Pleural effusion caused by Trichinella spiralis infection: two case reports.

BACKGROUND: Trichinosis is a worldwide food-borne zoonotic parasitic disease, which is mainly obtained by ingesting undercooked meat containing infected larvae. The purpose of our article is to introduce and discuss two rare cases of pleural effusion caused by Trichinella spiralis. CASE PRESENTATION: Here we described two male patients who presented to the respiratory department of our hospital with a massive unilateral pleural effusion, their serum eosinophils were in the normal range, laboratory serological tests revealed that Trichinella spiralis IgG antibody was positive. After the oral administration of antiparasitic drugs, the pleural effusion of two patients was completely absorbed. CONCLUSION: Both patients were diagnosed with Trichinosis complicated with pleural effusion, which is very rare in the clinic and easy to be misdiagnosed because of normal eosinophils.

Efficacy and safety of EGFR­TKIs plus Shenqi Fuzheng injection for non-small cell lung cancer patients with EGFR-sensitive mutations.

PURPOSE: The aim of this retrospective study is to evaluate the impact on efficacy and safety between epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) alone and in combination with Shenqi Fuzheng injection (SFI) in patients with advanced NSCLC harboring epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activating mutations. METHODS: Retrospectively, information of 88 patients receiving EGFR-TKIs as first-line targeted treatment or in combination with SFI in the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical College and the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Anhui University of Science and Technology was collected. The primary endpoint was to assess progression-free survival (PFS) and safety of EGFR-TKIs alone or in combination with SFI. RESULTS: Between January 2016 and December 2019, a total of 88 patients were enrolled in this research, including 50 cases in the EGFR-TKIs single agent therapy group and 38 cases in the SFI combined with EGFR-TKIs targeted-therapy group. The median PFS (mPFS) of monotherapy group was 10.50 months (95%CI 9.81-11.19), and 14.30 months (95%CI 10.22-18.38) in the combination therapy group. Compared to the single EGFR-TKIs administration, combinational regimen with SFI exhibited a lower incidence of rash and diarrhea in patients and was even better tolerated. CONCLUSIONS: SFI combined with the first-generation EGFR-TKIs are more efficient, can prominently prolong the PFS and attenuate the adverse reactions in patients with advanced NSCLC with EGFR-sensitive mutations.

Correction: Ionic-liquid-bifunctional wrapping of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals into N-doped graphene networks: high pseudocapacitive sodium storage and high-performance sodium-ion full cells.

Correction for 'Ionic-liquid-bifunctional wrapping of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals into N-doped graphene networks: high pseudocapacitive sodium storage and high-performance sodium-ion full cells' by Yan Yang et al., Nanoscale, 2019, 11, 14616-14624.

Ionic-liquid-bifunctional wrapping of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals into N-doped graphene networks: high pseudocapacitive sodium storage and high-performance sodium-ion full cells.

Sodium ion batteries are in great need of electrode materials with high specificity and rate capability being developed. The sluggish reaction kinetics of SnO2-based materials has impeded their applications as anodes of SIBs. Designing electrode materials with high pseudocapacitive contribution can increase the near-surface faradaic reaction, which helps to improve their kinetics and achieve high rate capability. Here, we designed a high-pseudocapacitance sodium storage anode SnO2/N-rGO by downsizing the particle size of SnO2 and constructing an N-doped graphene wrapped structure. The ultrafine structure of SnO2 ensures the high faradaic near-surface reaction, while the N-doped graphene matrix guarantees the superior electron and Na+ diffusion. Meanwhile, the wrapped N-doped graphene acts as a buffer layer to alleviate the volumetric changes of the active SnO2. The obtained ultrafine SnO2/N-graphene composite exhibits a high capacity of 607.6 mA h g-1 at 50 mA g-1 with an impressive rate capability (261.8 mA h g-1 at 2 A g-1) in Na+ half-cells. Furthermore, a good performance with a capacity of 133.3 mA h g-1 at 2.4 A g-1 in Na+ full-cells can also be achieved, which makes it a promising anode material for SIBs.

Correction: Ionic-liquid-bifunctional wrapping of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals into N-doped graphene networks: high pseudocapacitive sodium storage and high-performance sodium-ion full cells.

Correction for 'Ionic-liquid-bifunctional wrapping of ultrafine SnO2 nanocrystals into N-doped graphene networks: high pseudocapacitive sodium storage and high-performance sodium-ion full cells' by Yan Yang et al., Nanoscale, 2019, DOI: 10.1039/c9nr02542a.

