Metabolites of schaftoside in mouse plasma, bile, urine and feces after oral administration by UPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS / 药学学报

Ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole/time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-Q/TOF-MS/MS) has been used to detect the metabolites of schaftoside in plasma, bile, urine and feces of mice after oral administration. The study was approved by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee from Xuzhou Medical University (No. XZMULL201612024). Compounds were identified by analyzing their high-resolution mass spectrometry data, mass spectra, and comparison with reference substances and the literatures. The parent compound and 29 metabolites were detected in the plasma, bile, urine and feces samples of mice. The main metabolic pathways of schaftoside in mice include deglycosylation/glycosylation, hydroxylation/dehydroxylation, hydrogenation, methylation, acetylation, sulfation, and glucuronidation. This study provides references for the material basis of schaftoside in vivo.

The effect of mitral valve repair for rheumatic mitral stenosis / 中华胸心血管外科杂志

Objective:To retrospectively evaluate the clinical effect of mitral valve repair for rheumatic mitral stenosis.Methods:We retropectively analyze the clinical datd of 50 rheumatic mitral disease patients undergoing mitral valve repair from January 2016 to March 2019, the clinical outcome was compaired with those of patients undergoing mitral valve replacement. The operation time, cardiopulmonary bypass time, blood loss, ICU time, hospital stay, and postoperative cardiac function were analyzed, and followed up for 2 years to assess mitral regurgitation, cardiac function, and complication rates.Results:The time of cardiopulmonary bypass and ascending aorta occlusion in the valve repair group were longer than those in the valve replacement group ( P<0.05), and the postoperative ventilator assistance time, ICU stay time, and hospital stay were shorter than those in the valve replacement group ( P<0.05). After 2 years of follow-up, no patients died in the two groups. The rehospitalization rate in the valve repair group was lower than that in the replacement group ( P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in the reoperation rate between the groups ( P>0.05); There was 1 case (2%) of moderate mitral valve regurgitation in the mitral valve repair group, no moderate or severe mitral valve stenosis, no paravalvular leakage in the mitral valve replacement group, and no significant difference between the two groups ( P>0.05). The left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and left ventricular ejection fraction in the mitral valve repair group were significantly better than those in the mitral valve replacement group ( P<0.05). Conclusion:Mitral valve repair is effective in treating rheumatic mitral stenosis. It is beneficial to protect heart function, reduce postoperative anticoagulation complications, and does not increase the rate of reoperation. It is a safe, effective and feasible treatment.

Ginkgo biloba extract ameliorates streptozotocin-induced diabetes in rats as measured by non-targeted metabolomics / 药学学报

Metabolomics based on liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to study the initiation and development of diabetes in rats, and the ability of Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) to ameliorate this pathology. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was induced by intra-peritoneal injection of streptozotocin. The rats were randomly divided into a normal control group treated with drug-free solution (NC), a normal control group treated with GBE (N-GBE), a DM group treated with drug-free solution (DM), and a DM group treated with GBE (D-GBE); rats were maintained on this protocol for 9 weeks. Rat plasma was collected from the sixth week to the ninth week and then analyzed with LC-MS. Animal experimentation was approved by the Committee on the Ethics of Animal Experiments of Xuzhou Medical University. Twelve plasma metabolites with continuous differentiation were monitored to indicate dysfunction of metabolic pathways including fatty acid metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle activity, bile acid metabolism, and purine metabolism to confirm the occurrence and development of DM. Treatment with GBE partially reversed the changes seen in five metabolites in DM rats, indicating that GBE could prevent the occurrence and development of DM by acting on fatty acid metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle.

