Efficacy of new hemostatic techniques in nonvariceal gastrointestinal bleeding: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Nonvariceal gastrointestinal bleeding (NVGIB) is a common medical condition with significant mortality and morbidity. Several types of hemostatic modalities are currently available in clinical setting. This systematic review and network meta-analysis aimed to assess the efficacy of these modalities in treating NVGIB. METHODS: PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library databases were searched for studies that compared the efficacy of different hemostatic techniques (over-the-scope clip [OTSC], hemostatic powder [HP] and conventional endoscopic treatment [CET]) for NVGIB published up to June 2022. The 30-day rebleeding rate was regarded as the primary outcome. We performed pairwise and network meta-analyses for all treatments. The heterogeneity and transitivity were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies were included. Regarding the 30-day rebleeding rate, OTSC and HP plus CET showed superior efficacy in treating NVGIB compared with CET (OTSC vs CET: relative risk [RR] 0.42, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28-0.60; HP plus CET vs CET: RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.17-0.87), while OTSC and HP plus CET had comparable efficacy (RR 0.95, 95% CI 0.38-2.31). HP plus CET ranked the highest in the network ranking estimate. The sensitivity analysis showed that it was not robust that OTSC was superior to CET regarding the short-term rebleeding rate and the initial hemostasis rate. While all-cause mortality, bleeding-related mortality and necessity of surgical or angiographic salvage therapy showed no statistically significant difference. CONCLUSION: OTSC and HP plus CET significantly reduced 30-day rebleeding rate compared to CET and had comparable efficacy in the treatment of NVGIB.

Peroxidase-mimetic activity of a nanozyme with uniformly dispersed Fe3O4 NPs supported by mesoporous graphitized carbon for determination of glucose.

A Fe3O4/mesoporous graphitized carbon (Fe3O4/m-GC) composite was prepared through a facile calcination method with iron-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) as a sacrificial template. After carbonization, the Fe3O4 nanoparticles were uniformly dispersed in the mesoporous carbon support, resulting in spatial structural stability. The mesoporous carbon support obtained was highly graphitized and exhibited eminent electrical conductivity, which accelerated the electron transfer between the Fe3O4 nanoparticles by Fe(II)/Fe(III) redox cycles and m-GC by C = Csp2/C-Csp3 redox cycles, leading to the excellent peroxidase-mimetic activity of Fe3O4/m-GC. Km values for tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and H2O2 were 26.8 and 15.8 times lower than that of natural horseradish peroxidase, respectively. Taking advantage of the peroxidase-mimetic activity of Fe3O4/m-GC, a colorimetric assay was fabricated for detecting glucose in the range 0.5 ~ 200 µM, with a limit of detection of 0.24 µM. Fig 1 A Schematic illustration of the preparation process of Fe3O4/m-GC, B schematic illustration of a proposed synergistic catalytic mechanism of TMB oxidation by Fe3O4/m-GC.

Metal Organic Frame-Upconverting Nanoparticle Assemblies for the FRET Based Sensor Detection of Bisphenol A in High-Salt Foods.

To resolve the occurrence of unfulfillable detection in high-salts foods, we used fluorescence resonant energy transfer (FRET) sensors based on nanoparticle upconversion. In this study, we developed a novel FRET sensor for the detection of bisphenol A (BPA) in high-salt foods. We based this approach on the assembly of aptamer modified upconversion nanoparticles (DNA1-UCNPs) and complementary DNA modified metal organic frames (DNA2-MOFs), which possessed corresponding wavelength absorption. Targeting BPA signal transduction was performed using the BPA aptamer, via competitive recognition between the BPA analyte and complementary DNA sequences in a high-salt solution. Sensor adaption in high-salt samples was attributed to functional hydrophilic groups, modified in the MOFs, and the enhanced colloidal stability of these MOFs. The MOF-UCNP assembly displayed considerable analytical performance in terms of BPA detection, with a linear range of 0.1-100 nM, and a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.02 nM, in a 340 mM NaCl food sample (the energy drink, Gatorade). Thus, this method provides a solid basis for small molecules detection in high-salt foods.