Andrographolide ameliorates d-galactosamine/lipopolysaccharide-induced acute liver injury by activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

Andrographolide (ADH), a diterpenoid lactone extracted from Andrographis paniculata, has been found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects. However, its protective effects and mechanisms on liver injury have not been investigated clearly. This study takes an attempt to reveal the protective effects and mechanism of ADH on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced acute liver injury in mice. The mice liver injury model was induced by LPS (60 mg/kg) and D-GalN (800 mg/kg), and ADH was given 1 h after LPS and D-GalN treatment. Hepatic tissue histology was measured by H&E staining. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels were detected by detection kits. The levels of TNF-α and IL-1ß were detected by ELISA. Moreover, malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) contents were also detected. Meanwhile, the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, and NF-κB were detected by western blot analysis. The results showed that ADH treatment improved liver histology and decreased the levels of ALT, AST, MPO, IL-1ß, TNF-α, as well as MDA and ROS levels of hepatic tissues in a dose-dependent manner. ADH also inhibited LPS/D-GalN-induced NF-κB activation. The expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 were increased by treatment of ADH. In conclusion, ADH protected against LPS/D-GalN-induced liver injury by inhibiting NF-κB and activating Nrf2 signaling pathway.

[Distribution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Organophosphorus Pesticides in Typical Soil Environment of Jianghan Plain].

In order to study the distribution characteristics of organophosphorus pesticides (OPPs)in the soil of Jianghan plain,78 profile-soil samples from various depth and 7 surface-soil samples were collected in September,2015 in established groundwater monitoring field site, Jianghan plain. The OPPs concentrations were determined by gas chromatography with nitrogen-phosphorus detector(GC-NPD). The results showed that OPPs were widespread in our studied area. The OPPs concentrations of suface-soil samples ranged from 89.80 ng·g-1 to 193.85 ng·g-1,with an average of 140.05 ng·g-1, whereas the OPPs concentrations of profile-soil samples ranged from 19.81 ng·g-1 to 138.28 ng·g-1,with an average of 40.99 ng·g-1. The main ingredients of OPPs in surface and profile soil samples were methamidophos, omethoate, diazinon and quinalphos,and the residual amount of 10 kinds of OPPs had posed a threat to agricultural products according to the America soil pesticide residue limits standards. The horizontal distribution of OPPs concentration in profile soil followed the order of nearby river farm area > nearby river area > farm area, namely GS1-1 > GS4 > GS2 > GS3. while the vertical distribution mostly decreased at first and then increased with increasing depth. The distribution characteristics of OPPs were also influenced by many factors, such as application amount of OPPs, the adsorption and desorption actions of soil, vertical movement of groundwater, the terrain environment in the study area, and the concentration of soil organic matters.

Nuclear-targeting TAT-PEG-Asp8-doxorubicin polymeric nanoassembly to overcome drug-resistant colon cancer.

AIM: Drug efflux-associated multidrug resistance (MDR) is a main obstacle to effective cancer chemotherapy. Large molecule drugs are not the substrates of P-glycoprotein, and can circumvent drug efflux and be retained inside cells. In this article we report a polymer-drug conjugate nanoparticulate system that can overcome MDR based on size-related exclusion effect. METHODS: Doxorubicin was coupled with the triblock polymeric material cell-penetrating TAT-PEG-poly(aspartic acid). The amphiphilic macromolecules (termed TAT-PEG-Asp8-Dox) could self-assemble into nanoparticles (NPs) in water. The antitumor activity was evaluated in drug-resistant human colon cancer HCT8/ADR cells in vitro and in nude mice bearing HCT8/ADR tumor. RESULTS: The self-assembling TAT-PEG-Asp8-Dox NPs were approximately 150 nm with a narrow particle size distribution, which not only increased the cellular uptake efficiency, but also bypassed P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux and improved the intracellular drug retention, thus yielding an enhanced efficacy for killing drug-resistant HCT8/ADR colon cancer cells in vitro. Importantly, the TAT-PEG-Asp8-Dox NPs enhanced the intranuclear disposition of drugs for grater inhibition of DNA/RNA biosynthesis. In nude mice bearing xenografted HCT8/ADR colon cancers, intravenous or peritumoral injection of TAT-PEG-Asp8-Dox NPs for 22 d effectively inhibited tumor growth. CONCLUSION: TAT-PEG-Asp8-Dox NPs can increase cellular drug uptake and intranuclear drug delivery and retain effective drug accumulation inside the cells, thus exhibiting enhanced anticancer activity toward the drug-resistant human colon cancer HCT8/ADR cells.

