Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio as a biomarker for predicting coronary artery lesions in Chinese children with Kawasaki disease: a Meta analysis / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVES@#To systematically evaluate the value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) in predicting coronary artery lesions (CAL) in Chinese children with Kawasaki Disease (KD).@*METHODS@#A comprehensive search was conducted in databases including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, China Biomedical Literature Database, and China Science and Technology Journal Database from inception to December 2022. The quality of the included literature was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and a Meta analysis was performed using Stata 15.1.@*RESULTS@#A total of ten published reports, involving 3 664 Chinese children with KD, were included in this Meta analysis, of whom 1 328 developed CAL. The Meta analysis revealed a sensitivity of 0.78 (95%CI: 0.71-0.83), specificity of 0.71 (95%CI: 0.61-0.80), overall diagnostic odds ratio of 8.69 (95%CI: 5.02-15.06), and an area under the curve of the summary receiver operating characteristic of 0.82 (95%CI: 0.78-0.85) for PLR in predicting CAL in the children with KD. The sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of summary receiver operating characteristic were lower for PLR alone compared to PLR in combination with other indicators. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the stability of the Meta analysis results with no significant changes upon excluding individual studies. However, a significant publication bias was observed (P<0.001).@*CONCLUSIONS@#PLR demonstrates certain predictive value for CAL in Chinese children with KD.

Angelica polysaccharides inhibit the growth and promote the apoptosis of U251 glioma cells in vitro and in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Angelica sinensis (Oliv) Diels (Apiaceae) is a traditional medicine that has been used for more than 2000 years in China. It exhibits various therapeutic effects including neuroprotective, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. Angelica polysaccharides (APs), bioactive constituents of Angelica have been shown to be responsible for these effects; however, the utility of APs for the treatment of glioma and their mechanism of action remain to be elucidated. PURPOSE: In this study, we investigated the inhibitory effects of APs on a glioma cell line and their molecular mechanism of action. STUDY DESIGN: U251 cells were utilized to confirm the effects of APs on glioma. METHODS: The human glioblastoma cell line U251 was utilized for both in vitro and in vivo models, in which we tested the effects of APs. Flow cytometry, gene expression analysis, western blotting, and MTT assays were used to elucidate the effects of APs on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that APs significantly inhibited the growth and proliferation of U251 cells and induced their apoptosis. Furthermore, APs effectively reduced the expression of several cell cycle regulators: cyclins D1, B, and E. The apoptosis suppressor protein Bcl-2 was also downregulated, and the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and cleaved-caspase-3 increased. Additionally, APs inhibited the transforming growth factor (TGF)-ß signaling pathway and stimulated the expression of E-cadherin, thus prohibiting cell growth. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the results indicate that APs attenuate the tumorigenicity of glioma cells and promote their apoptosis by suppressing the TGF-ß signaling pathway. The present study therefore provides evidence of the inhibitory effects of APs against glioma progression, and proposes their potential application as alternative therapeutic agents for glioma.

Key technologies of clinical study of traditional Chinese medicine on pediatric functional abdominal pain / 药物评价研究

Functional abdominal pain is one of the most common problems in functional gastrointestinal disorders,and it's also one of the diseases benefit most from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treatment.This paper illustrates some key considerations on the study design of traditional Chinese medicine intended for the treatment of FAP based on the latest treatment and evaluation guidelines,technical guidance,professional authority works as well as the latest clinical studies,and combined with experience of clinical trial design.It hopes to offer helps for research designers in this genera.

Deoxyschizandrin suppresses dss-induced ulcerative colitis in mice.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Deoxyschizandrin as one of the most important component of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill plays an immunomodulatory role in a variety of diseases, yet its role in ulcerative colitis remains to be elucidated. We aimed to investigate the role of deoxyschizandrin in DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In the present study, an inflammation model of cells was constructed to confirm the anti-inflammatory effect of deoxyschizandrin. Then a mouse model with Dextran sulfate sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced ulcerative colitis was constructed, and the effects of deoxyschizandrin on mouse colon inflammation, apoptosis, and CD4 T lymphocyte infiltration in ulcerative colitis were examined. RESULT: Deoxyschizandrin could improve the symptoms of ulcerative colitis, determined by hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and histopathological scores. Moreover, deoxyschizandrin reduced the levels of inflammatory cytokines, suppressed CD4 T cell infiltration, and effectively inhibited apoptosis in the colon of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis mice. CONCLUSION: In summary, deoxyschizandrin can effectively rescue the symptoms of DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in mice by inhibiting inflammation. T cell infiltration and apoptosis in the colon, suggesting that deoxyschizandrin could be a potential drug in treating ulcerative colitis.

Phase-Dependent Enhancement of the Green-Emitting Upconversion Fluorescence in LaVO4:Yb(3+), Er(3+).

The phase-dependent upconversion luminescence properties of LaVO4:Er(3+) were studied to provide new insights into the design of new upconversion materials with high efficiency. Er(3+)-, Yb(3+)/Er(3+)-doped t-LaVO4 microcrystals were successfully synthesized by the disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Na2EDTA)-assisted hydrothermal method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, luminescence spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to characterize the samples. The results indicated that t-LaVO4 presents sheaf-like morphology, and the possible formation mechanism for these sheaves was proposed on the basis of time-dependent experiments. Furthermore, the phase-dependence (i.e., monoclinic- and tetragonal-type) upconversion luminescence properties were systematically studied, and the upconversion mechanisms were proposed according to spectral, pump power, and the concentration of Yb(3+) dependence analyses. It is worthwhile pointing out that the Er(3+)-doped t-LaVO4 exhibits a brighter green emission, which is approximately 10 times that of m-LaVO4:Er(3+) using a continuous 980 nm laser diode as the excitation source. This remarkable improvement was rationally analyzed on the basis of the composition, crystal structures, Raman spectra, morphology, and size. The comparative experiments suggest that the local structure of Er(3+) was considered as an important reason for the higher fluorescence intensity of t-LaVO4:Er(3+), which was also confirmed by the results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Electronic structure and low temperature thermoelectric properties of In24M8O48 (M = Ge(4+), Sn(4+), Ti(4+), and Zr(4+)).

The electronic structure and transport properties of In24M8O48 (M = Ge(4+), Sn(4+), Ti(4+), and Zr(4+)) have been studied by using the full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method and the semiclassical Boltzmann theory, respectively. It is found that the magnitude of powerfactor with respect to relation time follows the order of In24Sn8O48 > In24Zr8O48 > In24Ge8O48 > In24Ti8O48. The largest powerfactor is 2.7 × 10¹² W/K² ms for In24Sn8O48 at 60 K, which is nearly thirty times larger than those of conventional n-type thermoelectric materials. The origin of the different thermoelectric behavior for these compounds is discussed from the electronic structure level. It is found that, at low temperature, the dopant strongly affect the bands near the Fermi level, which consequently leads to their different thermoelectric properties. The electronic configuration and the difference in atomic number between the dopant and the host atom also play an important role on the thermoelectric properties of In24M8O48. Our calculations give a valuable insight on how to enhance the thermoelectric performance of In32O48.