Impaired Skeletal Muscle in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Compared with Non-COPD Patients.

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate the differences in skeletal-muscle atrophy between patients with stable chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and healthy controls; associated factors were also considered. The study comprised selected residents of communities near the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University in Suzhou City, East China. Patients and Methods: Included in this study were 123 COPD patients and 60 controls. All patients completed spirometry as well as examinations to determine their functional exercise capacity, body composition, and handgrip strength (HGS). Results: COPD patients had less fat-free mass (FFM), a lower FFM index (FFMI), and a lower 6-min walking distance (6MWD) compared with controls (P = 0.007, P = 0.020, and P < 0.001, respectively) (FFMI: 17.59 ± 1.83 vs 18.34 ± 1.64). The HGS of these patients was also lower compared with that of controls (32.88 ± 7.84 vs 35.48 ± 7.42), and HGS tended toward statistical significance (P = 0.064, respectively). In multivariate analysis, age (ß = -0.107, P < 0.001), gender (ß = 0.212, P < 0.001), body mass index (BMI) (ß = 0.462, P < 0.001), FEV1% (ß = 0.108, P = 0.009), and calf circumference (CC) (ß = 0.457, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with FFMI. Conclusion: Impaired skeletal muscle mass was more common in COPD patients than in controls. Multiple regression analysis showed that CC may be used to detect the degree of impairment, particularly by health-care providers working outside of the hospital.

Analysis of risk factors for early urinary tract infection after kidney transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is the most common kind of infection in the early stage after kidney transplantation. Although many studies have investigated the risk factors for UTI following kidney transplantation, few studies have focused on the risk factors for UTI in the early stage after transplantation. METHODS: The early-stage data of patients who underwent kidney transplantation between January 2018 and December 2019 in a first-class tertiary hospital in Suzhou, China, were retrospectively analyzed. The general and UTI information of the recipients was subjected to univariate analysis. Variables with statistical significance in the univariate analysis were included in a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: A total of 129 recipients were recruited, among whom 62 patients had a UTI in the early stage after kidney transplantation (48.1%), and the median (interquartile range) of onset time was 5 (4, 10) days after the surgery. A total of 324 strains of UTI pathogens were detected in the 62 recipients after kidney transplantation, 279 of which were gram-negative bacilli (86.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that female sex and delayed graft function (DGF) were independent risk factors for early-stage UTI, with odds ratios of 0.095 and 3.753, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of early UTI after kidney transplantation is high. Females and DGF patients are more prone to UTIs. Comprehensive prevention and treatment measures should be taken as early as possible against the risk factors to reduce the incidence of UTI.

The use of a homemade rate adjustment card in patients with continuous bladder irrigation after transurethral resection of the prostate.

BACKGROUND: In China, the incidence of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is rising with the average lifespan of men. Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) is recognized as the gold standard for surgical treatment of BPH. Continuous bladder irrigation (CBI) is often required after operation. The irrigation rate is often manually adjusted based on the color of the drainage fluid, but it is difficult to know how much to adjust it based on color. To better adjust the irrigation rate and reduce related complications, we developed and evaluated a post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card. METHODS: A total of 103 BPH patients who underwent post-TURP CBI at our hospital between April and July 2020 were enrolled in this study and were assigned to the control group (n=49) or the experimental group (n=54) according to the different hospital areas. In the control group, the CBI rate was adjusted based on the clinical evaluation of the color of the drainage fluid; in the experimental group, the CBI rate was adjusted based on the color of drainage fluid evaluated with our homemade post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card. RESULTS: The incidence of bladder spasm, the incidence of clot-related catheter blockage, the volume of irrigation solution used, and the irrigation time were significantly lower or shorter in the experimental group than in the control group. The patient satisfaction score was significantly higher in the experimental group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: For BPH patients receiving post-TURP CBI, the homemade post-TURP CBI rate adjustment card can provide objective data for clinical care, reduce postoperative complications, and improve patient satisfaction. Therefore, it should be more widely used in clinical practice.

[Apoptosis of acute myeloid leukemia HL-60 cells induced by CDK inhibitor SNS-032 and its molecular mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of cycle-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitor SNS-032 on apoptosis in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) HL-60 cells and its molecular mechanisms. METHODS: Cultured AML HL-60 cells were treated with various concentrations of SNS-032. Cell apoptosis was determined with flow cytometry;cell viability was measured by MTT assay; the profiles of microRNA expression of HL-60 cells were analyzed by microRNA microarray;the protein expressions of JAK2/STAT3 pathway were detected by Western blotting. RESULTS: Apoptosis of AML HL-60 cells was induced by SNS-032; the rate of apoptosis was (5.9±1.7)%, (12.1±3.1)% and (59.4±3.6)% when HL-60 cells were treated with 0,100 and 200 nmol/L SNS-032. MicroRNA microarray analysis revealed that the levels of miR-30a, miR-183, miR-20b, miR-26b, miR-20a, miR-589, miR-107, miR-181a, miR-106a, miR-17 and miR-378c were down-regulated by SNS-032,whereas the levels of miR-320a and miR-H7* were up-regulated. Western blotting showed that SNS-032 strongly inhibited phosphorylation of STAT3 and protein expression of JAK2,C-MYC and MCL-1. CONCLUSION: CDK inhibitor SNS-032 can induce apoptosis of AML HL-60 cells, which is associated with the inhibition of MCL-1,C-MYC and JAK2/STAT3, and down-regulation of miR-17-92 family.

Antitumor effect and mechanism of an ellagic acid derivative on the HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.

In the present study, to identify the effective components of Chinese traditional herbs, Euphorbia hylonoma Hand.-Mazz. (Euphorbiaceae), a folk herb that has been used among the Qinling mountain area for hundreds of years, was investigated. 3,3'-Di-O-methyl ellagic acid-4'-O-ß-d-xylopyranoside (JNE2), an ellagic acid derivative, was isolated from the acetone extract of the herb and its antitumor activity against human hepatoma HepG2 cells was detected in vitro. The results showed that JNE2 inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner and blocked the cell cycle at the G1/S phase. A high dosage of JNE2 induced apoptosis of the tumor cells, but no significant differences were identified between the treatment groups. The invasiveness of HepG2 cells was also inhibited by JNE2. The mechanism of the antitumor effect of JNE2 at the molecular level was presumed to be due to the upregulation of the protein expression of Bax and caspase-3, and the downregulation of the protein expression of Bcl-2 and CCND1. The results suggested that JNE2 is a potential antitumor agent that merits further investigation.

[Analysis of petroleum fraction from flower, stem and leaf of Aconitum taipeicum by GC-MS].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the chemical constituents of petroleum fraction of Aconitum taipeicum. METHODS: The methanol extract of Aconitum taipeicum were extracted by petroleum and then analyzed by GC-MS. The compounds were quantitatively determined by normalization method. RESULTS: Twenty eight compounds were separated and identified. Most of them were alkane, fat acids and their esters and alkenes. The Nonacosane covered 13.057% of the total peaks, while 19-methyl-18,21-Hexatriacontanediether 8.180%, Ethylen eglycol monooctadecy ether 7.851%, 3,7,11,15-Tetramethyl-2-hexadecen-1-ol 7.805%, Metahyl Palmitate 6.676% and so on. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of constituents from the flower, stem and leaf of Aconitum taipeicum. The results will provide foundation for further exploitation and use of Aconitum taipeicum.