patients with past hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Methods: 353 cases with PBC who visited the Liver Disease Center of Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University between January 2000 and January 2018 were retrospectively analyzed and were divided into the past HBV infection group (156 cases) and the no HBV infection group (197 cases). The two groups' baseline clinical features were compared. Ursodeoxycholic acid response rate after one year, GLOBE score, UK-PBC score, and long-term liver transplantation-free survival rate were compared through outpatient and telephone follow-up. Results: PBC with past HBV infection had a significantly reduced female proportion compared to the no HBV infection group (91.9% vs. 79.5%, P = 0.001). However, there were no statistically significant differences in age, biochemical indices, immunological indicators, platelet count, cirrhosis proportion, and others. Ursodeoxycholic acid biochemical response rate was reduced in patients with past HBV infection at the end of one year of treatment, but the difference was not statistically significant (65.8% vs. 78.2%, P = 0.068). In addition, there were no statistically significant differences between the GLOBE score (0.57 vs. 0.59, P = 0.26) and UK-PBC 5-year (2.87% vs. 2.87%, P = 0.38), 10-year (9.29% vs. 8.2%, P = 0.39) and 15-year liver transplantation rates (16.6% vs. 14.73%, P = 0.39). Lastly, the overall 5-year liver transplantation-free survival rate had no statistically significant difference between the two groups of patients (86.4% vs. 87.5%, P = 0.796). Conclusion: Primary biliary cholangitis had no discernible effect in terms of age at onset, biochemical indices, immunological indicators, cirrhosis proportion, ursodeoxycholic acid response rate after one year, GLOBE score, UK-PBC score, or overall liver transplantation-free survival rate in patients with past hepatitis B virus infections.

Meta-analysis of Ac-SDKP inhibition of Pulmonary fibrosis in animal models / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

Objective: To systematically study the anti-fibrotic effect of N-acetyl-seryl-as partyl-lysyl-proline (Ac-SDKP) on pulmonary fibrosis. Methods: In May 2021, a computer search was performed on CNKI, Wanfang Knowledge Service Platform, VIP.com, China Biomedical Literature Database, Pubmed, OVID and other databases. The retrieval time was from January 2008 to May 2021. Randomized controlled experiments on the inhibition of pulmonary fibrosis by Ac-SDKP were screened. The control group was the pulmonary fibrosis model group and the experimental group was the Ac-SDKP treatment group. The quality of the literature was assessed using the syrcle risk of bias assessment tool, and data were extracted. Data analysis was Performed using revman 5.4 software. Results: 18 papers were included, with a total of 428 animal models. The results of meta analysis showed that the contents of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), type I collagen, type Ⅲ collagen, transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and Nodule area in the exPerimental group were lower than those in the control grouP. [SMD=-2.44, 95%CI (-3.71--1.17), P=0.000][SMD=-5.36, 95%CI (-7.13--3.59), P=0.000] [SMD=-3.07, 95%CI (-4.13--2.02), P<0.000][SMD=-2.88, 95%CI (-3.63--2.14), P=0.000] [SMD=-1.80, 95%CI (-2.42--1.18), P=0.000], the content of hydroxy proline in the experimental group was higher than that in the control group [SMD=7.62, 95%CI (4.90-10.33), P=0.000], all indexes included in the literature were statistically significant. Conclusion: Ac-SDKP has obvious inhibitory effect on the process of pulmonary fibrosis, and may become a new clinical drug for the treatment of pulmonary fibrosis.

Bacterial community diversity in Dermatophagoides farinae using high-throughput sequencing / 中国血吸虫病防治杂志

Objective To investigate the bacterial community diversity in Dermatophagoides farinae. Methods Laboratory-cultured D. farinae was collected, and the composition of microbial communities was determined by sequence analyses of the V4 region in the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene on an Illumina PE250 high-throughput sequencing platform. Following quality control and filtering of the raw sequence files, valid reads were obtained and subjected to operational taxonomic units (OTU) clustering and analysis of the composition of microbial communities and alpha diversity index using the Usearch software, Silva database, and Mothur software. Results A total of 187 616 valid reads were obtained, and 469 OTUs were clustered based on a sequence similarity of more than 97%. OTU annotation showed that the bacteria in D. farinae belonged to 26 phyla, 43 classes, 100 orders, 167 families and 284 genera. The bacteria in D. farinae were mainly annotated to five phyla of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota, with Proteobacteria as the dominant phylum, and mainly annotated to five dominant genera of Ralstonia, norank-f-Mitochondria, Staphylococcus and Sphingomonas, with Wolbachia identified in the non-dominant genus. Conclusions A high diversity is identified in the composition of the bacterial community in D. farinae, and there are differences in bacterial community diversity and abundance among D. farinae.