Analysis on exercise capacity of patients with pneumoconiosis and different degrees of pulmonary dysfunction / 中国职业医学

OBJECTIVE: To explore the exercise capacity of patients with occupational pneumoconiosis with varying degrees of pulmonary dysfunction. METHODS: A total of 488 hospitalized occupational pneumoconiosis patients were selected as study subjects using the judgment sampling method and examined for pulmonary function test and cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET). Among them, 272 patients with normal lung function were assigned as the control group, and 216 patients with abnormal lung function as the case group. The case group was divided into mild, moderate and severe pulmonary dysfunction subgroups according to the forced expiratory volume in one second/predicted value ratio(FEV_1%pred).RESULTS: The FEV_1%pred, maximal voluntary ventilation(MVV), maximum exercise tidal volume(VT_(max)), breathing reserve(BR), maximal Watt(W_(max)), maximum oxygen uptake(VO_(2max)) and anaerobic threshold(AT) in patients of the case group were lower than that in the control group(all P<0.05). The FEV_1%pred, MVV, VT_(max), W_(max), and VO_(2max) in patients in the 3 subgroups of abnormal lung function were decreased(all P<0.05) compared with the control group. The VO_(2max) and AT decreased in the case group with the increase of the degree of pulmonary dysfunction(P<0.05). The FEV1%pred, MVV, maximal exercise minute ventilation and VT_(max) of the study subjects were positively correlated with VO_(2max) and AT(all P<0.01), but the BR had no correlation with VO_(2max) and AT(all P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The more serious the abnormal degree of pulmonary function in the patients with occupational pneumoconiosis, the more obvious the decline of their exercise ability, showing a dose-effect relationship.

Biomaterial-based strategies for maxillofacial tumour therapy and bone defect regeneration / 国际口腔科学杂志·英文版

Issues caused by maxillofacial tumours involve not only dealing with tumours but also repairing jaw bone defects. In traditional tumour therapy, the systemic toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs, invasive surgical resection, intractable tumour recurrence, and metastasis are major threats to the patients' lives in the clinic. Fortunately, biomaterial-based intervention can improve the efficiency of tumour treatment and decrease the possibility of recurrence and metastasis, suggesting new promising antitumour therapies. In addition, maxillofacial bone tissue defects caused by tumours and their treatment can negatively affect the physiological and psychological health of patients, and investment in treatment can result in a multitude of burdens to society. Biomaterials are promising options because they have good biocompatibility and bioactive properties for stimulation of bone regeneration. More interestingly, an integrated material regimen that combines tumour therapy with bone repair is a promising treatment option. Herein, we summarized traditional and biomaterial-mediated maxillofacial tumour treatments and analysed biomaterials for bone defect repair. Furthermore, we proposed a promising and superior design of dual-functional biomaterials for simultaneous tumour therapy and bone regeneration to provide a new strategy for managing maxillofacial tumours and improve the quality of life of patients in the future.

Establishment and Validation of a Nomogram for Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients Concerning the Prognostic Effect of Parotid Lymph Node Metastases / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

Purpose@#The prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with parotid lymph node (PLN) metastasis remains unclear. This study was performed to investigate the prognostic significance and optimal staging category of PLN metastasis and develop a nomogram for estimating individual risk. @*Materials and Methods@#Clinical data of 7,084 non-metastatic NPC patients were retrospectively reviewed. Overall survival (OS) was the primary endpoint. A nomogram was established based on the Cox proportional hazards regression model. The accuracy and calibration ability of this nomogram was evaluated by C-index and calibration curves with bootstrap validation.ResultTotally, 164/7,084 NPC patients (2.3%) presented with PLNs. Multivariate analyses showed that PLN metastasis was a negative prognostic factor for OS, progression-free survival (PFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS), and locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS). Patients with PLN metastasis had a worse prognosis than N3 disease. Five independent prognostic factors were included in the nomogram, which showed a C-index of 0.743. The calibration curves for probability of 3- and 5-year OS indicated satisfactory agreement between nomogram-based prediction and actual observation. All results were confirmed in the validation cohort. @*Conclusion@#NPC patient with PLN metastasis had poorer survival outcome (OS, PFS, DMFS, and LRFS) than N3 disease. We developed a nomogram to provide individual prediction of OS for patients with PLN metastasis.