Berberine containing quadruple therapy for initial Helicobacter pylori eradication: An open-label randomized phase IV trial.

BACKGROUND: Due to increasing antimicrobial resistance, a bismuth-based quadruple regimen has been recommended as an alternative first-line therapy for Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) eradication. However, different results are varied greatly and the availability of bismuth was limited in some countries. We assessed the efficacy and safety of 14-day berberine-containing quadruple therapy as an alternative regimen for H pylori eradication. METHODS: In a randomized, open-label, non-inferiority, phase IV trial between November 25, 2014, and October 15, 2015, 612 treatment-naive patients were randomly assigned to 14-day berberine-containing (n = 308) or 14-day bismuth-containing (n = 304) quadruple therapy. The primary outcomes were eradication rates determined by the C urea breath test (C-UBT) 28 days after the end of treatment. The secondary outcomes were adverse events and compliance. RESULTS: The baseline demographic data including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), general condition and severity score were not statistically different in both groups. The eradication rates in bismuth and berberine groups were 86.4% (266/308) and 90.1% (274/304) in intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (P = .149), and 89.6% (266/297) and 91.3% (273/299) in per-protocol (PP) analysis (P = .470), respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in the overall incidence of adverse events between both groups (35.7% vs 28.6%, P = .060). CONCLUSIONS: Both regimens achieved the recommended efficacy for H pylori eradication. The berberine-containing quadruple regimen was not inferior to bismuth-containing quadruple regimen and can be recommended as an alternative regimen for H pylori eradication in the local region.

MicroRNA-20b suppresses the expression of ZFP-148 in viral myocarditis.

Viral myocarditis is a common cardiovascular disease, which seriously endangers the health of people and even leads to sudden unexpected death. MicroRNAs play very important roles in various physical and pathological processes including cardiogenesis and heart diseases. In recent years, miR-20b has been implicated in various diseases such as breast cancer, gastric cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, cardiovascular diseases. However, the function of miR-20b in the pathological progress of viral myocarditis has not been reported. In this study, we found that miR-20b was up-regulated in mouse heart tissues post Coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) infection. Bioinformatics analysis identified ZFP-148, a transcription factor that plays essential roles in the regulation of virus replication, is one of the predicted targets of miR-20b. MiR-20b expression was found to be up-regulated and ZFP-148 protein level was markedly repressed during viral myocarditis. Further studies demonstrated that miR-20b directly binds to the 3'-UTR of ZFP-148 and suppresses its translation. Moreover, aberrant expression of miR-20b promoted the expression of anti-apoptosis proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL, suggesting that altered gene expression might promote cardiomyocytes survival in viral myocarditis. Our findings indicated that miR-20b might be a potential therapeutic target for CVB3-induced viral myocarditis and a useful marker for the diagnosis of viral myocarditis.

Glucocorticoid treatment inhibits intracerebral hemorrhage­induced inflammation by targeting the microRNA­155/SOCS­1 signaling pathway.

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) results in inflammation, and glucocorticoids have been proven to be effective inhibitors of ICH­induced inflammation. However, the precise underlying mechanisms of ICH­induced inflammation and glucocorticoid function remain largely undefined. Using a mouse ICH model, the present study demonstrated that the short non­coding RNA molecule microRNA­155 (miR­155) is involved in the inflammatory process initiated by ICH in mice. Increased mRNA expression levels of miR­155, as well as the pro­inflammatory cytokines interferon­ß (IFN­ß), tumor necrosis factor­α (TNF­α) and interleukin­6 (IL­6), were observed in vivo following ICH. By contrast, the expression level of suppressor of cytokine signaling 1 (SOCS­1) protein was reduced in the ICH group compared with control mice. Similar results were observed in vitro using astrocytes, the primary effector cells in ICH. Compared with wild type astrocytes, astrocytes overexpressing miR­155 exhibited significant inhibition of SOCS­1 protein expression levels. These results suggest that miR­155 contributes to the development of ICH­induced inflammation in mice by downregulating SOCS­1 protein expression levels and promoting pro­inflammatory cytokine (IFN­ß, TNF­α and IL­6) production. Expression levels of miR­155 and pro­inflammatory cytokines in the ICH group were significantly decreased following dexamethasone administration. This suggests that glucocorticoids attenuate ICH­induced inflammation by targeting the miR­155/SOCS­1 signaling pathway in mice. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the miR­155/SOCS­1 signaling pathway is required for ICH­induced inflammation, and glucocorticoids inhibit this process by targeting the miR­155/SOCS­1 signaling pathway.