Applications and constructions of benzazepine scaffolds in drug molecular design / 药学学报

Benzazepine is a kind of fused ring structure, which is composed of nitrogen-containing seven-membered ring and benzene ring. The introduction of benzazepine scaffolds into compounds can not only adjust the physicochemical properties, maintain or enhance the biological activities of the compounds, but also improve the pharmacokinetic properties, increase the brain permeability, and reduce the toxicity of hERG of the compounds, which is one of the privileged scaffolds for rational design and structural optimization of drug molecules. Benzazepine scaffolds can be constructed by different synthetic methods such as Dickmann condensation reaction, Mitsunobu reaction, Pictet-Spengler reaction, CMD reaction, multicomponent reactions (MCRs), metal catalysis reactions and asymmetric catalysis etc., which play an important role in enriching the structure diversity of drug molecules.

Huanglian Jiedutang Alleviates Liver Injury in Septic Mice by Inducing Autophagy / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ObjectiveTo explore effect of Huanglian Jiedutang （HLJDT） on autophagy-related protein expression in septic mice with liver injury induced by cecal ligation and puncture （CLP）. MethodSixty eight-week-old C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into four groups， namely， the sham operation group， model group， and low- （1.44 g∙kg-1） and high-dose （2.88 g∙kg-1） HLJDT groups， with 15 in each group. The septic model was established by CLP after the last administration of HLJDT for three successive days. The survival rate of mice with 24 h was observed. The mice were sacrificed 12 h after operation for collecting the serum and liver tissue. The levels of serum interleukin-6 （IL-6）， tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α）， and interleukin-1β （IL-1β） were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）， and the levels of alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and aspartate aminotransferase （AST） in serum by biochemical method. The pathological changes in liver tissue were observed by hematoxylin-eosin （HE） staining， and the apoptosis index （AI） of hepatocytes by TdT-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling （TUNEL）. The expression levels of protein high-mobility group box 1 protein （HMGB1）， Beclin1， and microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 （LC3）-Ⅱ/Ⅰ in the liver tissue were assayed by Western blot. ResultCompared with the sham operation group， the model group showed reduced survival rate at 12 and 24 h， elevated IL-6， TNF-α， and IL-1β levels， enhanced AST and ALT activities （P<0.05）， hepatocyte swelling， inflammatory cell infiltration， and apoptosis， and up-regulated HMGB1 （P<0.05）， Beclin1， and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ （P<0.05）. Compared with the model group， each medication group exhibited increased survival rate at 12 and 24 h， lowered IL-6 and TNF-α levels， weakened AST and ALT activities （P<0.05）， alleviated liver injury and apoptosis （P<0.05）， down-regulated HMGB1 expression （ P<0.05）， and up-regulated Beclin1 and LC3-Ⅱ/Ⅰ （P<0.05）. ConclusionHLJDT alleviates the liver injury of septic mice possibly by inducing autophagy and inhibiting apoptosis.

Hepatic manifestations of hematological diseases / 中华肝脏病杂志

Liver involvement is often observed in hematological disorders, resulting in liver abnormality, including unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia, monoclonal hyperglobulinemia, portal vein, or hepatic vein thrombosis or portal hypertension, hepatosplenomegaly, or iron accumulation in the liver. Here we summarize the major hematological diseases that often affect the liver: hemolytic anemia, defect in coagulation or anti-coagulation factors, myeloproliferative neoplasm, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, multiple myeloma, leukemia, and lymphoma. We hope this review will help clinicians diagnose and manage the patients with liver involvement by hematological disorders.

Role of PNPT1 in cardiomyocyte apoptosis induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation / 南方医科大学学报

OBJECTIVE@#To explore the effect of inhibiting polyribonucleotide nucleotidyl-transferase 1 (PNPT1) on oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocytes.@*METHODS@#Cultured mouse atrial myocytes (HL-1 cells) with or without OGD were transfected with PNPT1-siRNA or a negative control siRNA (NC-siRNA group), and the cell survival rate was detected using CCK-8 assay. The expression levels of ACTB and TUBA mRNA were detected with qPCR, and the protein expression of PNPT1 was detected with Western blotting. The apoptosis rate of the treated cells was determined with flow cytometry, the mitochondrial membrane potential was detected using JC-1 kit, and the mitochondrial morphology was observed using transmission electron microscope.@*RESULTS@#With the extension of OGD time, the protein expression levels of PNPT1 increased progressively in the cytoplasm of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Transfection with PNPT1-siRNA significantly reduced PNPT1 expression in HL-1 cells (P < 0.05). Exposure to OGD significantly enhanced degradation of ACTB and TUBA mRNA (P < 0.05) and markedly increased the apoptosis rate of HL-1 cells (P < 0.05), and these changes were significantly inhibited by transfection with PNPT1-siRNA (P < 0.05), which obviously increased mitochondrial membrane potential and improved mitochondrial morphology of HL-1 cells exposed to OGD.@*CONCLUSION@#Inhibition of PNPT1 improves mitochondrial damage and reduces degradation of apoptotic-associated mRNAs to alleviate OGD-induced apoptosis of mouse atrial myocyte.