Effectiveness of glucocorticoid therapy in patients with severe novel coronavirus pneumonia: protocol of a randomized controlled trial / 中华医学杂志(英文版)

Background@#At the end of 2019, a novel coronavirus outbreak emerged in Wuhan, China, and its causative organism has been subsequently designated the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). The virus has since rapidly spread to all provinces and autonomous regions of China, and to countries outside of China. Patients who become infected with 2019-nCoV may initially develop mild upper respiratory tract symptoms. However, a significant fraction of these patients goes on to subsequently develop serious lower respiratory disease. The effectiveness of adjunctive glucocorticoid therapy uses in the management of 2019-nCoV infected patients with severe lower respiratory tract infections is not clear, and warrants further investigation.@*Methods@#The present study will be conducted as an open-labelled, randomised controlled trial. We will enrol 48 subjects from Chongqing Public Health Medical Center. Each eligible subject will be assigned to an intervention group (methylprednisolone via intravenous injection at a dose of 1-2mg/kg/day for 3 days) or a control group (no glucocorticoid use) randomly, at a 1:1 ratio. Subjects in both groups will be invited for 28 days of follow-up which will be scheduled at 4 consecutive visit points. We will use the clinical improvement rate as our primary endpoint. Secondary endpoints include the timing of clinical improvement after intervention, duration of mechanical ventilation, duration of hospitalization, overall incidence of adverse events, as well as rate of adverse events at each visit, and mortality at 2 and 4 weeks.@*Discussion@#The present coronavirus outbreak is the third serious global coronavirus outbreak in the past two decades. Oral and parenteral glucocorticoids have been used in the management of severe respiratory symptoms in coronavirus-infected patients in the past. However, there remains no definitive evidence in the literature for or against the utilization of systemic glucocorticoids in seriously ill patients with coronavirus-related severe respiratory disease, or indeed in other types of severe respiratory disease. In this study, we hope to discover evidence either supporting or opposing the systemic therapeutic administration of glucocorticoids in severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients.@*Trial registration@#ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR2000029386, http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=48777.

Convalescent plasma: A potential therapeutic option for COVID-19 patients

The new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has challenged us to take unprecedented steps to bring this pandemic under control. In view of the urgency of this situation, convalescent plasma which was used in previous coronavirus outbreaks has emerged as one of the treatment options in this current pandemic. This is mainly due to the fact that convalescent plasma has been studied in a few case series with promising outcomes. In addition, on-going large clinical trials aimed to further evaluate the effectiveness, safety, and optimal dosage, duration and timing of administration of convalescent plasma are indeed revealing a certain level of promising results. Therefore, this article aims to provide an overview of possible mechanisms of actions of convalescent plasma, its benefits and its level of usage safeness by summarizing the existing evidence on the use of convalescent plasma in COVID-19 patients.

A time-series study on the impact of air pollution on the death of permanent residents in Yancheng City / 公共卫生与预防医学

Objective To investigate the effects of air pollution on non-accidental death of residents in Yancheng City. Methods Data of daily air pollutions (PM2.5, PM10, NO2, SO2 and O3), average temperature, average relative humidity, and daily death information during 2014-2019 were collected. The time series semi parametric generalized additive model was used to analyze the impact of short-term exposure of air pollutants on non-accidental death in Yancheng City. Results The average daily non-accidental deaths of the entire population, respiratory system, and circulatory system were 154, 25, and 51, respectively. With the increase of 10 µg/m3 SO2, the risk of the estimated non-accidental death and respiratory death was increased by 1.19% (95%CI: 0.26%-2.12%) and 2.37% (95%CI: 0.65%-4.12 %), respectively. With the increase of 10 µ g/m3 NO2, the risk of the estimated non-accidental death, circulatory system death and respiratory death was increased by 1.50%（95%CI:0.94%-2.05%）, 1.11%（95%CI:0.08%-2.16%）, and 1.53%（95%CI:0.71%-2.36%）, respectively. With the increase of 10 µg/m3 O3, the risk of the estimated non-accidental death, circulatory system death and respiratory death was increased by 0.64%（95%CI: 0.25%-1.04%）, 0.81%（95%CI: 0.04%-1.58%）, and 0.78%（95%CI: 0.18%-1.37%）, respectively. Conclusion The short-term exposure of air pollutants affects the non-accidental death of the residents in Yancheng, and there are lag effects, of which NO2, SO2 and O3 have a greater impact.