[Progress in Stress Cardiomyopathy and Its Forensic Application].

Stress cardiomyopathy is an atypical myocardial disease induced by emotional or physical stress, with the characteristic of left ventricular systolic dysfunction, transient imaging and electrocardiogram (ECG) changes. Sudden cardiac death can occur in severe cases. Clinical symptoms are likely to appear on acute myocardial infarction, but the exact pathological mechanism is unclear. In the present study, we perform a systematic review of the literature on the clinical manifestations, epidemiological characteristics, ECG, imaging and laboratory tests of stress cardiomyopathy, in order to provide the values for forensic pathology diagnosis.

[Adaptability assessment of economic and environmental development of Tangshan, Hebei, China].

It is vital to explore whether the economic system adapts to the environmental system as the relationship between economy and environment becomes a gradually concerned problem. Tangshan, a typical resource-based city, was chosen to study the adaptabilities and performances of economic developments in response to environmental changes from 1992 to 2011. It was found that the economic-environmental adaptation curve of Tangshan City had an overall fluctuating and increasing tendency. The systematic adaptability kept advancing, reflecting Tangshan paid much attention to environmental development in addition to economic performances, and the two aspects became more and more coordinated. Filtering analysis of the adaptive curve with Eviews software revealed that the potential systematic coordinating index was rising continuously, however, the sum of resilience gap for 20 years was still negative, which implied that fundamental contradictions between high economic development and high energy consumption and high pollutant emission still existed. Carrying out adaptive researches not only helps people to adapt to climate changes better, but also has significances for economic and environmental coordination and sustainability research.

Fatal extensive bone cement embolism: histological findings confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

We herein report the first case of fatal extensive bone cement embolism appearing in pulmonary arterioles following surgical vertebral screw augmentation, which histological evidence of bone cement emboli was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. A 47-year-old woman has accepted multilevel spine fusion and pedicle screw augmentation with totally 4 ml bone cement infusion. She suddenly developed low blood pressure, dyspnoea, and unconsciousness approximately 1 h post anaesthetic recovery, and then she was dead. It was shown both lungs were edematous in autopsy, and bluish emboli were appeared in extensive pulmonary arterioles in H&E stained sections. Negative information was shown in Molybdenum target X-ray imaging, but the emboli were confirmed to be PMMA bone cement by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The present case indicated it might be effective to confirm the dubious trace component in histology by FTIR.

The G-quadruplex ligand, SYUIQ-FM05, targets proto-oncogene c-kit transcription and induces apoptosis in K562 cells.

CONTEXT: N'-(7-Fluoro-5-N-methyl-10H-indolo[3,2-b]quinolin-5-ium)-N,N-dimethylpropane-1,3-diamine iodide (SYUIQ-FM05) is a semi-synthetic derivative of cryptolepine which is from Cryptolepis sanguinolenta (Lindl.) Schlechter (Periplocaeae). This ligand inhibits telomerase activity by stabilizing the G-quadruplex structure and induces growth arrest in cancer cells. OBJECTIVE: The anticancer activity of SYUIQ-FM05 via inhibiting c-kit transcription was investigated in leukemic cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxicity of SYUIQ-FM05 in K562 cells was evaluated using a cell viability assay and flow cytometry (FCM) at 0.4, 2.0, 10.0 and 20.0 nM. Under the same concentrations of SYUIQ-FM05 or 100 nM imatinib mesylate (IM), quantitative polymerase chain reaction (Q-PCR) investigated transcription of c-kit and bcl-2, and western blotting analyzed the expression levels of c-Kit, total mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases (MEKs), phospho-MEK (p-MEK), total extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERKs), phospho-ERK (p-ERK), Bcl-2 and Bax. RESULTS: SYUIQ-FM05 inhibited cellular growth with an IC(50) of 10.83 ± 0.05 nM in K562 cells. c-Kit transcription was suppressed 2.69-, 4.39-, 7.71- and 10.52-fold at 0.4, 2.0, 10.0 and 20.0 nM SYUIQ-FM05, respectively, which produced proportional loss of total c-Kit protein except IM. Both SYUIQ-FM05 and IM downregulated p-MEK and p-ERK. Furthermore, bcl-2 transcription was suppressed 1.58- and 1.86-fold at 10.0 and 20.0 nM SYUIQ-FM05, respectively, but 0.4 and 2.0 nM SYUIQ-FM05 had no effect. A decrease in Bcl-2 and an increase in Bax appeared in these treated cells. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that SYUIQ-FM05 could induce apoptosis in a leukemic cell line through inhibiting c-kit transcription, which supports the anticancer potency of SYUIQ-FM05 in c-Kit-positive leukemic cells.