Mangiferin alleviates lipopolysaccharide and D-galactosamine-induced acute liver injury by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

Mangiferin, a glucosylxanthone from Mangifera indica, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects. However, the protective effects and mechanisms of mangiferin on liver injury remain unclear. This study aimed to determine the protective effects and mechanisms of mangiferin on lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and D-galactosamine (D-GalN)-induced acute liver injury. Mangiferin was given 1h after LPS and D-GalN treatment. The results showed that mangiferin inhibited the levels of serum ALT, AST, IL-1ß, TNF-α, MCP-1, and RANTES, as well as hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) and ROS levels. Moreover, mangiferin significantly inhibited IL-1ß and TNF-α production in LPS-stimulated primary hepatocytes. Mangiferin was found to up-regulate the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, mangiferin inhibited LPS/d-GalN-induced hepatic NLRP3, ASC, caspase-1, IL-1ß and TNF-α expression. In conclusion, mangiferin protected against LPS/GalN-induced liver injury by activating the Nrf2 pathway and inhibiting NLRP3 inflammasome activation.

[Roles of histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the roles of various cytokines, histone acetyltransferase (HAT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma. METHODS: BALB/C mice were randomly assigned to control, untreated asthma, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups. Bronchial asthma was induced by intraperitoneal injections and atomization inhalation of ovalbumin (OVA) in the asthma, hormone treatment and trichostatin (TSA) treatment groups. The mice in the hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups were administered with dexamethasone 1.0 mg/kg and TSA 1.0 mg/kg respectively by an intraperitoneal injection 30 minutes before challenge of asthma. At 24 hours after the last challenge, IL-4, IL-8 and IFN- levels in serum were measured using ELISA, and activities of HAT and HDAC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were determined by the enzyme linked immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-4 and IL-8 in the untreated asthma group were higher than in the control, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups (P<0.05). There was no difference in the serum levels of IL-4 and IL-8 among the control, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups (P>0.05). The activity of HDAC in the untreated asthma group was lower than in the control, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups (P<0.05). Hormone treatment significantly decreased the activity of HAT compared with the untreated asthma group (P<0.05). There was no difference in the activities of HAT and HDAC among the control, hormone treatment and TSA treatment groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The decreased activity of HDAC leads to an increased secretion of inflammatory factors and thus induces asthma.

Protective effect of forsythiaside A on lipopolysaccharide/d-galactosamine-induced liver injury.

Forsythiaside A, an active constituent isolated from air-dried fruits of Forsythia suspensa, has been reported to have multiple pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and antioxidant activities. In the present study, the hepatoprotective effect of forsythiaside A was investigated in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)/d-galactosamine (GalN)-induced acute liver injury in mice. Mice acute liver injury model was induced by LPS (50µg/kg)/GalN (800mg/kg). Forsythiaside A was administrated 1h prior to LPS/GalN exposure. The results showed that forsythiaside A attenuated hepatic pathological damage, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and serum ALT, and AST levels induced by LPS/GalN. Moreover, forsythiaside A inhibited NF-κB activation, serum TNF-α and hepatic TNF-α levels induced by LPS/GalN. Furthermore, we found that forsythiaside A up-regulated the expression of Nrf2 and heme oxygenase-1. Our results showed that forsythiaside A protected against LPS/GalN-induced liver injury through activation of Nrf2 and inhibition of NF-κB activation.

[Roles of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and IL-33 in the pathogenesis of asthma in children].

OBJECTIVE: To study the roles of CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+) regulatory T cells (Treg) and IL-33 in the pathogenesis of asthma in children. METHODS: Flow cytometry was used to detect peripheral blood CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)Treg proportion in CD4(+)T lymphocytes in.45 children with asthma, 50 children with wheezing caused by respiratory syncytial virus infection and 40 healthy children. Serum levels of IFN-γ, IL-4, IL-5 and IL-33 were measured using ELISA. RESULTS: The level of peripheral blood CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)Treg in the asthma group was significantly lower than in the wheezing and control groups (P<0.05). In contrast, serum levels of IL-33 in the asthma group was significantly higher than in the wheezing and control groups (P<0.05). Peripheral blood CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)Treg level was negatively correlated with serum IL-33 level in the asthma group(r=-0.156, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: CD4(+)CD25(+)Foxp3(+)Treg may interact with IL-33 in the pathogenesis of childhood asthma.

Secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding for cirrhotic patients: a multiple-treatments meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate comprehensively the effects of 12 prophylaxis interventions for secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding using multiple-treatments meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library were searched prior to November 2011. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the interventions for secondary prophylaxis of variceal bleeding. The primary study outcomes were variceal rebleeding, mortality due to rebleeding and mortality due to all causes. RESULTS: We systematically reviewed 51 RCTs. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS), ß-blockers combined with endoscopic injection sclerotherapy (EIS) and endoscopic banding ligation (EBL) combined with EIS were superior to ß-blockers [odds ratios (OR) 0·13, 0·23 and 0·13, respectively] and EIS (0·19, 0·34 and 0·18, respectively) in reducing the rate of rebleeding. To reduce the mortality rate due to rebleeding, TIPS was more efficacious than ß-blockers (0·11), EBL (0·13), EIS (0·19), ß-blockers combined with isosorbide-5-mononitrate (5-ISMN) (0·16) and ß-blockers combined with EIS (0·14). In addition, ß-blockers combined with 5-ISMN were significantly more efficacious than ß-blockers (0·56) and EBL (0·64) to reduce the mortality rate due to all causes. EBL combined with argon plasma coagulation showed the best profile of reduction in rebleeding rate and mortality rate due to all causes. To reduce the mortality rate due to rebleeding, TIPS had the highest probability. EBL combined with EIS was the best choice according to the cumulative probabilities of being among the three most efficacious interventions for the three outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Endoscopic banding ligation combined with EIS might be the first choice in the secondary prophylaxis of varices bleeding.

Transient elastography: a meta-analysis of diagnostic accuracy in evaluation of portal hypertension in chronic liver disease.

OBJECTIVES: Transient elastography (TE), as a non-invasive method, has been studied for evaluation of portal hypertension in patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) with variable results. We studied the performance of TE for detection of significant portal hypertension, oesophageal varices and large oesophageal varices using meta-analysis. METHODS: PubMed, the Cochrane Library, EMBASE and ISI web of Knowledge were searched. The studies published in English relating to the diagnostic value of TE for significant portal hypertension, oesophageal varices and large oesophageal varices in patients with CLD were collected. RESULTS: A total of 18 studies, which included 3644 patients were analysed. Summary sensitivity and specificity were 0.90 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.81-0.95) and 0.79 (95% CI, 0.58-0.91) for significant portal hypertension, and 0.87 (95% CI, 0.80-0.92) and 0.53 (95% CI, 0.36-0.69) for oesophageal varices and 0.86 (95% CI, 0.71-0.94) and 0.59 (95% CI, 0.45-0.72) for large oesophageal varices respectively. The HSROCs were 0.93 for significant portal hypertension, 0.84 for oesophageal varices and 0.78 for large oesophageal varices respectively. TE was very informative with 81% probability of correctly detection significant portal hypertension following a 'positive' measurement (over the threshold value) and lowering the probability of disease to as low as 11% when 'negative' measurement (below the threshold value) when pre-test probability was 50% whereas, for oesophageal varices or large oesophageal varices, the probability of a correct diagnosis following a 'positive' measurement did not exceeded 70%. CONCLUSIONS: TE could be used as a good screening tool for significant portal hypertension, but only moderate diagnostic utility for the prediction of oesophageal varices or large oesophageal varices.

[Abnormalities of meiotic recombination in Han Chinese azoospermic patients].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze defective homologous chromosomal recombination in Han Chinese azoospermic patients. METHODS: Testicular biopsy samples from 7 healthy controls and 7 Han Chinese azoospermic patients including 2 obstructive azoospermia (OA group) and 5 non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA group) were analyzed. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to categorize early stage cells at meiosis prophase and to analyze chromosome pairing and recombination of pachytene spermatocyte. Newly developed meiotic proteins antibodies (anti-SCP3, anti-synaptonemal complex proteins 3, anti-MLH1, anti-Mut-L Homolog 1, anti-CREST, chromosome centromere antibody) were used to identify synaptonemal complex (anti-SCP3), recombination sites (anti-MLH1) and centromere (anti-CREST), respectively. Staging of spermatocyte was determined according to SCP3 formation progression. Qualitative data were compared by a Chi-square test, and ANOVA was used to analyze quantitative data. RESULTS: Respectively, 2346 and 2932 spermatocytes were categorized in the controls and azoospermic patients. The proportions of zygotene cells in both OA group and NOA group were significantly higher than that of the control group. Investigation of 1967 pachytene cells from the controls and 354 pachytene cells from azoospermic patients indicated that the mean MLH1 foci per pachytene cell of NOA group was statistically lower than that of the controls. Compared with the controls, incomplete synaptonemal complexes cells (containing gap and/or split) were significantly increased in the NOA group. CONCLUSION: Delayed meiosis prophase is relatively common in azoospermic patients, and changes in quantity and distribution of recombination foci may be the cause for spermatogenesis arrest in Han Chinese population.