Role of edaravone in alleviating prognosis of rats following traumatic brain injury / 中华创伤杂志

Objective To investigate the effects of edaravone on improving the prognosis of TBI rats.Methods A total of 150 SD male rats were divided into normal control group (10 rats),TBI group (70 rats) and edaravone group (70 rats).In the edaravone treatment group,the rats were injected intraperitoneally once a day continously for 2 weeks with the injection dose of 5.4 mg · kg-1 · d-1.At 6 hours,12 hours,24 hours,48 hours,72 hours,1 week and 2 weeks after injury,the neurobehavioral and motor function scores of rats were monitored respectively,with 10 rats monitored at each time point.Serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples were collected and the levels of β-endorphin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) were determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA).Results In the edaravone group,the neurobehavioral and motor function scores were higher than those of the TBI group at 6 hours,12 hours,24 hours,48 hours,72 hours,1 week and 2 weeks after injury.At 48 hours after injury,the neurobehavioral scores of the TBI group and the edaravone treatment group were (8.2 ±0.9) points and (10.3 ±0.7) points,respectively (P ＜ 0.05),and the motor function scores were (5.9 ± 1.0) points and (6.9 ± 1.2) points respectively (P ＜ 0.05).Meanwhile,the contents of β-endorphin in blood and cerebrospinal fluid of the normal control group were (50.2 ± 9.5) pg/ml and (16.2 ± 2.8) pg/ml,and the contents of GnRH were (75.2 ± 11.2) pg/ml and (36.2 ± 10.8)pg/ml,respectively.The levels of β-endorphin and GnRH in serum and cerebrospinal fluid were significantly increased at 6 hours,12 hours,24 hours,48 hours,72 hours,l week and 2 weeks after injury.The levels of β-endorphin and GnRH in the edaravone group were lower than those of TBI group.At 72 hour after injury,the levels of β-endorph in serum in TBI group and edaravone group were (165.2 ± 8.5) pg/ml and (109.5 ± 6.3) pg/ml respectively (P ＜ 0.05),and the levels of β-endorph in cerebrospinal fluid were (63.3 ± 3.1) pg/ml and (38.2 ± 2.3) pg/ml respectively (P ＜ 0.05).At 72 hour after injury,the levels of GnRH in serum in TBI group and edaravone group were (203.7 ± 17.1)pg/ml and (110.4 ± 19.2)pg/ml respectively (P ＜0.05),and the levels of GnRH in cerebrospinal fluid is (153.0 ± 13.4) pg/ml and (93.2 ± 10.5) pg/ml respectively (P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion During acute and recovery periods after TBI,continuous treatment with edaravone can obviously reduce the levels of β-endorphin and GnRH,which is beneficial to alleviate the secondary brain injury after TBI in rats,promote the recovery of nerve and function,and improve the prognosis.

Subdivision of Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Patients with Bone-Only Metastasis at Diagnosis for Prediction of Survival and Treatment Guidance / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to subdivide M1 stage nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients with bone-only metastases for prognosis prediction while identifying the treatment effect of locoregional radiotherapy (LRRT) and metastasis radiotherapy (MRT) among patients with different risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From November 2006 to October 2016, a total of 226 patients with bone-only metastasic NPC were retrospectively enrolled. All patients developed distant lesions before receiving treatment. All potential prognostic factors were considered and the correlation of the M1 subdivisions with overall survival (OS) was determined by Cox regression hazards model. Kaplan–Meier curves were used to appraise survival condition and log-rank testing was used to compare the differences. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 33.9 months (range, 3 to 126 months). According to multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis, the number of metastatic lesions and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA status after palliative chemotherapy (PCT) were independent prognostic factors for OS. Thus, we subdivided patients into three risk groups according to these two factors. Systemic chemotherapy combined with LRRT may benefit patients in low- and intermediate-risk groups but not in the high-risk group. Further aggressive MRT based on systemic chemotherapy showed no survival benefit in any risk group. CONCLUSION: The stratification of NPC patients with bone-only metastasis based on EBV DNA after PCT and the number of metastatic lesions provided promising prognostic value and could aid clinicians in person-specific treatment.

