Objective: To explore the clinical efficacy of Xiaoshuan enteric-coated capsule (XSECC) in treating cerebral infarction and its potential mechanism of action. Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) of the qi deficiency and blood stasis type were randomly assigned to the control and observation groups. They were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Hachinskilnchemic Scale (HIS), Barthel Index (BI), clinical efficacy scores, and TCM syndrome scores on days 0, 14, 30, and 90. Furthermore, VEGF and BDNF levels were measured on days 30 and 90. Finally, we analyzed the changes in each scale score and vascular neurological factor in both groups. Results: After 14 days of treatment, the difference values in NIHSS, ADL, and BI were higher, and TCM syndrome and clinical efficacy scores were increased in the observation group compared with those of the control group (all P < .05). After 30 days, the NIHSS, ADL, HIS, and TCM syndrome scores were decreased compared with those of the control group, while BI and clinical efficacy scores were increased (all P < .05). After 90 days, the difference value in ADL was higher, and TCM syndrome score was increased in the observation group compared with that of the control group (P = .047, P = .005, respectively). The levels of VEGF and BDNF were higher in the observation group than in the control group on days 14, 30, and 90 (all P < .05). VEGF and BDNF levels on day 0 were associated with prognosis of patients with AIS; therefore, they have a predictive value for the prognosis of acute cerebral infarction. Conclusions XSECC therapy can improve clinical outcomes in patients with acute and recurrent cerebral infarctions. Its mechanism of action may be associated with the secretion of VEGF and BDNF.

Objective To investigate the health education needs and available resources in schistosomiasis-endemic areas based on integration of community resources, and to explore the operation pathways for health education and promotion during the stage of schistosomiasis elimination. Methods A community was selected from Nanji Township, Xinjian District, Nanchang City, Jiangxi Province around the Poyang Lake areas as the study site, and a questionnaire survey on health education needs for schistosomiasis control was conducted among permanent residents at ages of 20 years in the community during the period between June and July, 2022 using face-to-face interviews. In addition, the resources available for the community-based schistosomiasis control health education were investigated among workers in township-level specialized institutions, members of civil society organizations, villagers, teachers and high and primary school students through field observations, field surveys and thematic interviews. Results A total of 304 individuals participated in the questionnaire survey on community-based health education needs for schistosomiasis control, and 94.41% (287/304) and 93.42% (284/304) of the respondents were most interested in knowing/understanding knowledge of the morphology of schistosomes and knowledge associated with the transmission route of schistosomiasis. The four most popular patterns for disseminating schistosomiasis control knowledge included live broadcasting of schistosomiasis control videos (94.41%, 287/304), printed brochures (89.80%, 273/304), special lectures by doctors (62.50%, 190/304) and physical health education materials for schistosomiasis control (61.51%, 187/304). There were 96.71% (294/304) and 77.63% (236/304) of respondents that accepted the participation of township healthcare center and township government/village committees in dissemination of schistosomiasis control knowledge, and there were 95.72% (291/304) and 80.59% (245/304) of respondents that mainly acquired schistosomiasis control knowledge through village allocation of leaflets and volunteer schistosomiasis control activities, respectively. There was 96.71% (294/304) of respondents participating in the dissemination activities of schistosomiasis control knowledge held by village committees, township healthcare centers, and high and primary schools/kinder-gartens, and 61.25% (177/289) of respondents were willing to participate in volunteer schistosomiasis control activities. A total of 115 individuals participated in the survey of available resources for community-based schistosomiasis control health education, and there were a large number of organizational, human and cultural resources in the community that were useful for health communication services. Conclusions The abundant human and material resources from rural communities in schistosomiasis-endemic areas may be integrated into schistosomiasis control health education to generate a rural health education pathway with the joint participation of schistosomiasis control institutions, township governments, community departments and community residents, which may provide insights into the future development of schistosomiasis control health education.