Progress on SARS-CoV-2 cell entry inhibitors / 中国药理学通报

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic. The life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 is not clear, which is one of the reasons that only Remdesivir has been approved by FDA for treating COVID-19. Although some new vaccines have been a- vailable, the quick mutations of SARS-CoV-2 affect the effectiveness of vaccines, calling for further assessment of the persistence and safety of vaccines. Therefore, drug treatment and prevention are still effective ways to deal with the epidemic of SARS-CoV-2. The article briefly summarizes the molecular mechanism of SARS-CoV-2 entry based on the existing literature. This virus enters the cell through two main ways, that is, spike protein mediating membrane fusion with plasma membrane or endosome membrane. According to the targets, the article summarizes the reported inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2 entry into cells, aiming to provide a reference for following research and clinical application of anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs.

Mechanism of PSMD10 in homocysteine activating hepatocyte autophagy and promoting liver injury / 中国药理学通报

Aim To discuss the mechanism of proteasome 26S subunit non-ATPase 10(PSMD10) activating hepatocyte autophagy and promoting liver injury by in homocysteine. Methods Wild mice and cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) gene knockout mice were used and divided into normal (cbs

FoxO1 regulates Hcyinduced hepatocyte apoptosis through ATF6 / 中国药理学通报

: Aim To explore the role and possible mechanism of forked transcription factor (FoxO1) in hepatocyte apoptosis induced by homocysteine (Hey) . Methods The male cbs

HMGB1/TLR4 mediates proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition of glomerular mesangial cells in LN / 中国药理学通报

Aim To investigate the mechanism of the mediation of high mobility group protein BI (HMGB1) and Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition of glomerular mesangial cells in lupus nephritis. Methods Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry were employed to detect the TLR4 expression levels in the LN clinical specimens and MRL/lpr mice. Western blot was used to detect the TLR4 and Myd88 expression levels in human mesangial cells stimulated by recombinant HMGB1. Cell counting kit-8, Western blot and ELISA were employed to detect the proliferation and FN expression levels in HMCs stimulated by the exchange plasma of LN patients. Results Immunohistochemistry and immunocytochemistry results showed that compared with control groups,the expression levels of TLR4 in glomeruli cells of LN patients and MRL/lpr mice were up-regulated. Western blot showed that compared with control groups, the expression levels of TLR4 and Myd88 increased in HMCs stimulated by recombinant HMGB1. While the inhibition of HMGB1 and TLR4 both improved the proliferation, FN synthesis and FN secretion of HMCs induced by the exchange plasma of LN patients (both P < 0. 05). Conclusion HMGB1 may participate in the pathogenesis of LN by activating TLR4 to mediate the proliferation and extracellular matrix deposition of mesangial cells.

Clinical features of patients with Rhupus syndrome / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the clinical and serological features of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) overlap syndrome (Rhupus syndrome).@*METHODS@#We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome who were hospitalized at Department of Rheumatology and Immunology, People's Hospital of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region between January 2010 and January 2018. We compared the joint involvement, autoantibodies and clinical manifestations of Rhupus syndrome with 81 cases of RA-alone and 51 cases of SLE-alone.@*RESULTS@#In 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome, there are 3 males and 18 females. Compared with the SLE-alone group, the patients with Rhupus syndrome were older [(49.43±11.66) vs. (40.59±12.73), P=0.008]. The median age of the patients with Rhupus syndrome at RA onset was significantly younger than that of the RA-alone patients [(32.58±11.14) vs. (43.11±11.83), P=0.010]. Of the 21 patients with Rhupus syndrome, the initial diagnosis was RA in 57% (12/21), except 2 male patients, the other 10 patients with SLE manifestations were menopause, the mean age of amenorrhea or menopause was (44.30±5.33) (36-50) years. The mean interval between the onset of SLE and RA was 10.83 years. Two patients started with SLE manifestations. Moreover, both diseases simultaneously developed in 33.3% of the patients. Except one male patient, 3 patients were in menopause stage when RA and SLE appeared. The positive rate of specific antibody Rhupus syndrome was similar to that of RA. Renal damage was relatively rare in SLE related manifestations, but the incidence of interstitial lung disease was higher. There were no significant differences in the prevalence of complements C3 and C4, antinuclear antibody (ANA), anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), anti-SSA or anti-SSB antibody between the Rhupus syndrome and SLE-alone group.@*CONCLUSION@#Rhupus syndrome is an overlapping syndrome in which RA and SLE coexist. Most of the diseases occur in RA and the related manifestations of RA are more serious than those of SLE. The incidence of Rhupus syndrome may be related to the change of sex hormone levels.