Identification and thermal stability of purple-fleshed sweet potato anthocyanins in aqueous solutions with various pH values and fruit juices.

Thirteen anthocyanins were identified in the purple-fleshed sweet potato cultivar Jihei No. 1. The main anthocyanins were 3-sophoroside-5-glucoside derivatives from cyanidin and peonidin, acylated with p-hydroxybenzoic acid, ferulic acid, or caffeic acid. A unique anthocyanin, delphinidin-3,5-diglucoside was also found. The thermal stability of purple-fleshed sweet potato anthocyanins (PSPAs) followed a first-order kinetics model. Aqueous solutions with various pH (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6) and fruit juices (apple, pear, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, kiwifruit, and lemon) were coloured with PSPAs. The enrichment and degradation kinetics of anthocyanins in these matrices were investigated at 80, 90, and 100°C. A higher stability of anthocyanins was obtained in aqueous solutions with pH 3 and 4 and in apple and pear juices. Moreover, the activation energies for PSPA degradation in aqueous solutions with various pH and fruit juices ranged from 66.56 kJ/mol to 111.57 kJ/mol and 46.76 kJ/mol to 75.68 kJ/mol, respectively.

Imprudent blow, catastrophic consequence: a case of commotio cordis associated with violence.

Commotio cordis is a rare and catastrophic mechano-electric feedback syndrome, and it is especially apt to occur in male children, adolescents and youths during sports activities. The authors present a case of unexpected sudden death due to commotio cordis associated with violence. In a house of detention, a 19-year-old boy was punched and kicked in the face, neck and chest during a fight with another suspect in their ward. Unfortunately, his precordium was the major injured region. The victim turned pale, then lost the ability to resist and lost consciousness immediately. When the emergency medical personnel arrived, the victim was found in a condition of cardiac and respiratory arrest and he was pronounced dead at the scene without cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Both autopsy signs and forensic morphology were in accord with the criteria for commotio cordis diagnosis, showing no cardiac or other organic fatal lesions and no underlying cardiac diseases; moreover, the toxicological screening was negative for alcohol, drug and common toxicants. In the present case, the whole fight was seen by some witnesses in their ward, and it was recorded by the monitoring unit. Based on the statements of the witnesses and the monitoring videotape, combined with the forensic pathological and toxicological examinations, all the testimonies supported the conclusion that the cause of death was commotio cordis.

Using second-order calibration method based on trilinear decomposition algorithms coupled with high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector for determination of quinolones in honey samples.

A novel strategy that combines the second-order calibration method based on the trilinear decomposition algorithms with high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC-DAD) was developed to mathematically separate the overlapped peaks and to quantify quinolones in honey samples. The HPLC-DAD data were obtained within a short time in isocratic mode. The developed method could be applied to determine 12 quinolones at the same time even in the presence of uncalibrated interfering components in complex background. To access the performance of the proposed strategy for the determination of quinolones in honey samples, the figures of merit were employed. The limits of quantitation for all analytes were within the range 1.2-56.7 µg kg(-1). The work presented in this paper illustrated the suitability and interesting potential of combining second-order calibration method with second-order analytical instrument for multi-residue analysis in honey samples.