Objective To evaluate the molluscicidal effect of spraying different formulations of niclosamide ethanolamine salt with drones against Oncomelania hupensis in ditches. Methods A semi-dry and semi-wet ditch with O. hupensis snails was selected in the second branch field of Jiangbei Farm, Jiangling County, Hubei Province in May 2023, and divided into 4 experimental areas, named groups A1, A2, B1 and B2. Environmental cleaning was performed in groups A1 and B2, and was not conducted in groups A2 or B2. Then, 50% wettable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups A1 and A2, and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule was sprayed with drones at an effective dose of 2 g/m² in groups B1 and B2. O. hupensis snails were surveyed using the systematic sampling method 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 days after spraying, and the natural mortality and corrected mortality of O. hupensis snails were calculated. Results The occurrence of frames with living snails, mean density of living snails and natural mortality of snails were 97.50% (117/120), 6.30 snails/0.1 m² and 1.18% (9/765) in the test ditch before spraying, respectively. There were significant differences in the mortality of snails among four groups 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 days after spraying niclosamide formulations with drones (χ² = 17.230, 51.707, 65.184, 204.050 and 34.435, all P values < 0.01). The overall mortality rates of snails were 94.51% (1 051/1 112), 79.44% (908/1 143), 96.54% (977/1 012) and 88.55% (1 021/1 153) in groups A1, A2, B1 and B2 (χ² = 207.773, P < 0.05), respectively. In addition, there was no significant difference in the overall snail mortality between groups A1 and B1 (P > 0.05), and the snail mortality in groups A1 and B1 were both statistically different from that in groups A2 and B2 (all P values < 0.05). Conclusion Both 50% wettlable powder of niclosamide ethanolamine salt and 5% niclosamide ethanolamine salt granule sprayed with drones are active against O. hupensis snails in ditches, and environmental cleaning may improve the molluscicidal effect.

Objective: To describe the clinical features, causal agent and transmission mode of a fever outbreak in a school in Shanghai. Methods: Field epidemiological approaches including case definition development, searching for contacts, distribution of diseases description, environmental sampling and laboratory testing. Results: A total of 16 influenza like cases were included, all concentrated in the one class of grade two, including 15 students and 1 teacher. Among student cases, the incidence rate was 36.59% (15/41), the average age was 7.4 years, the incidence rate was 36.84%(7/19) for boys, 36.36%(8/22) for girls. The clinical course was 5-15 days, with the median of 9 days, and 18.75%(3/16) of the cases stayed studying while sick. The nasopharyngeal swab specimens in 16 cases all tested positive for influenza B, of which 11 tested positive for mycoplasma pneumoniae and 1 case also tested positive for coronavirus OC43. Body temperature, number of mononuclear cells, and treatment time of patients infected with Influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae were higher than those of patients infected with influenza B alone( P <0.05). The outbreak lasted for 12 days, all sick students were treated and discharged from hospital, with no severe cases or death, and the outbreak was effectively controlled. Conclusion This campus cluster outbreak caused by influenza B and mycoplasma pneumoniae. Patients with influenza B with mycoplasma pneumoniae have severe symptoms and a long course of illness, suggesting the importance of early management of the epidemic.

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral infarction is a subtype of stroke with high incidence and disability rate. Ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) is the key point of cerebral infarction treatment. UbiA prenyltransferase domain containing 1 (UBIAD1) is a kind of enzyme with various biological functions including electron transport in mitochondrial respiratory chain, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress which are related to IRI. The purpose of this study aims to determine the neuroprotective effects and the underlying mechanisms of UBIAD1 in cerebral IRI. METHODS: We employed oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) model in mouse neuroblastoma Neuro2a (N2a) cells to mimic cerebral IRI. Lentivirus vector over-expressed UBIAD1 was transfacted into N2a cells to maintain high and stable expression of UBIAD1. In the first part of the experiment, N2a cells were divided into 5 groups: A non-OGD (N2a cells without exposure to OGD) group, groups of reoxygenation 0, 4, 12 and 24 h after 4 h of OGD, respectively. In the second part of the experiment, N2a cells were divided into 6 groups: A Con (normal cell)+non-OGD group, an EV (cell transfected with empty vector)+non-OGD group, an OE (over-expressed UBIAD1)+non-OGD group, a Con+OGD/R group, an EV+OGD/R group, and an OE+OGD/R group. In the third part, the N2a cells were divided into 8 groups: A Con+non-OGD group, an OE+non-OGD group, a Con+non-OGD+nNOS inhibitior 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) group, an OE+non-OGD+7-NI group, a Con+OGD/R group, an OE+OGD/R group, a Con+OGD/R+7-NI group, and an OE+OGD/R+7-NI group. The morphological changes of Golgi apparatus were observed under the confocal laser scanning microscope. The mRNA and protein levels of UBIAD1, secretory pathway Ca²⁺-ATPase isoform 1 (SPCA1), and NOS were determined by real-time PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Cell apoptosis rate was detected with flow cytometry; cell viability was detected with MTT assay, and NO release was determined with Griess assay. RESULTS: Compared with the non-OGD group, the expression levels of UBIAD1 mRNA and protein in N2a cells in the groups of 0, 4, 12 and 24 h reoxygenation after OGD 4 h decreased significantly (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the longer the reoxygenation time, the more significant the reduction of UBIAD1 expression. Compared with the Con+OGD/R group and the EV+OGD/R group, mRNA and protein levels of UBIAD1 and SPCA1 were increased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), the apoptosis rate was decreased (all P<0.01), and the cell viability was increased (all P<0.01) in the OE+OGD/R group. The Golgi fragmentation was less in the OE+OGD/R group than that in the Con+ OGD/R group and the EV+OGD/R group. The mRNA and protein levels of endothelial NOS (eNOS) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) were decreased (P<0.05 or P<0.01), and the level of NO was decreased (all P<0.01) in the groups over-expressed UBIAD1 (OE+non-OGD group vs Con+non-OGD group, OE+OGD/R group vs Con+OGD/R group). The level of NO and apoptosis rate of N2a cells were decreased (all P<0.01) in the the groups pretreated with 7-NI (Con+OGD/R+7-NI group vs Con+OGD/R group, OE+OGD/R+7-NI group vs OE+OGD/R group). CONCLUSIONS UBIAD1 may exerts protective effects on OGD/R induced N2a cells by ameliorating Golgi apparatus dysfunction via the nNOS/NO pathway.
Animals ; Mice ; Cell Survival ; Cerebral Infarction ; Dimethylallyltranstransferase ; Glucose ; Lipid Metabolism ; Oxygen ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism*