Patterns of Failure and Survival Trends in 3,808 Patients with Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Diagnosed from 1990 to 2012: A Large-Scale Retrospective Cohort Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the survival trends and patterns of failure in patients with stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) treated with radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy over the last 20 years. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-eight hundred and eight patients diagnosed with stage II NPC between January 1990 and December 2012 were involved in this retrospective cohort study. All patients were treated with RT. According to the main imaging techniques and RT technology, we categorized these patients into four calendar periods: 1990-1996, 1997-2002, 2003-2007, and 2008-2012. Overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), and distant metastasis–free survival (DMFS) were served as the clinical outcome. RESULTS: After a median follow-up period of 84.7 months, we observed increasing trends in survival and disease control. The 3- and 5-year OS rates increased from 87.1% and 78.7% in the first calendar period to 97.4% and 94.5% in the last calendar period, respectively (p<0.001). Additionally, significant increasing trends could be seen in the PFS and LRFS during the four calendar periods. In the subgroup analysis, the LRFS in patients older than 50 years at diagnosis showed greater improvement than younger patients. However, the rate of distant metastasis was stable and relatively low, as the 5-year DMFS ranged from 90.5% to 94.7% among the four calendar periods. CONCLUSION: The survival rates in patients with stage II NPC showed increasing trends from 1990 to 2012. The advance of RT provided excellent locoregional control and enhanced OS.

Study on blood enrichment mechanism of steamed notoginseng based on metabolomics method / 中国中药杂志

In this paper,ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with time-of-flight mass spectrometry( UPLC-Q-TOFMS) technique was used to study the effects of steamed notoginseng on endogenous markers in plasma of rats with hemolytic anemia induced by N-acetyl phenyl hydrazine( APH). The aim was to find out the potential biomarkers and possible blood enriching mechanism of steamed notoginseng on hemolytic anemia rats. In the experiment,steamed notoginseng medicine pair( steamed notoginseng-ginseng)and compound medicines( Sanqi Yangxue Capsules) were used respectively to intervene in APH-induced hemolytic anemia model rats.Then blood routine indexes such as red blood cells( RBC),hemoglobin( Hb) and related organ indexes were determined. As compared with the blank group,the RBC and Hb levels in the model group were substantially decreased( P< 0. 01),while the liver and spleen organ indexes were increased( P< 0. 05). The results of blood routine and organ index demonstrated that the blood deficiency model was successfully established. Steamed notoginseng can significantly increase the RBC level of rats( P<0. 01),and the related indicators of each drug group had a trend of returning to normal levels,verifying the blood enriching effect of steamed notoginseng. The UPLC-Q-TOF-MS technique,principal component analysis( PCA) and partial least squares-discrimination analysis( PLS-DA) were used to analyze the metabolic profiles between the normal group and the model group. Twenty-six potential biomarkers for hemolytic anemia were screened in plasma. Nine metabolites such as retinol,L-valine,and arachidonic acid were down-regulated in the blood deficiency rats,and 17 metabolites such as protoporphyrin Ⅸ and niacinamide were up-regulated. The metabolic level of biomarkers could be changed to a normal state after rats were given with steamed notoginseng,drug pairs,and compound prescriptions. It can be speculated that steamed notoginseng may play a role of blood tonifying by improving biosynthesis of valine,leucine and isoleucine,as well as metabolic pathways such as retinol metabolism and arachidonic acid metabolism.

Induction Chemotherapy Plus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Versus Concurrent Chemoradiotherapy Alone in Locoregionally Advanced Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in Children and Adolescents: A Matched Cohort Analysis / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term clinical outcome and toxicity of induction chemotherapy (IC) followed by concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) compared with CCRT alone for the treatment of children and adolescent locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma (LACANPC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 194 locoregionally advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients youngerthan 21 years who received CCRT with or without IC before were included in the study population. Overall survival (OS) rate, progression-free survival (PFS) rate, locoregional recurrence-free survival (LRFS) rate, and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) rate were assessed by the Kaplan-Meier method and a log-rank test. Treatment toxicities were clarified and compared between two groups. RESULTS: One hundred and thiry of 194 patients received IC+CCRT. Patients who were younger and with more advanced TNM stage were more likely to receive IC+CCRT and intensive modulated radiotherapy. The addition of IC before CCRT failed to improve survival significantly. The matched analysis identified 43 well-balanced patients in both two groups. With a median follow-up of 51.5 months, no differences were found between the IC+CCRT group and the CCRT group in 5-year OS (83.7% vs. 74.6%, p=0.153), PFS (79.2% vs. 73.4%, p=0.355), LRFS (97.7% vs. 88.2%, p=0.083), and DMFS (81.6% vs. 81.6%, p=0.860). N3 was an independent prognostic factor predicting poorer OS, PFS, and DMFS. The addition of IC was associated with increased rates of grade 3 to 4 neutropenia. CONCLUSION: This study failed to demonstrate that adding IC before CCRT could provide a significant additional survival benefit for LACANPC patients. Further investigations are warranted.