Quantitative analysis of epinephrine in human plasma samples using kinetic fluorometric method combined with second-order calibration.

A kinetic fluorometric method was proposed for the quantitative determination of epinephrine (EP) in human plasma samples with the aid of second-order calibration methods based on alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) and alternating fitting residue (AFR) algorithms. It was based on that EP could be gradually converted to a highly fluorescent intermediate product by an oxidation reaction, and further to a non-fluorescent degradation product (o-quinone). These methodologies fully exploit the second-order advantage of the employed three-way kinetic fluorescence data, allowing the concentrations of EP to be quantified even in the presence of uncalibrated interferences. The average recoveries obtained from ATLD and AFR with a factor number of 2 (N = 2) were 100.7 +/- 3.3 and 100.4 +/- 2.2%, respectively. In addition, elliptical joint confidence region (EJCR) tests as well as figures of merit (FOM) were employed to evaluate the accuracy of the two algorithms.

Excitation-emission-kinetic fluorescence coupled with third-order calibration for quantifying carbaryl and investigating the hydrolysis in effluent water.

A novel method for determination of carbaryl in effluent was proposed in this study. The kinetic evolution of excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (EEM) for the pesticide were recorded and come into being a four-way data array. The four-way fluorescence data were analyzed using the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). The methodology exploits the second-order advantage of three-order calibration based on quadrilinear parallel factor analysis, allowing analyte concentrations to be estimated even in the presence of an uncalibrated fluorescent background. It gave the satisfactory results for determination of the carbaryl in effluent samples. In addition, the kinetic study of degradation of carbaryl was performed according to the kinetic profile provided by the calibration.

Determination of indole-3-acetic acid in soil using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence with trilinear decomposition-based calibration methods.

Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a phytohormone of the auxin group and is capable of coordinating the overall processes of plant growth and development. IAA is active in the very low concentration range. Therefore, it is important to quantify IAA in the low concentration range in complex system. In this work, a new spectrofluorometric method for the direct determination of IAA in soil is proposed and discussed. It combines the fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) with second-order calibration methods based on the alternating trilinear decomposition (ATLD) algorithm and the self-weighed alternating trilinear decomposition (SWATLD) algorithm. These methodologies fully exploit the second-order advantage of the three-way fluorescence data, allowing the analyte concentrations to be quantified even in the presence of unknown fluorescent interferents. IAA recoveries in soil were determined as 100.6 +/- 3.0 and 96.9 +/- 1.1% with ATLD and SWATLD, respectively. The limits of detection obtained were 17.6 and 4.6 ng mL(-1), and the limits of quantification were 52.9 and 13.9 ng mL(-1) with ATLD and SWATLD, respectively.

[Changes of RyR2 mRNA expression in rats suffering from acute myocardial ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the changes of ryanodine receptor 2 (RyR2) mRNA expression in rats suffering from acute myocardial ischemia. METHODS: SD rats were divided randomly into normal control group, myocardial ischemia group and sudden death group. The models of myocardial ischemia and sudden cardiac death were induced by intraperitoneal injection of hypophysine. The changes of RyR2 mRNA expression in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) of rats suffering from myocardial ischemia were detected by fluorescent RT-PCR technique. RESULTS: The levels of RyR2 mRNA in the myocardial ischemia group and sudden death group were significant lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Myocardial ischemia may induce down-regulation of cardiac SR RyR2 mRNA expression.

Determination of psoralen in human plasma using excitation-emission matrix fluorescence coupled to second-order calibration.

A new algorithm, an alternating normalization-weighted error (ANWE) method, and the parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) have been used to directly determine psoralen (PSO) in human plasma. The two methods fully exploit the second-order advantage of the applied three-way fluorescence data. Interestingly, the calibration samples need only the components of interest, and the prediction samples allow containing not only the components of interest, but also unknown interferents. Consequently, the determination of PSO in plasma becomes no longer troublesome or time-consuming. The results are satisfying. Furthermore, compared with PARAFAC, the newly introduced ANWE method can obtain more satisfactory results.