Objective:To investigate the effect of electroporation-mediated local gene therapy on the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin in callus of distraction gap during mandibular distraction osteogenesis of rabbits.Methods:The experiments were conducted in the laboratory of the Affiliated Friendship Plastic Surgery Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from September 2019 to December 2019. Forty eight New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into control group (group A), gene therapy group (group B) and normal saline group (group C), with 16 rabbits in each group. After bilateral mandible osteotomy and distractors were implanted, the distractors were activated at a speed of 0.8 mm/d on 4th day, postoperatively, and lasted for 7 days, followed by consolidation period. Group A distracted only, group B was subject to local injection of recombinant plasmid pIRES-hBMP2-hVEGF165 in the distraction gap and electroporation stimulation at the beginning of activation distractors; and group C local injection of the same dose of normal saline in the distraction gap and electroporation stimulation at the beginning of activation distractors. Four animals in each group were sacrificed on the day at the end of distraction, 7th, 14th, 28th days of consolidation period, respectively. The callus in the distraction gap was taken for immunohistochemical staining and RT-PCR to detect the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin, and image analysis was performed. SPSS 22.0 statistical software was used for data analysis.Results:Immunohistochemical staining showed that Wnt3a and β-catenin were mainly located in the cytoplasm and nuclei of fibroblasts, chondrocytes and osteoblasts in callus tissue. Immunohistochemistry and RT-PCR showed that the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin reached a peak at the end of distraction. With the disappearance of distraction tension, the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin gradually decreased. After gene therapy intervention, the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin was significantly increased, and the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin in group B was the highest at each time point, with statistically significant difference compared with groups A and C ( F=96.3, P<0.01). Conclusions:Gene therapy promotes the expression of Wnt3a and β-catenin in the callus of distraction gap, regulating the balance of the bone reconstruction system and thus promoting the formation of new bone in the distraction gap.

Objective:The blood free carnitine levels of preterm infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) were detected within 7 days after birth, and the correlation between blood free carnitine levels and NRDS in preterm infants was explored.Methods:Seventy premature infants with gestational ages from 28 to 36 weeks who were admitted to the NICU of the Affiliated Hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019 were selected as the participants.Among them, 35 cases were in the NRDS group, while 35 cases of premature infants without NRDS were chosen as the control group.Heel blood samples were collected from all subjects within 6 hours, 3 days and 7 days after birth, and the levels of blood free carnitine were detected by tandem mass spectrometry.Results:Within 7 days after birth, the levels of free carnitine in blood of premature infants in the two groups gradually decreased with time, but the decreasing trend was not similar( F=4.096, P=0.021). Compared with 6 hours after birth, the blood free carnitine level in NRDS group decreased significantly with 3 days after birth[(35.24±9.58) μmol/L vs.(23.96±7.12) μmol/L, P<0.05]. The levels of blood free carnitine in NRDS group at 6 hours and 3 days after birth were significantly lower than those in control group[(35.24±9.58) μmol/L vs.(40.85±11.39) μmol/L; (23.96±7.12) μmol/L vs.(29.60±8.05) μmol/L, P<0.05]. There was no significant difference in blood free carnitine levels between the two groups at 7 days after birth ( P>0.05). Conclusion:The blood free carnitine levels of premature infants decreased within 7 days after birth.The decrease of carnitine level in premature infants with NRDS may be related to the occurrence and development of NRDS.