Combination of Tumor Volume and Epstein-Barr Virus DNA Improved Prognostic Stratification of Stage II Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma in the Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy Era: A Large-Scale Cohort Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: Little is known about combination of the circulating Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) DNA and tumor volume in prognosis of stage II nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients in the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) era. We conducted this cohort study to evaluate the prognostic values of combining these two factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By Kaplan-Meier, we compare the differences of survival curves between 385 patients with different EBV DNA or tumor volume levels, or with the combination of two biomarkers mentioned above. RESULTS: Gross tumor volume of cervical lymph nodes (GTVnd, p 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal 0 copy/mL, GTVtotal ≥ 30 cm³). When patients in the low-risk group were compared with those in the high-risk group, 3-year PFS (p=0.003), LRFS (p=0.010), and DMFS (p=0.031) rates were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Pretreatment plasma EBV DNA and tumor volume were both closely correlated with prognosis of stage II NPC patients in the IMRT era. Combination of EBV DNA and tumor volume can refine prognosis and indicate for clinical therapy.

Pretreatment Serum Amyloid A and C-reactive Protein Comparing with Epstein-Barr Virus DNA as Prognostic Indicators in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma: A Prospective Study / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The measuring Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is an important predictor of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). This study evaluated the predictive value of pretreatment serum amyloid A (SAA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) comparing with EBV DNA in patients with NPC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In an observational study of 419 non-metastatic NPC patients, we prospectively evaluated the prognostic effects of pretreatment SAA, CRP, and EBV DNA on survival. The primary end-point was progress-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: The median level of SAA and CRP was 4.28 mg/L and 1.88 mg/L, respectively. For the high-SAA group (> 4.28 mg/L) versus the low-SAA (≤ 4.28 mg/L) group and the high-CRP group (> 1.88 mg/L) versus the low-CRP (≤ 1.88 mg/L) group, the 5-year PFS was 64.5% versus 73.1% (p=0.013) and 65.2% versus 73.3% (p=0.064), respectively. EBV DNA detection showed a superior predictive result, the 5-year PFS in the EBV DNA ≥ 1,500 copies/mL group was obviously different than the EBV DNA < 1,500 copies/mL group (62.2% versus 77.8%, p < 0.001). Multifactorial Cox regression analysis confirmed that in the PFS, the independent prognostic factors were including EBV DNA (hazard ratio [HR], 1.788; p=0.009), tumour stage (HR, 1.903; p=0.021), and node stage (HR, 1.498; p=0.049), but the SAA and CRP were not included in the independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: The results of SAA and CRP had a certain relationship with the prognosis of NPC, and the prognosis of patients with high level of SAA and CRP were poor. However, the predictive ability of SAA and CRP was lower than that of EBV DNA.

Experimental study on mouse acute toxicity and analgesic pharmacodynamics of new compound L11 / 中国药理学通报