Prognostic factors for failure of transvaginal repair of vesicovaginal fistula: A nested case-control study / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To analyze the prognostic factors affecting the failure of transvaginal repair of vesicovaginal fistula (VVF).@*METHODS@#A retrospective nested case-control study was conducted. A total of 15 patients who underwent unsuccessful transvaginal vesicovaginal fistula repair in the Department of Urology, Peking University First Hospital from January 2014 to December 2020 were enrolled as the case group. A total of 60 patients receiving transvaginal vesicovaginal fistula repair by the same surgeon within the same time range, were selected as the control group. The age, body mass index (BMI), etiology of vesicovaginal fistula, associated genitourinary malformation, frequency of repair, characteristics of fistula, surgical procedure, postoperative recovery and other factors were compared between the case group and the control group, and the influencing factors of failure were analyzed.@*RESULTS@#The BMI of the case group was (26.3±3.9) kg/m2, the diameter of vaginal fistula was (1.5±0.8) cm, and the operative time of transvaginal repair was (111.8±19.8) min. The proportion of the patients with genitourinary malformations was 4/15, the proportion of the patients with multiple vaginal repairs was 13/15, the proportion of the patients with concurrent ureteral reimplantation was 6/15, and the proportion of the patients with postoperative fever was 5/15. In the control group, the BMI was (23.9±3.0) kg/m2, the diameter of vaginal fistula was (0.8±0.5) cm, the operative time of transvaginal repair was (99.9±19.7) min, the rate of associated genitourinary malformation was 2/60, the rate of multiple transvaginal repair was 18/60, the rate of concurrent ureteral reimplantation was 5/60, and no postoperative fever was found. Compared with the control group, the case group had higher BMI (P=0.013), bigger vaginal fistula (P=0.002), longer time of operation (P=0.027), higher proportion of genitourinary malformations (P=0.013), higher proportion of repeated transvaginal repair (P < 0.001), higher proportion of ureter reimplantation (P=0.006), and higher proportion of postoperative fever (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that fistula diameter ≥1 cm (OR=10.45, 95%CI=1.90-57.56, P=0.007) and repeated transvaginal repair (OR=16.97, 95%CI=3.17-90.91, P=0.001) were independent prognostic factors for VVF failure in transvaginal repair.@*CONCLUSION@#Fistula diameter ≥1 cm and repeated transvaginal repair are independent prognostic factors of failure in transvaginal repair.

Optimization of Formulation of Fufang Huangqi Cream by D-optimal Mixture Design Based on AHP-CRITIC Analysis / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Objective::To optimize the matrix prescription of Fufang Huangqi cream and evaluate its rheological properties. Method::With appearance, spreadability and stability as evaluation indexes, the weighting coefficient of each evaluation index was determined by analytic hierarchy process (AHP), criteria importance through intercriteria correlation method (CRITIC) and AHP-CRITIC mixed weighting method. The formulation of Fufang Huangqi cream was optimized by D-optimal mixture design and its rheological properties were evaluated. Result::The weight coefficients of appearance, spreadability and stability according to AHP-CRITIC mixed weighting method were 0.185, 0.282 and 0.532, respectively. According to D-optimal mixture design based on AHP-CRITIC analysis, the optimized formulation of Fufang Huangqi cream was liquid paraffin of 3.70 g, vaseline of 2.00 g, stearic acid of 2.00 g, sodium dodecyl sulfate of 5.90 g, glycerin of 6.00 g and extract of 20.40 g. The rheological parameters of Fufang Huangqi cream was non-newtonian index<1, storage modulus>loss modulus. Conclusion::The preferred matrix formulation is stable and feasible. Fufang Huangqi cream has good appearance and is a shear thinning non-newtonian fluid. Its viscosity and ductility meet the needs of industrial production and clinical application.