Objective:To explore the effect of PSD-95 inhibitor ZL006 in neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBD) and its potential mechanism.Methods:The seven-day-old healthy Wistar rats( n=80) were randomly divided into control group( n=20), sham operation group( n=20) and operation group (HIBD model group, n=40). The operation group was randomly divided into ZL006, treatment group (intraperitoneal injection of ZL006, 10 mg/kg, n=20) and non-treatment group ( n=20). The neonatal rats of each group were randomly selected on the 1st and 7th day after operation, and the degree of cerebral infarction was observed by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining.The protein expression level of brain tissue in the injured area was examed by Western blot, and the effects of ZL006 on oxidative stress and antioxidant enzymes in rats with HIBD were evaluated by ELISA. Results:(1) On the first day after operation, the brain injury was the most serious in the non-treatment group, and the cerebral infarction decreased in the ZL006 treatment group.On the 7th day after operation, a little infarction could be seen in the operation group, but there was no significant difference among other three groups.(2)On the first day after operation, the expression of PSD-95 protein in the operation group was significantly higher than that in the control group and sham operation group( P<0.01). There was significant difference in the expression of PSD-95 protein between the ZL006 treatment group and the non-treatment group ( P<0.05). On the 7th day after operation, there was no significant difference in the expression of PSD-95 protein among three groups.(3)On the first day after operation, the expression of 4-hydroxynonenal in the operation group was significantly higher than that in the control group and sham operation group( P<0.01), and that in the non-treatment group was higher than that in the ZL006 treatment group ( P<0.05). On the 7th day after operation, there was no significant difference in the expression of 4-hydroxynonenal among three groups.(4) On the first day after operation, the expression of superoxide dismutase in the operation group was significantly lower than that in the control group and sham operation group( P<0.01), and that in the non-treatment group was lower than that in the ZL006 treatment group ( P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the expression level of superoxide dismutase among three groups on the 7th day after operation. Conclusion:It is suggested that PSD-95 may be involved in the early pathogenesis of HIBD, and ZL006 may have neuroprotective effect on HIBD in newborn rats.

Objective: To explore the relationship between serum glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) level and neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), and to verify whether GFAP combined with craniocerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can more accurately evaluate the prognosis of HIE. Methods: We selected HIE children who hospitalized in the department of neonatology, the affiliated hospital of Inner Mongolia Medical University from January 2017 to December 2017, and full-term newborns without brain injury who were hospitalized in the same period. Serum samples were taken for GFAP detection on the 1st, 3rd, 7th day after birth of HIE and the 3rd day after birth of full-term newborns without brain injury. All the subjects completed craniocerebral MRI examination and followed up. At the same time, the correlation between GFAP level and the severity of brain MRI was evaluated. Results: ⑴ The level of serum GFAP in HIE group on the 3rd day after birth [(5.54±1.30)ng/ml] was significantly higher than that in control group [(3.38±0.31)ng/ml] (P<0.01). ⑵ Comparison of serum GFAP levels in HIE children with different degrees: the serum levels of GFAP in the severe group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day were as follows: (5.56±1.89)ng/ml, (6.42±1.63)ng/ml, (7.22±1.30)ng/ml; the serum levels of GFAP in moderate group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day were as follows: (5.07±0.62)ng/ml, (6.73±0.772)ng/ml, (6.25±0.812)ng/ml; the serum levels of GFAP in mild group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day were as follows: (4.20±0.13)ng/ml, (5.34±0.33)ng/ml, (4.52±0.33)ng/ml; the serum GFAP levels in severe group were higher than those in moderate group and mild group on the 1st, 3rd and 7th day, and those in moderate group were higher than those in mild group (P<0.01). ⑶ Comparison of serum GFAP levels between sequelae group and non-sequelae group: there was no significant difference between sequelae group [(5.22±1.52)ng/ml, (6.48±1.17)ng/ml] and non-sequelae group [(4.47±0.50)ng/ml, (5.75±0.88)ng/ml] on the 1st and 3rd day (P>0.05); there was significant difference between sequelae group [(6.93±1.29)ng/ml] and non-sequelae group [(4.91±0.77)ng/ml] on the 7th day (P<0.01). ⑷ Comparison of serum GFAP levels between abnormal group of MRI and normal group of MRI: the levels of serum GFAP on day 1, 3 and 7 in abnormal craniocerebral MRI group were as follows: (5.25±1.28)ng/ml, (6.66±1.10)ng/ml, (6.64±1.08)ng/ml; the levels of serum GFAP on day 1, 3 and 7 in the normal group of MRI were as follows: (4.26±0.25)ng/ml, (5.41±0.40)ng/ml, (4.62±0.48)ng/ml; the serum levels of GFAP on day 1, 3 and 7 in mild abnormal craniocerebral MRI group were as follows: (4.92±0.9)ng/ml, (6.42±0.47)ng/ml, (5.95±0.58)ng/ml; the levels of serum GFAP on day 1, 3 and 7 in moderate abnormal group of craniocerebral MRI were as follows: (4.49±0.58)ng/ml, (6.24±1.87)ng/ml, (6.11±0.08)ng/ml; the levels of serum GFAP on day 1, 3 and 7 in the severe abnormal group of craniocerebral MRI were as follows: (6.17±1.34)ng/ml, (7.22±0.91)ng/ml, (7.73±1.01)ng/ml. Among the three groups of abnormal group of craniocerebral MRI, there were no significant differences in serum GFAP levels on day 1 and 3 (P>0.05), and there were significant differences on day 7 (P<0.05). Conclusions It is speculated that the increase of serum GFAP level in HIE newborns is related to the severity and prognosis of the disease, and is positively related to the results of craniocerebral MRI examination.Detecting the changes of serum GFAP in HIE newborns is helpful to determine the severity of the disease and evaluate the prognosis of the children. Combining GFAP with craniocerebral MRI may improve the accuracy of the judgment.