Aim To observe the effect of new com-pound L11 on the affinity and function of sigma-1 re-ceptor,as well as the mouse acute toxicity and analge-sic effect, so as to provide the experimental basis for its pharmacodynamics and preliminary toxicity evalua-tion. Methods Using binding and function test of sig-ma-1 receptor in vitro, the acute toxicity and formalin model test of mice,as well as the rat chronic constric-tion injury(CCI) model test in vivo,the effects of L11 on the inhibitory rate and function of sigma-1 receptor, LD50,lifting/licking time of mice and mechanical pain threshold of rats were respectively measured to evaluate the analgesic effect and mechanism of L11. Results The inhibitory rate and Kiof L11 on the sigma-1 recep-tor were 103.07% and 4.81 nmol·L-1,respectively. The Kivalue was 8.10 nmol·L-1while adding pheny-toin (sigma-1 receptor allosteric modulator). The in-tragastric administration of L11 in mice was 1 680.03 mg·kg-1LD50,and the 95% confidence interval was (1 559.35 ~1 819.40) mg·kg-1. Compared with model group, the II phase lifting/licking time of mice was significantly reduced and the mechanical pain threshold of rat obviously increased by L11. Conclu-sions The new compound L11 has high affinity to sig-ma-1 receptor, which belongs to the antagonist of sig-ma-1 receptor;L11 is less toxic to intragastric adminis-tration and has obvious analgesic effect on the formalin model of mice and CCI model of rats, which may be relative with the sigma-1 receptor antagonism.

Flexible ureterorenoscopy vs extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for inferior calyceal calculi of 10 ~ 20 mm / 中国内镜杂志

Objective To compare the subjective and objective outcomes of flexible ureterorenoscopy (F-URS) and extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for the treatment of inferior calyceal calculi between 10 to 20 mm. Method A retrospective analysis was performed for inferior calyceal calculi between 10 to 20 mm at our institution on a total of 112 patients treated with holmium laser lithotripsy or ESWL from September 2013 to September 2016. Retreatment rate, complications, stone clearance rate and subjective patient-reported outcomes were compared. Result Stone clearance rate was significantly higher in F-URS group compared with ESWL group (86.1% vs 61.8%, P < 0.05). Retreatment rate (44.7% vs 8.3%, P < 0.05) was higher in ESWL. There was no significant difference in complication (11.1% vs 7.9%, P > 0.05). Overall satisfaction score [(2.92 ± 1.24) vs (2.07 ± 1.35), P < 0.05] and voiding symptom score [(3.87 ± 0.64) vs (2.23 ± 0.73), P < 0.05)] were significantly higher in F-URS than ESWL. More patients in F-URS were willing to undergo the procedure again (83.3% vs 55.3%, P<0.05). Conclusion For the treatment of intermediate size inferior calyceal calculi,F-URS is superior to ESWL in terms of stone clearance rate, retreatment rate and subjective satisfaction.

Identification of saponins from Panax notoginseng in metabolites of rats / 中国中药杂志

UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS was used to identify metabolites in rat blood, urine and feces after the administration of n-butanol extract derived from steamed notoginseng. The metabolic process of saponins came from steamed notoginseng was analyzed. The metabolites were processed by PeakView software, and identified according to the structural characteristics of prototype compounds and the accurate qualitative and quantitative changes of common metabolic pathways. Four saponins metabolites were identified based on MS/MS information of metabolites, namely ginsenoside Rh₄, Rk₃, Rk₁, Rg₅,and their 15 metabolites were verified. The metabolic pathways of the four ginsenosides in n-butanol extract included glucuronidation, desugar, sulfation, dehydromethylation, and branch loss. The metabolites of main active saponin components derived from steamed Panax notoginseng were analyzed from the perspective of qualitative analysis. And the material basis for the efficacy of steamed notoginseng was further clarified.

A Retrospective Analysis of 88 Solved Intentional Homicide Cases / 法医学杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To summarize the key points, difficulties and relevant practical experiences for analyzing the scene of solved intentional homicide cases.@*METHODS@#The data of 88 solved intentional homicide cases in a county from 2004 to 2013 were collected and the retrospective analysis was performed.@*RESULTS@#The number of local female victims obviously higher than non-local female victims and the number of non-local suspects is obviously higher than local suspects. The number of Male suspects showed higher compared with the female. Most of them were temporary workers, unemployment or farmers with less education backgrounds. The main causes of victims' death were mechanical injury or asphyxia. The murders were acquaintances in most intentional homicide cases. The motive of the stranger murders was commonly money. The murder behavior types of homicide cases were related with people, money and sexual assault. Camouflage and guilty behavior showed the most significance.@*CONCLUSION@#The accurate identification of suspects is one of the most important task in forensic investigation and reflects the importance of the criminal scene analysis for intentional homicide cases. It also provides the direction of future research.