Objective: To explore the role of β-catenin in distraction osteogenesis of new bone formation, the expression of β-catenin in the distraction gap callus was detected during rabbit mandibular distraction osteogenesis. Methods: 26 New-Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups. Group A is a normal control group with 2 rabbits, group B is the mandibular defect control group, and group C is the distraction group. Group B and C with 12 rabbits, respectively. The two rabbits in group A without surgery, their mandibles are normal control. In group B, vertical osteotomy was performed between the first molar and the mental foramen on the mandibles bilaterally, followed by rigid internal fixation with titanium plates and screw with 5 mm gap immediately. In group C, after the same osteotomy was performed, the fragments of mandibles were reduced and fixed with mandibular distractors bilaterally. On the fourth day postoperatively, the distraction started at a rate of 0.8 mm/d and lasted for 7 days, followed by consolidation period. Two rabbits of group B and C were sacrificed at 6th, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st, 38th day postoperatively, respectively. The newly formed callus in the distraction gap of mandibles was harvested for Western blotting and immunohistochemistry examination to detect the distribution and expression of β-catenin. The experimental data were analyzed by SPSS 22.0 statistical software using Spearman function. Results: The result of Western blotting showed that the expression of β-catenin gradually increased at distraction period(6-10 days after surgery) and reached the peak at the end of the distraction period(10th day postoperatively), it gradually decreased during the consolidation period. However, the expression of β-catenin in group C was higher than that of group B. Immunohistochemistry stain showed that the expression of β-catenin mainly located in inflammatory cells(eg. monocyte), fibroblast of the granulation tissue, the osteoblasts, osteocyte on the surface of new formed trabecular, and the connective tissues surrounding the new bone in the new formed callus. Cytoplasmic and nuclear staining were positive. In group C, the expression of β-catenin was strong (3.245 8±0.132 3) after distraction (6th day postoperatively), and reached a peak (4.602 8±0.021 9) on the 10th day postoperatively. With the disappearance of the distraction stress, the expression of β-catenin gradually decreased since17th day postoperatively(3.639 8±0.125 5), but the staining was still positive. In group B, the strong positive staining of β-catenin on the 6th day after surgery (2.734 0±0.134 7), the strongest staining on the 10th day after surgery (3.101 3±0.104 8), and the expression of β-catenin on the 17th day after surgery (2.542 8±0.211 1) was weaker than that on the 10th day after surgery. At each time point, the expression of β-catenin in group C was significantly higher than that in group B, and the difference was statistically significant (r=0.943, P=0.005 6). Conclusions During mandibular distraction osteogenesis, the distraction stress activates the Wnt signal pathway to enhance the expression of β-catenin, it suggests that β-catenin plays an important role in the transformation of the mechanical signal to chemical signals during the process of distraction osteogenesis, and participates in the regulation of new bone formation during distraction osteogenesis.